Protocol to use RNaseH1-based CRISPR to modulate locus-associated R-loops

Modulating R-loop triplex nucleic acid structures reveals their roles across the genome. However, common approaches cannot ascribe functions to R-loops in a locus-associated manner. This protocol presents the use of a locus-associated R-loop-modulating system (dubbed LasR), which employs an inducible RNaseH1-EGFP-dCas9 chimaera. We detail the in silico design of sgRNAs and their transfection with the chimaera, and outline steps confirming RNaseH1-EGFP-dCas9 expression, localization, locus-targeted association, and R-loop modulation in cis or trans using immunoblotting, microscopy, and chromatin and DNA-RNA immunoprecipitation.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Abraham et al. (2020).

Automated summary

This study presents a locus-associated R-loop-modulating system that can attribute functions to R-loops in a locus-specific manner using an inducible RNaseH1-EGFP-dCas9 chimaera. The study confirms the expression, localization, locus-targeted association, and modulation of R-loops in cis or trans using immunoblotting, microscopy, and chromatin and DNA-RNA immunoprecipitation.