CRISPR-Cas9-mediated chromosome engineering in Arabidopsis thaliana

The rise of the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR-associated protein (Cas) system has made it possible to induce double-strand breaks at almost any desired target site in the genome. In plant somatic cells, double-strand breaks are predominantly repaired by the error-prone nonhomologous end-joining pathway, which can lead to mutations at the break site upon repair. So far, it had only been possible to induce genomic changes of up to a few hundred kilobases in plants utilizing this mechanism. However, by combining the highly efficient Staphylococcus aureus Cas9 (SaCas9) with an egg-cell-specific promoter to facilitate heritable mutations, chromosomal rearrangements in the Mb range, such as inversion and translocations, were obtained in Arabidopsis thaliana recently. Here we describe the chromosome-engineering protocol used to generate these heritable chromosomal rearrangements in A. thaliana. The protocol is based on Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of A. thaliana with transfer DNA constructs containing SaCas9, which is driven by an egg-cell-specific promoter, and two guide RNAs that have been preselected based on their cutting efficiency. In the T1 generation, primary transformants are selected and, if required, analyzed by Droplet Digital PCR and propagated. In the following generations, junction-specific PCR screenings are carried out until plants that carry the rearrangement homozygously are identified. Using this protocol, overall rearrangement frequencies range between 0.03% and 0.5%, depending on the type of rearrangement. In total, it takes about 1 year to establish homozygous lines. This chromosome-engineering protocol generates heritable chromosomal rearrangements in A. thaliana; by combining SaCas9 with an egg-cell-specific promoter to facilitate heritable mutations, chromosomal rearrangements can be made and homozygous lines can be established.