Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32661438›Full record

ArticleNature biotechnology2021

Optimization of AsCas12a for combinatorial genetic screens in human cells.

Peter C DeWeirdt, Kendall R Sanson, Annabel K Sangree, Mudra Hegde, Ruth E Hanna, Marissa N Feeley, Audrey L Griffith, Teng Teng, Samantha M Borys, Christine Strand and 5 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature biotechnology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 135 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
135citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
8.3field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

135 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 236 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
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  7. Molecular mechanisms and biotechnology applications of CRISPR-Cas12a.Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology · 2026
    Review
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  18. Proximity labeling of thebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  19. Article
  20. Article

75 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Peter C DeWeirdt *Genetic Perturbation Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Kendall R Sanson *Genetic Perturbation Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Annabel K Sangree *Genetic Perturbation Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Mudra Hegde *Genetic Perturbation Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4530-4633
Ruth E HannaGenetic Perturbation Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5586-2300
Marissa N FeeleyGenetic Perturbation Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Audrey L GriffithGenetic Perturbation Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Teng TengTango Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Samantha M BorysGenetic Perturbation Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4960-131X
Christine StrandGenetic Perturbation Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5783-6667
J Keith JoungMolecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5630-5645
Benjamin P KleinstiverDepartment of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5469-0655
Xuewen PanTango Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Alan HuangTango Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, USA.
John G DoenchGenetic Perturbation Platform, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA. jdoench@broadinstitute.org.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3707-9889
Broad Institute · USTango Therapeutics (United States) · USHarvard University · US

Funding

PROJECT 4: Somatic evolution of the hematopoietic system in cardiovascular diseaseP01HL142494 · NHLBI · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI Matthias Nahrendorf · 2019 to 2026
$19.5M
Project 2: Genes required for dendritic cell responses to pathogens and T cellsU19AI133524 · NIAID · HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL · PI SHARPE, ARLENE H. · 2017 to 2021
$12.3M
Optimizing Cancer Immunotherapy Safety and Efficacy using Genome EditingR00CA218870 · NCI · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · PI KLEINSTIVER, BENJAMIN PETER · 2018 to 2020
$730k
NCI NIH HHS R00 CA218870NHLBI NIH HHS P01 HL142494NIAID NIH HHS U19 AI133524
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cas12a RNA-guided endonucleases are promising tools for multiplexed genetic perturbations because they can process multiple guide RNAs expressed as a single transcript, and subsequently cleave target DNA. However, their widespread adoption has lagged behind Cas9-based strategies due to low activity and the lack of a well-validated pooled screening toolkit. In the present study, we describe the optimization of enhanced Cas12a from Acidaminococcus (enAsCas12a) for pooled, combinatorial genetic screens in human cells. By assaying the activity of thousands of guides, we refine on-target design rules and develop a comprehensive set of off-target rules to predict and exclude promiscuous guides. We also identify 38 direct repeat variants that can substitute for the wild-type sequence. We validate our optimized AsCas12a toolkit by screening for synthetic lethalities in OVCAR8 and A375 cancer cells, discovering an interaction between MARCH5 and WSB2. Finally, we show that enAsCas12a delivers similar performance to Cas9 in genome-wide dropout screens but at greatly reduced library size, which will facilitate screens in challenging models.

Indexed as

Bacterial ProteinsCRISPR-Associated ProteinsEndodeoxyribonucleasesAcidaminococcusApoptosisCell Line, TumorCRISPR-Associated Protein 9CRISPR-Cas SystemsGene EditingGene LibraryHEK293 CellsHumansRNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas SystemsBacterial ProteinsCas12a proteinCRISPR-Associated Protein 9CRISPR-Associated ProteinsEndodeoxyribonucleasesRNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas Systems

Identifiers

PMID32661438
PMCPMC7854777
OpenAlexW3041039796

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.