Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39929897›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

PAM-adjacent DNA flexibility tunes CRISPR-Cas12a off-target binding.

Aleique Allen, Brendon H Cooper, Jaideep Singh, Remo Rohs, Peter Z Qin

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Machine Learning for CRISPR-Based Diagnostics.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
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

5 authors.

Aleique AllenDepartment of Chemistry, University of Southern California, 3430 S Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA.
Brendon H CooperDepartment of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA.ORCID 0009-0000-8395-5651
Jaideep SinghDepartment of Chemistry, University of Southern California, 3430 S Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA.
Remo RohsDepartment of Chemistry, University of Southern California, 3430 S Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1752-1884
Peter Z QinDepartment of Chemistry, University of Southern California, 3430 S Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA. pzq@usc.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-3967-366X

Funding

Quantitative Modeling of Transcription Factor-DNA BindingR35GM130376 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI Remo Rohs · 2019 to 2026
$3.3M
Supplement: Acquisition of an NGC Discover 10 Pro Chromatography SystemR35GM145341 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI Peter Z Qin · 2022 to 2026
$2.1M
Supplement: Acquisition of a Multi-Mode Microplate ReaderR01GM124413 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI QIN, PETER Z · 2018 to 2021
$1.3M
NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM124413NIGMS NIH HHS R01GM124413NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM130376NIGMS NIH HHS R35GM130376NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM145341
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cas12a is a class 2 type V CRISPR-associated nuclease that uses an effector complex comprised of a single protein activated by a CRISPR-encoded small RNA to cleave double-stranded DNA at specific sites. Cas12a processes unique features as compared to other CRISPR effector nucleases such as Cas9, and has been demonstrated as an effective tool for manipulating complex genomes. Prior studies have indicated that DNA flexibility at the region adjacent to the protospacer-adjacent-motif (PAM) contributes to Cas12a target recognition. Here, we adapted a SELEX-seq approach to further examine the connection between PAM-adjacent DNA flexibility and off-target binding by Cas12a. A DNA library containing DNA-DNA mismatches at PAM + 1 to + 6 positions was generated and subjected to binding in vitro with FnCas12a in the absence of pairing between the RNA guide and DNA target. The bound and unbound populations were sequenced to determine the propensity for off-target binding for each of the individual sequences. Analyzing the position and nucleotide dependency of the DNA-DNA mismatches showed that PAM-dependent Cas12a off-target binding requires unpairing of the protospacer at PAM + 1 and increases with unpairing at PAM + 2 and + 3. This revealed that PAM-adjacent DNA flexibility can tune Cas12a off-target binding. The work adds support to the notion that physical properties of the DNA modulate Cas12a target discrimination, and has implications on Cas12a-based applications.

Indexed as

Bacterial ProteinsClustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic RepeatsCRISPR-Associated ProteinsCRISPR-Cas SystemsDNAEndodeoxyribonucleasesGene EditingProtein BindingRNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas SystemsBacterial ProteinsCas12a proteinCRISPR-Associated ProteinsDNAEndodeoxyribonucleasesRNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas Systems

Identifiers

PMID39929897
PMCPMC11811290

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.