Crisflash: Open-source software to generate CRISPR guide RNAs against genomes annotated with individual variation


Type
Article
Change log
Authors
Lukk, Margus 
LS Jacquin, Adrien 
Abstract

CRISPR/Cas9 system requires short guide RNAs (sgRNAs) to direct genome modification. Most currently available tools for sgRNA design operate only with standard reference genomes, and are best suited for small-scale projects. To address these limitations, we developed Crisflash, a software tool for fast sgRNA design and potential off-target discovery, built for performance and flexibility. Crisflash can rapidly design CRISPR guides against any sequenced genome or genome sequences, and can optimize guide accuracy by incorporating user-supplied variant data. Crisflash is over an order of magnitude faster than comparable tools, even using a single CPU core, and efficiently and robustly scores the potential off-targeting of all possible candidate CRISPR guide oligonucleotides.

Description
Keywords
Base Sequence, CRISPR-Cas Systems, Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, Gene Editing, Genome, RNA, Guide, Kinetoplastida, Software
Journal Title
Oxford University Press
Conference Name
Journal ISSN
1367-4803
1367-4811
Volume Title
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Sponsorship
Cancer Research UK (C14303/A17197)
Cancer Research UK (20412)
Wellcome Trust (202878/Z/16/Z)
European Research Council (615584)