ABSTRACT
Towards increasing the possibility for temporal control of gene expression using CRISPR activation (a) systems, we generated homozygous human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines carrying a doxycycline (dox)-inducible guide(g)-RNA construct targeting the SHISA3 transciptional start site, as proof-of-principle, or a non targeting gRNA as a control. The dox-inducible gRNA cassette was inserted into the human ROSA26 locus in a line with dCas9VPR integrated at the AAVS1 locus (CRISPRa/Tet-iSHISA3). Pluripotency, genomic integrity and differentiation potential into all three germ layers were maintained. Dox-dependent gene induction was validated in hiPSCs as well as derived fibroblasts. These lines provide an attractive tool for cellular reprogramming in hiPSC-derived cells in a timely controlled manner.
