Rapid functional annotation of native enhancers in embryonic stem cells with a Neisseria meningitidis CRISPR-Cas9 system (BeadChip)

Gene regulatory elements such as enhancers have profound effects on cellular function, health, and disease. Our understanding of mammalian enhancer function is limited by the lack of a technology that would allow for a rapid and thorough test of their cell type-specific function. Here, we describe a novel Cas9-effector system that enables rapid testing and functional annotation of native enhancers in embryonic stem cells. Total RNA obtained from R26 dCas9-effector mESC lines after viral delivery of sgRNAs directed against proximal promoter or enhancer regions