Using CRISPR-Cas9 and long-read sequencing to enrich and study rare host and viral RNA types

Up to 60-fold enrichment of target transcripts was achieved using an RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 nuclease-based strategy.

• Detecting and quantifying low-to-moderate abundance transcripts remains a significant challenge in whole transcriptome sequencing.
• Current methods either lack scalability or are costly to customize.
• The RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 enrichment strategy may provide a more effective solution for targeting specific transcripts.
• This approach, when combined with long-read sequencing, preserves the estimation of relative abundance among transcripts.

Simplified