Recent Progress in CRISPR/Cas9 Technology

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats （CRISPR）/Cas9 system, a simple and efficient tool for genome editing, has experienced rapid progress in its technology and applicability in the past two years. Here, we review the recent advances in CRISPR/Cas9 technology and the ways that have been adopted to expand our capacity for precise genome manipulation. First, we introduce the mechanism of CRISPR/Cas9, including its biochemical and structural implications. Second, we highlight the latest improvements in the CRISPR/Cas9 system, especially Cas9 protein modifications for customization. Third, we review its current applications, in which the versatile CRISPR/Cas9 system was employed to edit the genome, epigenome, or RNA of various organisms. Although CRISPR/Cas9 allows convenient genome editing accompanied by many benefits, we should not ignore the significant ethical and biosafety concerns that it raises. Finally, we discuss the prospective applications and challenges of several promising techniques adapted from CRISPR/Cas9.

Targeted sequencing and integrative analysis of 3,195 Chinese patients with neurodevelopmental disorders prioritized 26 novel candidate genes

Neurodevelopmental disorders(NDDs)are a set of complex disorders characterized by diverse and cooccurring clinical symptoms.The genetic contribution in patients with NDDs remains largely unknown.Here,we sequence 519 NDD-related genes in 3,195 Chinese probands with neurodevelopmental phenotypes and identify 2,522 putative functional mutations consisting of 137 de novo mutations(DNMs)in 86 genes and 2,385 rare inherited mutations(RIMs)with 22 X-linked hemizygotes in 13 genes,2 homozygous mutations in 2 genes and 23 compound heterozygous mutations in 10 genes.Furthermore,the DNMs of16,807 probands with NDDs are retrieved from public datasets and combine in an integrated analysis with the mutation data of our Chinese NDD probands by taking 3,582 in-house controls of Chinese origin as background.We prioritize 26 novel candidate genes.Notably,six of these genes d ITSN1,UBR3,CADM1,RYR3,FLNA,and PLXNA3 d preferably contribute to autism spectrum disorders(ASDs),as demonstrated by high co-expression and/or interaction with ASD genes confirmed via rescue experiments in a mouse model.Importantly,these genes are differentially expressed in the ASD cortex in a significant manner and involved in ASD-associated networks.Together,our study expands the genetic spectrum of Chinese NDDs,further facilitating both basic and translational research.