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Updated: Jan 29, 2026

Mouse In Vivo Placental Targeted CRISPR Manipulation
Published on: April 14, 2023
Site-specific manipulation of Arabidopsis loci using CRISPR-Cas9 SunTag systems
Ashot Papikian1,2, Wanlu Liu1,3, Javier Gallego-Bartolomé1
1Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
Abstract:
Understanding genomic functions requires site-specific manipulation of loci via efficient protein effector targeting systems. However, few approaches for targeted manipulation of the epigenome are available in plants. Here, we adapt the dCas9-SunTag system to engineer targeted gene activation and DNA methylation in Arabidopsis. We demonstrate that a dCas9-SunTag system utilizing the transcriptional activator VP64 drives robust and specific activation of several loci, including protein coding genes and transposable elements, in diverse chromatin contexts. In addition, we present a CRISPR-based methylation targeting system for plants, utilizing a SunTag system with the catalytic domain of the Nicotiana tabacum DRM methyltransferase, which efficiently targets DNA methylation to specific loci, including the FWA promoter, triggering a developmental phenotype, and the SUPERMAN promoter. These SunTag systems represent valuable tools for the site-specific manipulation of plant epigenomes.
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