Simulation of CRISPR-Cas9 Editing on Evolving Barcode and Accuracy of Lineage Tracing

Authors

Fengshuo Liu
Xiang Zhang
Yipeng Yang

Publication Date

8-19-2024

Journal

Scientific Reports

DOI

10.1038/s41598-024-70154-7

PMID

39160220

PMCID

PMC11333585

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

8-19-2024

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Published Open-Access

yes

Keywords

CRISPR-Cas Systems, Gene Editing, Computer Simulation, Algorithms, DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic, Cell Lineage, INDEL Mutation, Mutation, Bioinformatics, Computational models, Phylogeny

Abstract

We designed a simulation program that mimics the CRISPR-Cas9 editing on evolving barcode and double strand break repair procedure along with cell divisions. Emerging barcode mutations tend to build upon previously existing mutations, occurring sequentially with each generation. This process results in a unique mutation profile in each cell. We sample the barcodes in leaf cells and reconstruct the lineage, comparing it to the original lineage tree to test algorithm accuracy under different parameter settings. Our computational simulations validate the reasonable assumptions deduced from experimental observations, emphasizing that factors such as sampling size, barcode length, multiple barcodes, indel probabilities, and Cas9 activity are critical for accurate and successful lineage tracing. Among the many factors we found that sampling size and indel probabilities are two major ones that affect lineage tracing accuracy. Large segment deletions in early generations could greatly impact lineage accuracy. These simulation results offer insightful recommendations for enhancing the design and analysis of Cas9-mediated molecular barcodes in actual experiments.

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