CRISPRi (Cas9-KRAB)

CRISPRi (Cas9-KRAB) is a gene-silencing platform that utilizes a catalytically inactive Cas9 (dCas9) protein fused to the Krüppel-associated box (KRAB) transcriptional repressor domain. Unlike traditional CRISPR-Cas9 which introduces double-strand breaks to edit DNA, CRISPRi targets specific genomic loci—typically promoters or transcription start sites—via a single guide RNA (sgRNA) to sterically hinder transcription and recruit chromatin-modifying enzymes that induce epigenetic silencing. This approach allows for the reversible and precise knockdown of coding genes and non-coding RNAs, such as long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), without altering the underlying DNA sequence. It is widely employed as a functional genomics tool to identify genes essential for disease processes, such as glioblastoma invasion, and is being explored as a potential therapeutic modality for diseases requiring targeted gene repression.

Other names

dCas9-KRABdCas-9-KRABdCas 9-KRABCRISPR interferenceCas9-KRABCas-9-KRABCas 9-KRAB