CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing in Caenorhabditis elegans: Evaluation of Templates for Homology-Mediated Repair and Knock-Ins by Homology-Independent DNA Repair

Precise genome editing by the Cas9 nuclease depends on exogenously provided templates for homologous recombination. Here, we compare oligonucleotides with short homology and circular DNA molecules with extensive homology to genomic targets as templates for homology-based repair of CRISPR/Cas9 induced double-strand breaks. We find oligonucleotides to be templates of choice for introducing small sequence changes into the genome based on editing efficiency and ease of use. We show that polarity of oligonucleotide templates greatly affects repair efficiency: oligonucleotides in the sense orientation with respect to the target gene are better templates. In addition, combining a gene loss-of-function phenotype screen with detection of integrated fluorescent markers, we demonstrate that targeted knock-ins in Caenorhabditis elegans also can be achieved by homology-independent repair.