CRISPR knockout screen implicates three genes in lysosome function

Sci Rep. 2019 Jul 3;9(1):9609. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-45939-w.

Abstract

Defective biosynthesis of the phospholipid PI(3,5)P2 underlies neurological disorders characterized by cytoplasmic accumulation of large lysosome-derived vacuoles. To identify novel genetic causes of lysosomal vacuolization, we developed an assay for enlargement of the lysosome compartment that is amenable to cell sorting and pooled screens. We first demonstrated that the enlarged vacuoles that accumulate in fibroblasts lacking FIG4, a PI(3,5)P2 biosynthetic factor, have a hyperacidic pH compared to normal cells'. We then carried out a genome-wide knockout screen in human HAP1 cells for accumulation of acidic vesicles by FACS sorting. A pilot screen captured fifteen genes, including VAC14, a previously identified cause of endolysosomal vacuolization. Three genes not previously associated with lysosome dysfunction were selected to validate the screen: C10orf35, LRRC8A, and MARCH7. We analyzed two clonal knockout cell lines for each gene. All of the knockout lines contained enlarged acidic vesicles that were positive for LAMP2, confirming their endolysosomal origin. This assay will be useful in the future for functional evaluation of patient variants in these genes, and for a more extensive genome-wide screen for genes required for endolysosome function. This approach may also be adapted for drug screens to identify small molecules that rescue endolysosomal vacuolization.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Biomarkers
  • Cell Line
  • Cellular Microenvironment
  • Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats*
  • Fibroblasts
  • Flavoproteins / genetics
  • Gene Expression
  • Gene Knockout Techniques*
  • Genetic Association Studies*
  • Genetic Testing*
  • High-Throughput Screening Assays
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Immunophenotyping
  • Lysosomes / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mutation
  • Phosphoinositide Phosphatases / genetics
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • Flavoproteins
  • Fig4 protein, mouse
  • Phosphoinositide Phosphatases