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Application of CRISPR-Cas9 based gene editing to study the pathogenesis of colon and liver cancer using organoids

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Abstract

Two breakthrough techniques that have totally revolutionized biology in last 1 decade are the discovery of genome editing tools and growing the stem cells/primary tissue explants in defined 3D culture. In this regard the discovery of CRISPR-Cas9 as a specific gene editing tool and organoid culture from adult stem cell has provided easy handy tools to uncover the process of organ development and also modeling cancer. Genetically modified organoids have been developed by sequential knockout and knockin of driver mutations by genome editing followed by niche-based selection. The modified organoids when xenotransplanted in animal models faithfully recapitulate the neoplastic events of human tumors. The present review focuses on the merging of these two powerful technologies in understanding the complexities of colon and liver cancer.

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Acknowledgements

Work in laboratories of GR and NT are funded by Dept. of Science and Technology (DST-FIST) and Department of Biotechnology, respectively. Part of the figures were drawn using Biorender. We thank the anonymous reviewers for their expert comments in improving the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, D1 Block, Vasant Kunj, Delhi, 110070, India

    Gayatri Ramakrishna, Preedia E. Babu, Ravinder Singh & Nirupma Trehanpati

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  1. Gayatri Ramakrishna
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  2. Preedia E. Babu
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  3. Ravinder Singh
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  4. Nirupma Trehanpati
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GR wrote the manuscript. PBE and GR drew the figures. PBE, RS, and NT edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Gayatri Ramakrishna.

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Gayatri Ramakrishna, Preedia E. Babu, Ravinder Singh and Nirupma Trehanpati declare that they have no competing interests.

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Ramakrishna, G., Babu, P.E., Singh, R. et al. Application of CRISPR-Cas9 based gene editing to study the pathogenesis of colon and liver cancer using organoids. Hepatol Int 15, 1309–1317 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12072-021-10237-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12072-021-10237-z

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