CUT&Tag for efficient epigenomic profiling of small samples and single cells

By Hatice S. Kaya-Okur, Steven J. Wu, Christine A. Codomo, Erica S. Pledger, Terri D. Bryson, Jorja G. Henikoff, K. Ahmad, Steven Henikoff. Nature Communications, 2019

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Many chromatin features play critical roles in regulating gene expression. A complete understanding of gene regulation will require the mapping of specific chromatin features in small samples of cells at high resolution. Here we describe Cleavage Under Targets and Tagmentation (CUT&Tag), an enzyme-tethering strategy that provides efficient high-resolution sequencing libraries for profiling diverse chromatin components. In CUT&Tag, a chromatin protein is bound in situ by a specific antibody, which then tethers a protein A-Tn5 transposase fusion protein. Activation of the transposase efficiently generates fragment libraries with high resolution and exceptionally low background. All steps from live cells to sequencing-ready libraries can be performed in a single tube on the benchtop or a microwell in a high-throughput pipeline, and the entire procedure can be performed in one day. We demonstrate the utility of CUT&Tag by profiling histone modifications, RNA Polymerase II and transcription factors on low cell numbers and single cells. Understanding gene regulation will require mapping specific chromain features in a small number of cells at high resolution. Here the authors describe CUT&Tag, which uses antibody-mediated tethering of Tn5 transposase to a chromatin protein to generate high resolution libraries.

Subfields: Molecular Biology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/028f73c647c882c92d67b663ef7b4dd457344836