Targeted in situ genome-wide profiling with high efficiency for low cell numbers

Nat Protoc. 2018 May;13(5):1006-1019. doi: 10.1038/nprot.2018.015. Epub 2018 Apr 12.

Abstract

Cleavage under targets and release using nuclease (CUT&RUN) is an epigenomic profiling strategy in which antibody-targeted controlled cleavage by micrococcal nuclease releases specific protein-DNA complexes into the supernatant for paired-end DNA sequencing. As only the targeted fragments enter into solution, and the vast majority of DNA is left behind, CUT&RUN has exceptionally low background levels. CUT&RUN outperforms the most widely used chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) protocols in resolution, signal-to-noise ratio and depth of sequencing required. In contrast to ChIP, CUT&RUN is free of solubility and DNA accessibility artifacts and has been used to profile insoluble chromatin and to detect long-range 3D contacts without cross-linking. Here, we present an improved CUT&RUN protocol that does not require isolation of nuclei and provides high-quality data when starting with only 100 cells for a histone modification and 1,000 cells for a transcription factor. From cells to purified DNA, CUT&RUN requires less than a day at the laboratory bench and requires no specialized skills.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Chromatin / chemistry*
  • DNA / analysis*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / analysis*
  • Epigenomics / methods*
  • Humans

Substances

  • Chromatin
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • DNA