Minimum length of direct repeat sequences required for efficient homologous recombination induced by zinc finger nuclease in yeast

Zinc finger nuclease (ZFN) technology is a powerful molecular tool for targeted genome modifications and genetic engineering. However, screening for specific ZFs and validation of ZFN activity are labor intensive and time consuming. We previously designed a yeast-based ZFN screening and validation system by inserting a ZFN binding site flanked by a 164 bp direct repeat sequence into the middle of a Gal4 transcription factor, disrupting the open reading frame of the yeast Gal4 gene. Expression of the ZFN causes a double stranded break at its binding site, which promotes the cellular DNA repair system to restore expression of a functional Gal transcriptional factor via homologous recombination. Expression of Gal4 transcription factor leads to activation of three reporter genes in an AH109 yeast two-hybrid strain. However, the 164 bp direct repeat appears to generate spontaneous homologous recombination frequently, resulting in many false positive ZFNs. To overcome this, a series of DNA fragments of various lengths from 10 to 150 bp with 10 bp increase each and 164 bp direct repeats flanking the ZFN binding site were designed and constructed. The results demonstrated that the minimum length required for ZFN-induced homologous recombination was 30 bp, which almost eliminated spontaneous recombination. Using the 30 bp direct repeat sequence, ZFN could efficiently induce homologous recombination, while false positive ZFNs resulting from spontaneous homologous recombination were minimized. Thus, this study provided a simple, fast and sensitive ZFN screening and activity validation system in yeast.