A CRISPR view on genetic screens in Toxoplasma gondii.

Abstract

Genome editing technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas9, have revolutionised the study of genes in a variety of organisms, including unicellular parasites. Today, the CRISPR-Cas9 technology is vastly applied in high-throughput screens to investigate interactions between the Apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii and its hosts. In vitro and in vivo T. gondii screens performed in naive and restrictive conditions have led to the discovery of essential and fitness-conferring T. gondii genes, as well as factors important for virulence and dissemination. Recent studies have adapted the CRISPR-Cas9 screening technology to study T. gondii genes based on phenotypes unrelated to parasite survival. These advances were achieved by using conditional systems coupled with imaging, as well as single-cell RNA sequencing and phenotypic selection. Here, we review the state-of-the-art of CRISPR-Cas9 screening technologies with a focus on T. gondii, highlighting strengths, current limitations and future avenues for its development, including its application to other Apicomplexan species.