CRISPR RNA-guided nucleases (RGNs) are widely used genome-editing reagents, but methods to delineate their genome-wide off-target cleavage activities have been lacking. Here we describe an approach for global detection of DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) introduced by RGNs and potentially other nucleases. This method, called Genome-wide Unbiased Identification of DSBs Enabled by Sequencing (GUIDE-Seq), relies on capture of double-stranded oligodeoxynucleotides into breaks Application of GUIDE-Seq to thirteen RGNs in two human cell lines revealed wide variability in RGN off-target activities and unappreciated characteristics of off-target sequences. The majority of identified sites were not detected by existing computational methods or ChIP-Seq. GUIDE-Seq also identified RGN-independent genomic breakpoint ‘hotspots’. Finally, GUIDE-Seq revealed that truncated guide RNAs exhibit substantially reduced RGN-induced off-target DSBs. Our experiments define the most rigorous framework for genome-wide identification of RGN off-target effects to date and provide a method for evaluating the safety of these nucleases prior to clinical use.

Targeted genome editing using engineered nucleases has rapidly transformed from a niche technology to a mainstream method used by many biological researchers. This widespread adoption has been largely fueled by the emergence of the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) technology, an important new platform for generating RNA-guided nucleases (RGNs), such as Cas9, with customizable specificities. RGN-mediated genome editing is facile, rapid and has enabled the efficient modification of endogenous genes in a wide variety of biomedically important cell types and novel organisms that have traditionally been challenging to manipulate genetically. Furthermore, a modified version of the CRISPR-Cas9 system has been developed to recruit heterologous domains that can regulate endogenous gene expression or label specific genomic loci in living cells. Although the genome-wide specificities of CRISPR-Cas9 systems remain to be fully defined, the capabilities of these systems to perform targeted, highly efficient alterations of genome sequence and gene expression will undoubtedly transform biological research and spur the development of novel molecular therapeutics for human disease.