Analysis of Nonhomologous End Joining and Homologous Recombination Efficiency in HEK-293T Cells Using GFP-Based Reporter Systems

DNA double-strand breaks represent the most perilous DNA lesions. In response, cells employ two primary mechanisms for DNA double-strand break repair, NHEJ and HR.Quantifying the efficiency of NHEJ and HR separately is crucial for exploring the relevant mechanisms and factors associated with them. The NHEJ assay and the HR assay are established methods used to measure the efficiency of NHEJ and HR.These methods rely on meticulously designed plasmids that contain a disrupted green fluorescent protein gene with recognition sites for endonuclease I-SceI for induction of DSBs.

The NHEJ assay and the HR assay can be conducted using is a chromosomally-integrated or a extrachromosomal approach. The chromosomally-integrated approach enables the analysis of DSB repair within a chromosomally contest. However, the chromosomally integrated approach requires prolonged cell and is unsuitable for comparative studies involving multiple cell lines.

In this protocol, we describe the extrachromosomal NHEJ and HR assays involving transient transfection of the disrupted GFP and I-SceI plasmids into HEK-293T cells and subsequent flow cytometry analysis. These nonintegrated reporter assays have been employed to assess the NHEJ efficiency and HR efficiency by several labs, including ours. In contrast to the chromosomally-integrated approach, this extrachromosomal approach enables swift analysis of the NHEJ or HR efficiency through the utilization of established, stable cell lines.