More species more lengths easiertoorder custom CRISPR guide RNAs You got it


  • 18 minute read
  • Gene editing

Expanded options for ordering custom guide RNAs from the CRISPR Design Tool

The CRISPR Design Tool is a popular tool for designing guide RNAs, and for ordering synthetic crRNA or lentiviral sgRNA for CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing at a specific target region. Keep reading to learn about new options for guide RNA design and ease of use in ordering! 

Support for birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, fish, and more!

CRISPR-Cas9 has opened the door to precise gene editing in a wide variety of model organisms, but many predesigned product lines and online design tools are limited in the number of species they support. Without proper genome-wide alignment analysis against the organism of interest, there’s a risk of generating guide RNA designs that induce off-target cleavage. To address this, the updated version of the Dharmacon CRISPR Design Tool includes integrated genome tools for over 30 species! Want high-confidence lentiviral sgRNA for chimp? No problem! How about synthetic crRNA knockout reagents for pig? Sure thing! Check Table 1 for the list of available organisms. Still don’t see your species of interest? Please send a note to scientific support to let us know.

Common name

Scientific name

Genome build

Human

Homo sapiens

hg38

Mouse

Mus musculus

mm10

Rat

Rattus norvegicus

rn6

Zebrafish

Danio rerio

danRer10

Western clawed frog

Xenopus tropicalis

xenTro7

Fruit fly

Drosophila melanogaster

dm6

Chinese hamster

Cricetulus griseus

criGri1

Pig

Sus scrofa

susScr3

Cow

Bos taurus

bosTau8

Marmoset

Callithrix jacchus

calJac3

Dog

Canis familiaris

canFam3

Roundworm

Caenorhabditis elegans

ce10

Sea Squirt

Ciona intestinalis

ci2

Horse

Equus caballus

equCab2

Cat

Felis catus

felCat8

Fugu

Takifugu rubripes

fr3

Chicken

gallus gallus

galGal4

Stickleback

Gasterosteus aculeatus

gasAcu1

Opossum

Monodelphis domestica

monDom5

Ferret

Mustela putorius furo

musFur1

Nile tilapia

Oreochromis niloticus

oreNil2

Platypus

Ornithorhynchus anatinus

ornAna1

Rabbit

Oryctolagus cuniculus

oryCun2

Medaka

Oryzias latipes

oryLat2

Sheep

Ovis aries

oviAri3

Bonobo

Pan paniscus

panPan1

Chimp

Pan troglodytes

panTro4

Baboon

Papio Anubis

papAnu2

Orangutan

Pongo pygmaeus abelii

ponAbe2

Rhesus

Macaca mulatta

rheMac3

Alligator

Alligator mississippiensis

allMis1

Purple sea urchin

Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

strPur2

Zebra finch

Taeniopygia guttata

taeGut2

Table 1: Species with integrated gene identifiers and genome-wide alignment capability in the CRISPR Design Tool

New lengths: The long and the short of guide RNAs

It is generally accepted that a 20 nt target sequence is the standard for CRISPR-Cas9 guide RNAs, but some experiments, especially those investigating mechanisms of specificity, may require a shorter or longer target region. Now when choosing the "Input my own guide RNA sequence" option on the CRISPR Design Tool, you may enter a target region from 17-23 nt with no change in price or delivery time of your custom guide RNA.

Multiple targets? Multiple genes? No problem.

To alleviate the time-consuming process of ordering multiple guide RNAs using your own target sequences, the CRISPR Design Tool input will now accept input of up to 200 targets at once! Simply enter or paste each target DNA sequence, one per line, in the input window. You also have the option of including a name for each design. If you’re ordering custom synthetic crRNA, you have the additional flexibility of having them delivered in a deep well plate (minimum of 20 wells), rather than tubes. Contact your sales representative or our customer service team for more details on this complementary service.

Go to the CRISPR Design Tool to get started! »