Human Astrovirus CRISPR screen in Caco2 cells

Though astroviruses are important causes of disease, much of their biology, including cell surface receptors, remains unknown. We used a genome-wide CRISPR knockout library in Caco2 cells to screen for genes important in astrovirus replication. Caco2 CRISPR library cells were infected with human astrovirus 1 and sorted by flow cytometry to identify cells that were not permissive for astrovirus infection. Genomic DNA was extracted and CRISPR guides identified by PCR