# DisTAL-Seq: A TALEN-specific adaptation of DISCOVER-Seq for off-target profiling

## TL;DR

DisTAL-Seq is a new method to detect TALEN-induced DNA breaks in human cells, improving genome editing safety and precision.

## Contribution

DisTAL-Seq adapts DISCOVER-Seq for TALENs by incorporating their unique binding and cleavage properties.

## Key findings

- DisTAL-Seq identifies on- and off-target TALEN activity in human cells.
- TALENs tolerate a specific number of mismatches at target sites.
- DSB location relative to the target site is a key feature of TALEN activity.

## Abstract

Programmable guided nucleases have revolutionized genome editing and biomedical research, with transformative potential for gene and cell therapy. Although the widespread adoption of the CRISPR-Cas system has provided deep insights into target recognition and specificity, the behavior of clinically relevant tools like transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) remains poorly characterized in human cells. To address this gap, we implemented DisTAL-Seq, a TALEN-specific adaptation of the DISCOVER-Seq pipeline, which detects MRE11 recruitment to double-strand breaks (DSBs). Based on the DISCOVER-Seq principle, DisTAL-Seq incorporates alignment logic tailored to TALEN-binding properties, including variable RVD specificity, cleavage offset, and dimerization behavior. Using DisTAL-Seq, we identified and validated on- and off-target sites across diverse TALENs and T cell donors. This unbiased approach revealed key features of TALEN activity in human cells, including number of tolerated mismatches to a target site and relative location of the induced DSB. DisTAL-Seq thus extends DISCOVER-Seq to the TALEN family and provides a robust platform for assessing modifications in enzyme architecture and application contexts on a genome-wide scale, supporting the development of safer and more effective genome editing tools.

DisTAL-Seq extends the DISCOVER-Seq platform to enable genome-wide detection of TALEN-induced double-strand breaks in human cells. By incorporating TALEN-specific dimer architecture and binding-score logic, it refines off-target identification and supports safer, more precise therapeutic genome engineering.