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

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.