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CRISPR Plasmids: Activate

Catalytically dead dCas9 fused to a transcriptional activator peptide can increase transcription of a specific gene. Design your gRNA sequence to direct the dCas9-activator to promoter or regulatory regions of your gene of interest. If the plasmid that you choose does not also express a gRNA, you will need to use a separate gRNA expression plasmid to target the dCas9-activator to your specific locus.

Image shows three strategies for CRISPR activation. Strategy 1: dCas9 is fused to a scaffold that recruits activator peptides (e.g., SunTag). This is depicted by a Cas9 fused to an epitope with six activator proteins. Fusion is bound to the target at the PAM, directed by a gRNA. Target is located in a promoter region. Strategy 2: dCas9 is fused to a series of activation domains (e.g., dCas9-VPR). This is depicted by Cas9 fused to three activation domains (A1, A2, and A3). Cas9 fusion complex is bound to a target region located in a promoter, directed by a gRNA. Strategy three: dCas9 is fused to an activator and a tagged gRNA recruits other activators (e.g., SAM). This is depicted as a Cas9 bound to an activator (A1), and this fusion is bound to a gRNA that is bound to two additional activators (A2, A3). The complex is bound to a target region in a promoter, directed by the gRNA.
Figure 1: Overview of CRISPR activation. Created with BioRender.com.

Browse, sort, or search the tables below for CRISPR activation plasmids. To learn more about CRISPR activation and other CRISPR topics, read our CRISPR Guide.

Mammalian

ID Plasmid Gene/Insert Promoter Selectable Marker PI Publication

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Bacteria

ID Plasmid Gene/Insert Promoter PI Publication

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Drosophila

ID Plasmid Gene/Insert Promoter PI Publication

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Plant

ID Plasmid Gene/Insert Promoter Selectable Marker PI Publication

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C. elegans

ID Plasmid Gene/Insert Promoter PI Publication

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Yeast

ID Plasmid Gene/Insert Promoter Selectable Marker PI Publication

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CRISPR Resources

Addgene has a large selection of CRISPR plasmids and resources. Find more CRISPR functions along with plasmids categorized by organism by visiting our CRISPR plasmids page. Find a comprehensive list of CRISPR resources by visiting our CRISPR reference page.

Content last reviewed: 17 October 2025

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