Project description:Adenine and cytosine base editors (ABEs and CBEs) represent a new genome editing technology that allows the programmable installation of A-to-G or C-to-T alterations on DNA. We engineered Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9-based adenine and cytosine base editor (SpACE) that enables efficient simultaneous introduction of A-to-G and C-to-T substitutions in the same base editing window on DNA.
Project description:We used RNA-sequencing data to explore the transcriptome-wide effects of cytosine and adenine deaminases on gene expression induced by base editors.
Project description:CRISPR-guided DNA base editors enable the efficient installation of targeted single-nucleotide changes. Cytosine or adenine base editors (CBEs or ABEs), which are fusions of cytidine or adenosine deaminases to CRISPR-Cas nickases, can efficiently induce DNA C-to-T or A-to-G alterations in DNA, respectively. We recently demonstrated that both the widely used CBE BE3 (harboring a rat APOBEC1 cytidine deaminase) and the optimized ABEmax editor can induce tens of thousands of guide RNA-independent, transcriptome-wide RNA base edits in human cells with high efficiencies. In addition, we showed the feasibility of creating SElective Curbing of Unwanted RNA Editing (SECURE)-BE3 variants that exhibit substantially reduced unwanted RNA editing activities while retaining robust and more precise on-target DNA editing. Here we describe structure-guided engineering of SECURE-ABE variants that not only possess reduced off-target RNA editing with comparable on-target DNA activities but are also the smallest Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) base editors described to date. In addition, we tested CBEs composed of cytidine deaminases other than APOBEC1 and found that human APOBEC3A (hA3A) cytidine deaminase CBE induces substantial transcriptome-wide RNA base edits with high efficiencies. By contrast, a previously described “enhanced” A3A (eA3A) cytidine deaminase CBE or a human activation-induced cytidine deaminase (hAID) CBE induce substantially reduced or near background levels of RNA edits. In sum, our work describes broadly useful SECURE-ABE and -CBE base editors and reinforces the importance of minimizing RNA editing activities of DNA base editors for research and therapeutic applications.
Project description:CRISPR-guided DNA base editors enable the efficient installation of targeted single-nucleotide changes. Cytosine or adenine base editors (CBEs or ABEs), which are fusions of cytidine or adenosine deaminases to CRISPR-Cas nickases, can efficiently induce DNA C-to-T or A-to-G alterations in DNA, respectively. We recently demonstrated that both the widely used CBE BE3 (harboring a rat APOBEC1 cytidine deaminase) and the optimized ABEmax editor can induce tens of thousands of guide RNA-independent, transcriptome-wide RNA base edits in human cells with high efficiencies. In addition, we showed the feasibility of creating SElective Curbing of Unwanted RNA Editing (SECURE)-BE3 variants that exhibit substantially reduced unwanted RNA editing activities while retaining robust and more precise on-target DNA editing. Here we describe structure-guided engineering of SECURE-ABE variants that not only possess reduced off-target RNA editing with comparable on-target DNA activities but are also the smallest Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9) base editors described to date. In addition, we tested CBEs composed of cytidine deaminases other than APOBEC1 and found that human APOBEC3A (hA3A) cytidine deaminase CBE induces substantial transcriptome-wide RNA base edits with high efficiencies. By contrast, a previously described “enhanced” A3A (eA3A) cytidine deaminase CBE or a human activation-induced cytidine deaminase (hAID) CBE induce substantially reduced or near background levels of RNA edits. In sum, our work describes broadly useful SECURE-ABE and -CBE base editors and reinforces the importance of minimizing RNA editing activities of DNA base editors for research and therapeutic applications.
Project description:The majority of known pathogenic point mutations in the human genome are C•G to T•A substitutions. Adenine base editors (ABEs), comprised of nuclease-impaired Cas9 fused to adenine deaminases, enable direct repair of these mutations, making them promising tools for precision in vivo genome editing therapies. However, prior to application in patients, thorough safety and efficacy studies in relevant model organisms are needed. Here, we apply adenine base editing in vivo in the liver of mice and cynomolgus macaques to install a splice site mutation in PCSK9 and reduce blood low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Intravenous delivery of ABE-encoding mRNA and a locus-specific single guide (sg)RNA utilizing lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology induce up to 67% editing in the liver of mice and up to 34% editing in the liver of macaques, leading to a reduction of plasma PCSK9 and LDL levels. We observed rapid clearance of ABE mRNA after LNP-mediated delivery, and neither sgRNA-dependent nor sgRNA-independent off-target mutations are detected in genomic DNA. Together, our findings support safety and feasibility of adenine base editing to treat patients with monogenetic liver diseases.
Project description:The majority of known pathogenic point mutations in the human genome are C•G to T•A substitutions. Adenine base editors (ABEs), comprised of nuclease-impaired Cas9 fused to adenine deaminases, enable direct repair of these mutations, making them promising tools for precision in vivo genome editing therapies. However, prior to application in patients, thorough safety and efficacy studies in relevant model organisms are needed. Here, we apply adenine base editing in vivo in the liver of mice and cynomolgus macaques to install a splice site mutation in PCSK9 and reduce blood low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, a well-known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Intravenous delivery of ABE-encoding mRNA and a locus-specific single guide (sg)RNA utilizing lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology induce up to 67% editing in the liver of mice and up to 34% editing in the liver of macaques, leading to a reduction of plasma PCSK9 and LDL levels. We observed rapid clearance of ABE mRNA after LNP-mediated delivery, and neither sgRNA-dependent nor sgRNA-independent off-target mutations are detected in genomic DNA. Together, our findings support safety and feasibility of adenine base editing to treat patients with monogenetic liver diseases.
Project description:To alleviate the ABE-mediated cytosine editing activity, we engineered the commonly-used version of adenosine deaminase, TadA7.10. We found that the D108Q mutation also reduces cytosine deamination activity in two recently-developed versions of ABE, ABE8e and ABE8s, and has a synergistic effect with V106W, a key mutation that reduces off-target RNA editing.
Project description:Techniques for exclusion of exons from mature transcripts have been applied as gene therapies for treating many different diseases. Since exon skipping has been traditionally accomplished using technologies that have a transient effect, it is particularly important to develop new techniques that enable permanent exon skipping. We have recently demonstrated that this can be accomplished using cytidine base editors for permanently disabling the splice acceptor of target exons. We now demonstrate the application of adenine-deaminase base editors to disrupt the conserved adenosine within splice acceptor sites for programmable exon skipping. We also demonstrate that by altering the amino acid sequence of the linker between the adenosine deaminase domain and the Cas9 nickase or by coupling the adenine base editor with a uracil glycosylase inhibitor, the DNA editing efficiency and exon skipping rates improve significantly. Finally, we developed a split base editor architecture compatible with adeno-associated viral packaging. Collectively, these results represent significant progress towards permanent in vivo exon skipping through base editing and, ultimately, a new modality of gene therapy for the treatment of genetic diseases.