Project description:Primary mitochondrial disorders are most often caused by deleterious mutations in the mtDNA. Here, we harnessed a mitochondrial base editor, DdCBE, to introduce a compensatory edit (m.5081G→A) in a mouse model that carries the pathological m.5024C→T mutation in the mitochondrial tRNAAla gene. For this, the DdCBE gene construct was packaged in recombinant AAV9 and systemically injected into mice. We found that total mt-tRNAAla levels, which are drastically reduced by the mutation, are restored by the m.5081G→A edit in a dose-dependent manner. However, an excessive expression of DdCBE also induces extensive mtDNA off-target editing, counteracting this positive outcome. To address this, we optimized the dosage to maximize the amount of compensatory edit generated with minimal off-target editing. These results show that mitochondrial base editors are promising candidates for gene therapy for mitochondrial disorders, but their expression need to be carefully controlled.
Project description:Base editors (BEs) shed new light on correcting disease-related T-to-C mutations. However, current rat APOBEC1-based BEs are less efficient in editing cytosines in highly-methylated regions or in GpC context. By screening a variety of APOBEC/AID deaminases, we showed that human APOBEC3A-conjugated BE and its engineered forms can mediate efficient C-to-T base editing in all examined contexts, including regions with high-methylation levels and GpC dinucleotides, which extends base editing scope.
Project description:The advent of base editors (BEs) holds a promising potential in correcting pathogenic-related point mutations to treat relevant diseases. Unexpectedly, Cas9 nickase (nCas9) derived BEs lead to DNA double-strand breaks, which can trigger unwanted cellular responses including a p53-mediated DNA damage response (DDR). Here, we showed that catalytically-dead-Cas12a (dCas12a) conjugated BEs induced no DNA break and minimally activated DDR proteins including H2AX, ATM, ATR and p53. We further developed a BEACON (Base Editing induced by human APOBEC3A and Cas12a without DNA break) system that fuses dCas12a to the engineered APOBEC3A with enhanced deamination efficiency and editing specificity. By using BEACON, efficient C-to-T editing was achieved at levels comparable to AncBE4max and only low levels of DDR and RNA off-target (OT) effects were triggered in mammalian cells. BEACON also induced in vivo base editing in mouse embryos and targeted C-to-T conversions were detected in F0 mice.
Project description:The advent of base editors (BEs) holds a promising potential in correcting pathogenic-related point mutations to treat relevant diseases. Unexpectedly, Cas9 nickase (nCas9) derived BEs lead to DNA double-strand breaks, which can trigger unwanted cellular responses including a p53-mediated DNA damage response (DDR). Here, we showed that catalytically-dead-Cas12a (dCas12a) conjugated BEs induced no DNA break and minimally activated DDR proteins including H2AX, ATM, ATR and p53. We further developed a BEACON (Base Editing induced by human APOBEC3A and Cas12a without DNA break) system that fuses dCas12a to the engineered APOBEC3A with enhanced deamination efficiency and editing specificity. By using BEACON, efficient C-to-T editing was achieved at levels comparable to AncBE4max and only low levels of DDR and RNA off-target (OT) effects were triggered in mammalian cells. BEACON also induced in vivo base editing in mouse embryos and targeted C-to-T conversions were detected in F0 mice.
Project description:A variety of base editors have been developed to achieve C-to-T editing in different genomic contexts. Here, we compare a panel of five base editors on their C-to-T editing efficiencies and product purity at commonly-editable sites, including some human pathogenic C-to-T mutations. We further profile the accessibilities of twenty base editors to all possible pathogenic mutations in silico. Finally, we build the BEable-GPS (Base Editable prediction of Global Pathogenic SNVs) database for users to select proper base editors to model or correct disease-related mutations. This in-vivo comparison and in-silico profiling catalogs the availability of base editors and their broad applications in biomedical studies.
Project description:The most common form of genetic heart disease is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which is caused by mutations in cardiac sarcomeric genes and leads to abnormal heart muscle thickening. Complications of HCM include heart failure, arrhythmia, and sudden cardiac death. The dominant-negative c.1208 G>A (p.R403Q) mutation in b-myosin (MYH7) is a common and well-studied mutation that leads to increased cardiac contractility and HCM onset. Here we identify an adenine base editor (ABE) and single-guide RNA system that can efficiently correct this human pathogenic mutation with minimal off-target and bystander editing. We show that delivery of base editing components rescues pathological manifestations of HCM in iPSC-cardiomyocytes derived from HCM patients and in a humanized mouse model of HCM. Our findings demonstrate the use of base editing to treat inherited cardiac diseases and prompt the further development of ABE-based therapies to correct a variety of monogenic mutations causing cardiac disease.
Project description:Mutations in RNA binding motif protein 20 (RBM20) are a common cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Many RBM20 mutations cluster within an arginine/serine rich (RS-rich) domain, resulting in mis-localization of RBM20 to ribonucleoprotein granules within the cytoplasm, abnormal splicing of cardiac genes, and cardiomyocyte dysfunction. We used adenine base editing (ABE) and prime editing to correct pathogenic p.R634Q and p.R636S mutations in the RS-rich domain in human isogenic induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. We also created humanized Rbm20R636Q mutant mice, which succumbed to severe cardiac dysfunction, heart failure and premature death. Systemic delivery of ABE components by adeno-associated virus in these mice restored cardiac function and extended life span. These findings demonstrate the potential of precise correction of genetic mutations as a promising therapeutic approach for DCM.
Project description:Mutations in RNA binding motif protein 20 (RBM20) are a common cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Many RBM20 mutations cluster within an arginine/serine rich (RS-rich) domain, resulting in mis-localization of RBM20 to ribonucleoprotein granules within the cytoplasm, abnormal splicing of cardiac genes, and cardiomyocyte dysfunction. We used adenine base editing (ABE) and prime editing to correct pathogenic p.R634Q and p.R636S mutations in the RS-rich domain in human isogenic induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. We also created humanized Rbm20R636Q mutant mice, which succumbed to severe cardiac dysfunction, heart failure and premature death. Systemic delivery of ABE components by adeno-associated virus in these mice restored cardiac function and extended life span. These findings demonstrate the potential of precise correction of genetic mutations as a promising therapeutic approach for DCM.
Project description:Missense mutations account for nearly 50% of pathogenic mutations in human genetic diseases, most lack effective treatments. Gene therapies, CRISPR-based gene editing, and RNA therapies including transfer RNA (tRNA) modalities are common strategies for potential treatments of genetic diseases. However, reported tRNA therapies are for nonsense mutations, how tRNAs can be engineered to correct missense mutations have not been explored. Here, we describe missense correcting tRNAs (mc-tRNAs) as a potential therapeutic modality for correcting pathogenic missense mutations. Mc-tRNAs are engineered tRNAs that are charged with one amino acid and read codons of another amino acid in translation in human cells. We first developed a series of fluorescence protein (FP)-based reporters that indicate successful correction of missense mutations via restoration of fluorescence signals. We engineered mc-tRNAs that effectively corrected Serine and Arginine missense mutations in the reporters and confirmed the amino acid substitution by protein mass spectrometry and mc-tRNA expression by tRNA sequencing. We examined the transcriptome response to the expression of mc-tRNAs and found some mc-tRNAs induced minimum transcriptomic changes. Furthermore, we applied an Arg-tRNAGln(CUG) mc-tRNA to rescue the autolytic activity of a pathogenic CAPN3 Arg-to-Gln mutant involved in limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A. These results establish a versatile pipeline for mc-tRNA engineering and demonstrate the potential of mc-tRNA as an alternative therapeutic platform for the treatment of genetic disorders.