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:We have developed a therapeutic strategy for beta-hemoglobinopathies aimed at reactivating fetal hemoglobin expression in red blood cells derived from human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells edited with CRISPR/Cas9 nucleases, cytidine or adenine base editors targeting the fetal gamma-globin promoters. Here, we report the transcriptomic changes occurring in human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (obtained from healthy donors) 48 h after transfection with CRISPR/Cas9 nucleases, cytidine or adenine base editors.
Project description:CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing has revolutionized experimental molecular biology and entered the clinical world for targeted gene therapy. Identifying DNA modifications occurring at CRISPR/Cas9 target sites is critical to determine efficiency and safety of editing tools. Here we show that insertions of LINE-1 (L1) retrotransposons can occur frequently at CRISPR/Cas9 editing sites. Together with PolyA-seq and an improved amplicon sequencing, we characterize more than 2,500 de novo L1 insertions at multiple CRISPR/Cas9 editing sites in HEK293T, HeLa and U2OS cells. These L1 retrotransposition events exploit CRISPR/Cas9-induced DSB formation and require L1 RT activity. Importantly, de novo L1 insertions are rare during genome editing by prime editors (PE), cytidine or adenine base editors (CBE or ABE), consistent with their reduced DSB formation. These data demonstrate that insertions of retrotransposons might be a potential outcome of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing and provide further evidence on the safety of different CRISPR-based editing tools.
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.
Project description:Current base editors use DNA deaminases, including cytidine deaminase in cytidine base editor (CBE) or adenine deaminase in adenine base editor (ABE), to facilitate transition nucleotide substitutions. Combining CBE or ABE with glycosylase enzymes can induce limited transversion mutations. Nonetheless, a critical demand remains for base editors capable of generating alternative mutation types, such as T>G corrections. In this study, we leveraged pre-trained protein language models to optimize a uracil-N-glycosylase (UNG) variant with altered specificity for thymines (eTDG). Notably, after two rounds of testing fewer than 50 top-ranking variants, more than 50% exhibited over 1.5-fold enhancement in enzymatic activities. When eTDG was fused with nCas9, it induced programmable T-to-S (G/C) substitutions and corrected db/db diabetic mutation in mice (up to 55%). Our findings not only establish orthogonal strategies for developing novel base editors, but also demonstrate the capacities of protein language models for optimizing enzymes without extensive task-specific training data.
Project description:CRISPR-Cas base editor technology enables targeted nucleotide alterations and is being rapidly deployed for research and potential therapeutic applications. The most widely used base editors induce DNA cytosine (C) deamination with rat APOBEC1 (rAPOBEC1) enzyme, which is targeted by a linked Cas protein-guide RNA (gRNA) complex. Previous studies of cytosine base editor (CBE) specificity have identified off-target DNA edits in human cells. Here we show that a CBE with rAPOBEC1 can cause extensive transcriptome-wide RNA cytosine deamination in human cells, inducing tens of thousands of C-to-uracil (U) edits with frequencies ranging from 0.07% to 100% in 38% - 58% of expressed genes. CBE-induced RNA edits occur in both protein-coding and non-protein-coding sequences and generate missense, nonsense, splice site, 5’ UTR, and 3’ UTR mutations. We engineered two CBE variants bearing rAPOBEC1 mutations that substantially decrease the numbers of RNA edits (reductions of >390-fold and >3,800-fold) in human cells. These variants also showed more precise on-target DNA editing and, with the majority of gRNAs tested, editing efficiencies comparable to those observed with wild-type CBE. Finally, we show that recently described adenine base editors (ABEs) can also induce transcriptome-wide RNA edits. These results have important implications for the research and therapeutic uses of base editors, illustrate the feasibility of engineering improved variants with reduced RNA editing activities, and suggest the need to more fully define and characterize the RNA off-target effects of deaminase enzymes in base editor platforms. This SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Project description:CRISPR-Cas base editor technology enables targeted nucleotide alterations and is being rapidly deployed for research and potential therapeutic applications. The most widely used base editors induce DNA cytosine (C) deamination with rat APOBEC1 (rAPOBEC1) enzyme, which is targeted by a linked Cas protein-guide RNA (gRNA) complex. Previous studies of cytosine base editor (CBE) specificity have identified off-target DNA edits in human cells. Here we show that a CBE with rAPOBEC1 can cause extensive transcriptome-wide RNA cytosine deamination in human cells, inducing tens of thousands of C-to-uracil (U) edits with frequencies ranging from 0.07% to 100% in 38% - 58% of expressed genes. CBE-induced RNA edits occur in both protein-coding and non-protein-coding sequences and generate missense, nonsense, splice site, 5’ UTR, and 3’ UTR mutations. We engineered two CBE variants bearing rAPOBEC1 mutations that substantially decrease the numbers of RNA edits (reductions of >390-fold and >3,800-fold) in human cells. These variants also showed more precise on-target DNA editing and, with the majority of gRNAs tested, editing efficiencies comparable to those observed with wild-type CBE. Finally, we show that recently described adenine base editors (ABEs) can also induce transcriptome-wide RNA edits. These results have important implications for the research and therapeutic uses of base editors, illustrate the feasibility of engineering improved variants with reduced RNA editing activities, and suggest the need to more fully define and characterize the RNA off-target effects of deaminase enzymes in base editor platforms.
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.