CRISPR/Cas9 Delivery Mediated with Hydroxyl-Rich Nanosystems for Gene Editing in Aorta.

Abstract

A CRISPR/Cas9 system has emerged as a powerful tool for gene editing to treat genetic mutation related diseases. Due to the complete endothelial barrier, effective delivery of the CRISPR/Cas9 system to vasculatures remains a challenge for in vivo gene editing of genetic vascular diseases especially in aorta. Herein, it is reported that CHO‐PGEA (cholesterol (CHO)‐terminated ethanolamine‐aminated poly(glycidyl methacrylate)) with rich hydroxyl groups can deliver a plasmid based pCas9‐sgFbn1 system for the knockout of exon 10 in Fbn1 gene. This is the first report of a polycation‐mediated CRISPR/Cas9 system for gene editing in aorta of adult mice. CHO‐PGEA/pCas9‐sgFbn1 nanosystems can effectively contribute to the knockout of exon 10 in Fbn1 in vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro, which leads to the change of the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 and the increased expression of two downstream signals of Fbn1: Mmp‐2 and Ctgf. For in vivo application, the aortic enrichment of CHO‐PGEA/Cas9‐sgFbn1 is achieved by administering a pressor dose of angiotensin II (Ang II). The effects of the pCas9‐sgFbn1 system targeting Fbn1 demonstrate an increase in the expression of Mmp‐2 and Ctgf in aorta. Thus, the combination of CHO‐PGEA/pCas9‐sgFbn1 nanosystems with Ang II infusion can provide the possibility for in vivo gene editing in aorta.