Cas9 mRNA Research Articles

Co-encapsulation of Cas9 mRNA and guide RNA in polyplex micelles enables genome editing in mouse brain

Genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9 has attracted considerable attention for the treatment of genetic disorders and viral infections. Co-delivery of Cas9 mRNA and single guide (sg)RNA is a promising strategy to efficiently edit the genome of various cell types, including non-dividing cells, with minimal safety concerns. However, co-delivery of two RNA species with significantly different sizes, such as Cas9 mRNA (4.5 kb) and sgRNA (0.1 kb), is still challenging, especially in vivo. Here, we addressed this issue by using a PEGylated polyplex micelle (PM) condensing the RNA in its core. PM loading sgRNA alone released sgRNA at minimal dilution in buffer, while PM loading Cas9 mRNA alone was stable even at higher dilutions. Interestingly, co-encapsulating sgRNA with Cas9 mRNA in a single PM prevented sgRNA release upon dilution, which led to the enhanced tolerability of sgRNA against enzymatic degradation. Subsequently, PM with co-encapsulated RNA widely induced genome editing in parenchymal cells in the mouse brain, including neurons, astrocytes, and microglia, following intraparenchymal injection, at higher efficiency than that by co-delivery of PMs loaded with either Cas9 mRNA or sgRNA separately. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating the utility of RNA-based delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 in inducing genome editing in the brain parenchymal cells. Furthermore, the efficiency of genome editing using PMs was higher than using a non-PEGylated polyplex, due to the enhanced diffusion of PMs in the brain tissue. The results reported herein demonstrate the potential of using PMs to co-encapsulate Cas9 mRNA and sgRNA for in vivo genome editing.

Enhanced homology-directed repair for highly efficient gene editing in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells

AbstractLentivector gene therapy for X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD) has proven to be a viable approach, but random vector integration and subnormal protein production from exogenous promoters in transduced cells remain concerning for long-term safety and efficacy. A previous genome editing–based approach using Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 mRNA and an oligodeoxynucleotide donor to repair genetic mutations showed the capability to restore physiological protein expression but lacked sufficient efficiency in quiescent CD34+ hematopoietic cells for clinical translation. Here, we report that transient inhibition of p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) significantly increased (2.3-fold) long-term homology-directed repair to achieve highly efficient (80% gp91phox+ cells compared with healthy donor control subjects) long-term correction of X-CGD CD34+ cells.

5-HT7 receptors as a new target for prostate cancer physiopathology and treatment: an experimental study on PC-3 cells and FFPE tissues

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common types of cancer seen among men worldwide. Previous studies have demonstrated that serotonin regulates cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro; the presence of 5-HT receptors in cancer cells; and the role of serotonin in tumor development. The most recently discovered of these receptors is 5-HT7 but also least characterized receptors of serotonin. The aim of this study is to investigate the existence and possible role of 5-HT7 receptors in healthy and cancerous prostate tissues and also investigate effects of receptor agonists and antagonists on PC-3 cells to evaluate potential therapeutic effects. PC-3 cells were cultured and effects of 5-HT7 receptor agonist (LP-44) and antagonist (SB-269970) were evaluated on these cells. After proliferation analyses, relative expression of apoptotic markers and 5-HT7 receptor mRNA expression levels were determined through real-time PCR. Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining and Hoechst 33258 staining assay methods were applied to determine apoptosis. Additional PCR studies were performed on healthy and cancerous prostate tissue to see existence of receptors in human samples. The viability of PC-3 cells was decreased by SB-269970 after 48 and 72 h of incubation. However, LP-44 increased PC-3 cell proliferation at all time points. In 10-6 M SB-269970 treated PC-3 cells, there was significant increase in the expression of CAS-3 (4-fold), CAS-9 (2.5-fold), BAX (1.9-fold), and Tp-53 (4.8-fold) gene mRNA levels when compared to non-treated control group. Conversely, there was a significant decrease in NF-κB (2.9-fold) and 5-HT7 receptor (3.6-fold) mRNA expression in cells treated with SB-269970 when compared to control. SB-269970 that antagonized 5-HT7 receptors also induced apoptosis in Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining assay and Hoechst 33258 staining assays when compared with other groups. In human samples, 5-HT7 receptor mRNA expression was approximately 200-fold higher than that of heathy ones. In this study, for the first time, the 5-HT7 receptor antagonist SB-269970 has been shown to inhibit proliferation in PC-3 cells and to be associated with an apoptosis-inducing effect. These results suggest blocking 5-HT7 receptors can be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of prostate cancer.

'Hit and run' therapy averts macular degeneration.

Subretinal delivery of lentiviruses bearing Cas9 mRNA and a guide RNA targeting the Vegfa gene reduces the development of choroidal neovascularization in a mouse model of wet age-related macular degeneration.

Targeted mutagenesis in the olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) using the CRISPR/Cas9 system with electroporation

As a new breeding technology, genome editing becomes a powerful tool owing to its high efficiency of gene targeting. In CRISPR/Cas9 system, how to efficiently transfer gRNA and Cas9 mRNA into embryos is an important step. Though microinjection is the most common method for operating on fish embryos, it is not easy to inject the RNA into pelagic and telolecithal eggs with hard egg chorion, such as the olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) eggs. Therefore, an efficient and simple technology is urgently needed for this kind of study. In the present study, we used the electroporation method to introduce foreign gene into the flounder eggs. The results showed that the proper electroporation condition was 3 pulses for 1 millisecond (ms), 50 ms interval, at 25 V with high survival rate. Under this condition, the effect of CRISPR/Cas9 system on genome editing by using two different genes, myomaker and gonadal soma derived factor (gsdf) was investigated. Around 12% and 7% of the electroporated embryos for myomaker and gsdf hatched, respectively. The mutation sites including insert and deletion mutations at the candidate sites were visible for both targeted genes in the hatched larvae. The checked frame-shift and start codon deletion mutations would lead to complete destruction of these genes’ structure. Above results implied that CRISPR/Cas9 system could work well in marine fish with pelagic eggs by using electroporation, and genome editing could be achieved on a large scale which may be useful for study of gene function in marine fish.

Multiplex gene targeting in the mouse embryo using a Cas9-Cpf1 hybrid guide RNA

CRISPR-Cas systems, including Cas9 and Cpf1 (Cas12a), are promising tools for generating gene knockout mouse models. Unlike Cas9, Cpf1 can generate multiple crRNAs from a single concatemeric crRNA precursor, which is favorable for multiplex gene editing. Recently, a hybrid guide RNA (hgRNA) system employing both Cas9 and Cpf1 was developed for multiplex gene editing. As the crRNA of Cpf1 was linked to the 3′ end of the sgRNA for Cas9, it can be split into separate guide RNAs by Cpf1. To examine whether this Cas9-Cpf1 hybrid system is suitable for multiplex gene knockouts in the mouse embryo, we generated an hgRNA that simultaneously targets the mouse Il10ra gene by Cas9 and mouse Dr3 (or Tnfrsf25, death receptor3) gene by Cpf1. The expression of hgRNA from a single promoter induced significant indels at each gene in cultured mouse cells upon the co-expression of both Cas9 and Cpf1. Interestingly, the hgRNA exhibited comparable Cas9-mediated indel activity without Cpf1 expression. Similarly, when the hgRNA was co-microinjected with both Cas9 and Cpf1 mRNAs into mouse zygotes at the pronuclear stage, founder mice were generated harboring mutations in both the Il10ra and Dr3 genes. However, when Cas9 mRNA was used alone without Cpf1 mRNA, the mouse Il10ra gene targeting was significantly decreased. These results indicate that the hgRNA system is a possible tool for multiplex gene targeting in the mouse embryo.

Lentiviral delivery of co-packaged Cas9 mRNA and a Vegfa-targeting guide RNA prevents wet age-related macular degeneration in mice.

Therapeutic genome editing requires effective and targeted delivery methods. The delivery of Cas9 mRNA using adeno-associated viruses has led to potent in vivo therapeutic efficacy, but can cause sustained Cas9 expression, anti-Cas9 immune responses and off-target edits. Lentiviral vectors have been engineered to deliver nucleases that are expressed transiently, but in vivo evidence of their biomedical efficacy is lacking. Here, we show that the lentiviral codelivery of Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 mRNA and expression cassettes that encode a guide RNA that targets vascular endothelial growth factor A (Vegfa) is efficacious in a mouse model of wet age-related macular degeneration induced by Vegfa. A single subretinal injection of engineered lentiviruses knocked out 44% of Vegfa in retinal pigment epithelium and reduced the area of choroidal neovascularization by 63% without inducing off-target edits or anti-Cas9 immune responses. Engineered lentiviruses for the transient expression of nucleases may form the basis of new treatments for retinal neovascular diseases.

Emblicanin-A Inhibits Cell Growth in Human Prostate Cancer Cells (PC-3) By Modulating Apoptotic Signaling Molecules

Cancer is a one of the leading causes of death in the world, continue to be worldwide dreadful disease. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men. Multi-drug resistance (MDR) is a major problem with the current treatment options. It is now widely believed that many herbal dietary products are available as chemo-preventive agents against commonly occurring cancer types such as prostate cancer. Emblicanin-A, a hydrolyzable tannins has been isolated from the fruit of Emblicaofficinalis. The present study was aimedto find out whether emblicanin-A can inhibit growth of the prostate cancer cells (PC-3) through the regulation of apoptotic signaling mechanisms. Hence, PC-3 cells were treated with different concentrations of emblicanin-A (10, 25, 50, 100 and 150µM) for the analysis of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Tumor suppressor protein (p53), Caspase-3 and caspase-9 mRNA expression in PC-3 cells. Cell viability was done using MTT in order to find the optimal dose. MTT assay exhibited that emblicanin-A showed cell death at the concentration of 100 and 150µM. It significantly (p<0.05) decreased the mRNA expression of anti apoptotic proteins (Bcl-2) while it upregulated the p53, caspase-3 and cas-9 mRNA levels effectively (p<0.05) in PC-3 cells which clearly indicates that emblicanin-A induces apoptosis in PC-3 cells by modulating intrinsic signalling mechanisms. To best of our knowledge, the present findings are the first to report anticancer activity of a bioactive compound from E.officinalis. Our study concludes that emblicanin-A may serve as a potential chemotherapeutic agent for the treatment of prostate cancer. Further studies on the effect of Emblicanin-A on the protein expression of further downstream signalling mechanisms is warranted in order to ascertain its potential mechanisms action towards clinical utility.

Evaluation of mutation rates, mosaicism and off target mutations when injecting Cas9 mRNA or protein for genome editing of bovine embryos

The CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing tool has the potential to improve the livestock breeding industry by allowing for the introduction of desirable traits. Although an efficient and targeted tool, the CRISPR/Cas9 system can have some drawbacks, including off-target mutations and mosaicism, particularly when used in developing embryos. Here, we introduced genome editing reagents into single-cell bovine embryos to compare the effect of Cas9 mRNA and protein on the mutation efficiency, level of mosaicism, and evaluate potential off-target mutations utilizing next generation sequencing. We designed guide-RNAs targeting three loci (POLLED, H11, and ZFX) in the bovine genome and saw a significantly higher rate of mutation in embryos injected with Cas9 protein (84.2%) vs. Cas9 mRNA (68.5%). In addition, the level of mosaicism was higher in embryos injected with Cas9 mRNA (100%) compared to those injected with Cas9 protein (94.2%), with little to no unintended off-target mutations detected. This study demonstrated that the use of gRNA/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein complex resulted in a high editing efficiency at three different loci in bovine embryos and decreased levels of mosaicism relative to Cas9 mRNA. Additional optimization will be required to further reduce mosaicism to levels that make single-step embryo editing in cattle commercially feasible.

Combined lentiviral- and RNA-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 delivery for efficient and traceable gene editing in human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells

The CRISPR/Cas9 system is a versatile tool for functional genomics and forward genetic screens in mammalian cells. However, it has been challenging to deliver the CRISPR components to sensitive cell types, such as primary human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), partly due to lentiviral transduction of Cas9 being extremely inefficient in these cells. Here, to overcome these hurdles, we developed a combinatorial system using stable lentiviral delivery of single guide RNA (sgRNA) followed by transient transfection of Cas9 mRNA by electroporation in human cord blood-derived CD34+ HSPCs. We further applied an optimized sgRNA structure, that significantly improved editing efficiency in this context, and we obtained knockout levels reaching 90% for the cell surface proteins CD45 and CD44 in sgRNA transduced HSPCs. Our combinatorial CRISPR/Cas9 delivery approach had no negative influence on CD34 expression or colony forming capacity in vitro compared to non-treated HSPCs. Furthermore, gene edited HSPCs showed intact in vivo reconstitution capacity following transplantation to immunodeficient mice. Taken together, we developed a paradigm for combinatorial CRISPR/Cas9 delivery that enables efficient and traceable gene editing in primary human HSPCs, and is compatible with high functionality both in vitro and in vivo.

Development of a rabbit model of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.

The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is a severe recessive X-linked immunodeficiency resulting from loss-of-function mutations in the WAS gene. Mouse is the only mammalian model used for investigation of WAS pathogenesis. However, the mouse model does not accurately recapitulate WAS clinical phenotypes, thus, limiting its application in WAS clinical research. Herein, we report the generation of WAS knockout (KO) rabbits via embryo co-injection of Cas9 mRNA and a pair of sgRNAs targeting exons 2 and 7. WAS KO rabbits exhibited many symptoms similar to those of WAS patients, including thrombocytopenia, bleeding tendency, infections, and reduced numbers of T cell in the spleen and peripheral blood. The WAS KO rabbit model provides a new valuable tool for preclinical trials of WAS treatment.

CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing using targeted lipid nanoparticles for cancer therapy.

Harnessing CRISPR-Cas9 technology for cancer therapeutics has been hampered by low editing efficiency in tumors and potential toxicity of existing delivery systems. Here, we describe a safe and efficient lipid nanoparticle (LNP) for the delivery of Cas9 mRNA and sgRNAs that use a novel amino-ionizable lipid. A single intracerebral injection of CRISPR-LNPs against PLK1 (sgPLK1-cLNPs) into aggressive orthotopic glioblastoma enabled up to ~70% gene editing in vivo, which caused tumor cell apoptosis, inhibited tumor growth by 50%, and improved survival by 30%. To reach disseminated tumors, cLNPs were also engineered for antibody-targeted delivery. Intraperitoneal injections of EGFR-targeted sgPLK1-cLNPs caused their selective uptake into disseminated ovarian tumors, enabled up to ~80% gene editing in vivo, inhibited tumor growth, and increased survival by 80%. The ability to disrupt gene expression in vivo in tumors opens new avenues for cancer treatment and research and potential applications for targeted gene editing of noncancerous tissues.

Highly Efficient Gene Editing of Human Hematopoietic Stem Cells to Treat X-Linked Sideroblastic Anemia

X-linked sideroblastic anemia (XLSA) is an anemic disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding 5-aminolevulinate synthase 2 (ALAS2), which catalyzes the rate-limiting step of heme biosynthesis. With current interventions including pyridoxine treatment and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, severe unmet needs remain for patients with XLSA. Here, we used CRISPR/Cas9 technology to efficiently and functionally correct the pathogenic mutation in intron 1 of ALAS2 in CD34+ hematopoietic stem cell and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from two patients. Intriguingly, we found that the gene-editing efficiency of CD34+HSPCs from the elder patient was much lower than that from the younger patient, consistent with the poor hematopoiesis of older XLSA patients observed in clinical practice. Furthermore, we performed single cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) to investigate the causes of those phenomenon in-depth. Previously we and others identified the A>G mutation in the GATA1 binding region of intron 1 of ALAS2 in particular XLSA families and have demonstrated the key role of this site in regulating ALAS expression. Thus, we first designed a series of sgRNAs, along with single-stranded DNA oligonucleotide donors (ssODN). After co-electroporating with Cas9 mRNA into patient-derived hiPSCs, sgRNA-1 and ssODN were selected for further experiments based on optimal correction rate (43.93±3.43% via HDR). Next, using a well-established erythroid protocol, CD34+ HSPCs of control and gene-edited groups were differentiated into erythroid cells in vitro. Surprisingly, heme biosynthesis examined by benzidine staining showed that compared with the mock cells, the gene-corrected group significantly increased the frequency of benzidine-positive cells. To examine the multilineage differentiation potential of gene-corrected CD34+ HSCPs, we performed colony-forming unit (CFU) assays to quantify various types of colonies. Compared with mock cells, gene-edited group significantly enhanced the generation of total, CFU-GM and BFU-E colonies, suggesting higher clonogenic potential. Next, gene-corrected CD34+ HSPCs were transplanted into nonobese diabetic (NOD)/Prkdcscid/IL-2Rγnull (NPG) mice to evaluate the repopulating potential. All transplanted mice displayed engraftment in multiple organs at 10-16 weeks post transplantation, and the gene-corrected cells showed greater engraftment potential than mock group. In addition, hematopoietic reconstitution analysis indicated that the gene-corrected cells maintained normal lineage distribution, while the B cell development of mock group was impaired. Moreover, gene-editing efficiency analysis of bone marrow samples 16 weeks after transplantation exhibited high editing rate (34±7.18% via HDR), comparable to the in vitro efficiency. The specificity of the Cas9 mRNA-based gene editing system was examined using unbiased Digenome-Seq. In total, 32 potential off-target sites were identified and deeply interrogated via targeted PCR and NGS analysis of XLSA iPSCs electroporated with Cas9 mRNA and sgRNA. No off-target cleavage events were detected at these sites, suggesting a lack of detectable off-target events. Finally, scRNA-seq of CD34+ HSPCs from healthy donor and XLSA patients revealed more HSC/LMPP and erythroid progenitor cells in older XLSA patient. Further analysis showed that cell cycle and gene expression in older HSC/LMPP cells were significantly different from that from healthy donors and younger patients. Hence, we speculated that the compensatory differentiation of HSCs caused by long-term functional red blood cell deficiency caused the abnormal expansion of HSCs, which led to the poor hematopoiesis in elderly patients. Our study firstly uses CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology to correct the disease mutation in patient's CD34+ HSPCs and rescues ALAS2 expression and heme biosynthesis, directly confirming that this mutation is the pathogenic factor for XLSA. In addition, we dissect the transcriptional profile of CD34+ HSCPs from XLSA patients at single cell resolution for the first time, shedding light on mechanistic insights into the XLSA pathogenesis. The robust gene-correction rates and significant function rescue in patient's CD34+ HSPCs further suggest a curable option of gene-edited HSC transplantation for the treatment of the patients with XLSA. Disclosures Fang: EdiGene Inc.: Current Employment. Yuan:EdiGene Inc.: Current Employment. Yang:EdiGene Inc.: Current Employment. Yu:EdiGene Inc.: Current Employment. Zhang:EdiGene Inc.: Current Employment. Shi:EdiGene Guangzhou Inc.: Current Employment. Qi:Novogene Co, Ltd: Current Employment. Wei:EdiGene Inc.: Current Employment.

Application of CRISPR/Cas9 Nuclease in Amphioxus Genome Editing.

The cephalochordate amphioxus is a promising animal model for studying the origin of vertebrates due to its key phylogenetic position among chordates. Although transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) have been adopted in amphioxus genome editing, its labor-intensive construction of TALEN proteins limits its usage in many laboratories. Here we reported an application of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, a more amenable genome editing method, in this group of animals. Our data showed that while co-injection of Cas9 mRNAs and sgRNAs into amphioxus unfertilized eggs caused no detectable mutations at targeted loci, injections of Cas9 mRNAs and sgRNAs at the two-cell stage, or of Cas9 protein and sgRNAs before fertilization, can execute efficient disruptions of targeted genes. Among the nine tested sgRNAs (targeting five genes) co-injected with Cas9 protein, seven introduced mutations with efficiency ranging from 18.4% to 90% and four caused specific phenotypes in the injected embryos. We also demonstrated that monomerization of sgRNAs via thermal treatment or modifying the sgRNA structure could increase mutation efficacies. Our study will not only promote application of genome editing method in amphioxus research, but also provide valuable experiences for other organisms in which the CRISPR/Cas9 system has not been successfully applied.

Recent advances in chemical modifications of guide RNA, mRNA and donor template for CRISPR-mediated genome editing.

The discovery and applications of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) systems have revolutionized our ability to track and manipulate specific nucleic acid sequences in many cell types of various organisms. The robustness and simplicity of these platforms have rapidly extended their applications from basic research to the development of therapeutics. However, many hurdles remain on the path to translation of the CRISPR systems to therapeutic applications: efficient delivery, detectable off-target effects, potential immunogenicity, and others. Chemical modifications provide a variety of protection options for guide RNA, Cas9 mRNA and donor templates. For example, chemically modified gRNA demonstrated enhanced on-target editing efficiency, minimized immune response and decreased off-target genome editing. In this review, we summarize the use of chemically modified nucleotides for CRISPR-mediated genome editing and emphasize open questions that remain to be addressed in clinical applications.

A porcine model of phenylketonuria generated by CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing.

Phenylalanine hydroxylase–deficient (PAH-deficient) phenylketonuria (PKU) results in systemic hyperphenylalaninemia, leading to neurotoxicity with severe developmental disabilities. Dietary phenylalanine (Phe) restriction prevents the most deleterious effects of hyperphenylalaninemia, but adherence to diet is poor in adult and adolescent patients, resulting in characteristic neurobehavioral phenotypes. Thus, an urgent need exists for new treatments. Additionally, rodent models of PKU do not adequately reflect neurocognitive phenotypes, and thus there is a need for improved animal models. To this end, we have developed PAH-null pigs. After selection of optimal CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing reagents by using an in vitro cell model, zygote injection of 2 sgRNAs and Cas9 mRNA demonstrated deletions in preimplantation embryos, with embryo transfer to a surrogate leading to 2 founder animals. One pig was heterozygous for a PAH exon 6 deletion allele, while the other was compound heterozygous for deletions of exon 6 and of exons 6–7. The affected pig exhibited hyperphenylalaninemia (2000–5000 μM) that was treatable by dietary Phe restriction, consistent with classical PKU, along with juvenile growth retardation, hypopigmentation, ventriculomegaly, and decreased brain gray matter volume. In conclusion, we have established a large-animal preclinical model of PKU to investigate pathophysiology and to assess new therapeutic interventions.

MRNA Delivery Using Bioreducible Lipidoid Nanoparticles Facilitates Neural Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are widely used in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering and delivering biological molecules into MSCs has been used to control stem cell behavior. However, the efficient delivery of large biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins into MSCs using nonviral delivery strategies remains an ongoing challenge. Herein, nanoparticles composed of cationic bioreducible lipid-like materials (lipidoids) are developed to intracellularly deliver mRNA into human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). The delivery efficacy to hMSCs is improved by adding three excipients including cholesterol, 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE), and 1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-polyethylene glycol (DSPE-PEG) during lipidoid nanoparticle formulation. Using an optimized lipidoid formulation, Cas9 mRNA and single guide RNA (sgRNA) targeting neuron restrictive silencing factor (NRSF) are delivered to hMSCs, leading to successful neural-like differentiation as demonstrated by the expression of synaptophysin (SYP), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and neuron-specific growth-associated protein (SCG10). Overall, a synthetic lipid formulation that can efficiently deliver mRNA to hMSCs is identified, leading to CRISPR-based gene knockdown to facilitate hMSCs transdifferentiation into neural-like lineage.

Abstract 2204: Enhancing anti-tumor efficacy of MART-1-specific TCR-T cells by CRISPR-Cas9-based PD-1 disruption

Abstract T cell function can be compromised when continuously exposed to tumor antigens by immune checkpoint signaling. Immunotherapies with T cells and inhibitors of repressive checkpoint molecules such as PD-1, CTLA-4, etc. have been shown promising results in cancer clinical trials. Inhibitors of checkpoint molecules have been solely used to block or suppress the corresponding pathways to improve the functionality of T cells and enhance the anti-tumor immunity. However, few reports combined disruption of repressive checkpoint molecules with TCR-T cell therapy for the treatment of cancer patients. In our study, new TCR sequence was attained from T cells stimulated by Melan-A (aa27-35) peptide, but the cytotoxicity of MART-1-specific TCR-T cells was found to be inhibited by expression of PD-L1 in target cells. To overcome this PD(L)-1-mediated suppression, Cas9 mRNA and gRNA were electroporated into primary T cells infected by MART-1 TCR lentivirus. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated PD-1 disruption in MART-1 TCR-T cells recovered T cell cytotoxicity inhibited by PD-L1 overexpression in target cells. In addition, secretion of IFNγ and IL-2 was also increased in PD-1-damaged TCR-T cells. Furthermore, the differences between wild-type and PD-1-disrupted TCR-T cells were characterized by single-cell RNA (scRNA) sequencing. In summary, our study illustrates enhanced therapeutic efficacy and different features of PD-1-eliminated TCR-T cells compared to the control, providing an alternative strategy for current cell therapy. Citation Format: Qianqian Gao, Renpeng Ding, Huanyi Chen, Qumiao Xu, Linnan Zhu, Xuan Dong, Ying Gu, Cheng-chi Chao. Enhancing anti-tumor efficacy of MART-1-specific TCR-T cells by CRISPR-Cas9-based PD-1 disruption [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 2204.

Abstract 528: Towards Therapeutic Genome Editing in Vascular Endothelium by Novel Nanoparticle Delivery of Crispr Plasmid Dna

Introduction: Therapeutic delivery of CRISPR system components to induce in vivo genome editing in postnatal and adult life has great translational potential. Recent studies employing non-viral delivery of small guide RNA (gRNA) and Cas9 mRNA have achieved efficient genome editing in adult mice. However, as often seen in other RNA therapeutic studies with non-viral delivery of antisense and siRNA, the efficiency is limited to the liver. Hypothesis: Novel nanoparticle can therapeutically deliver the CRISPR system to selectively target cardiovascular endothelium in adult mice. Methods: We developed novel PLGA-based nanoparticles which was for the first time shown to be uptaken efficiently by the vascular endothelium without specific liver accumulation following i.v. administration. Mixture of the nanoparticle:plasmid DNA expressing Cas9 under the control of the human CDH5 promoter (EC-specific) and gRNA by the U6 promoter was administered i.v. to adult mice. Seven to ten days later, various organ tissues were collected for analysis of the efficiency of genomic editing and knockout of protein expression. The phenotype of CRISPR-mediated in vivo knockout of Pik3cg which encodes the G protein-coupled receptor-activated p110gamma isoform of PI3K was compared to Pik3cg null mice in response to sepsis challenge. Results: Therapeutic delivery of nanoparticles loaded with the all-in-one CRISPR plasmid DNA induced highly efficient genome editing in endothelial cells (ECs) of the cardiovascular system including heart, lung, and aorta in adult mice. The Indel rate was as great as 50% in ECs isolated from these vascular beds. Immunostaining and Western blotting demonstrated greater than 70% decrease of protein expression in ECs. Pik3cg -gRNA-induced genome editing diminished p110γPI3K expression in pulmonary vascular ECs, which led to impaired vascular repair and resolution of inflammation after sepsis challenge as seen in Pik3cg -/- mice. Conclusion: We have developed a simple and highly efficient method for in vivo genome editing selectively targeting the vascular endothelium. This strategy will greatly facilitate cardiovascular research and may enable therapeutic genome editing for prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Physiological impact and comparison of mutant screening methods in piwil2 KO founder Nile tilapia produced by CRISPR/Cas9 system

The application of genome engineering techniques to understand the mechanisms that regulate germ cell development opens promising new avenues to develop methods to control sexual maturation and mitigate associated detrimental effects in fish. In this study, the functional role of piwil2 in primordial germ cells (PGCs) was investigated in Nile tilapia using CRISPR/Cas9 and the resultant genotypes were further explored. piwil2 is a gonad-specific and maternally deposited gene in Nile tilapia eggs which is known to play a role in repression of transposon elements and is therefore thought to be important for maintaining germline cell fate. A functional domain of piwil2, PIWI domain, was targeted by injecting Cas9 mRNA and sgRNAs into Nile tilapia embryos at 1 cell stage. Results showed 54% of injected mutant larvae had no or less putative PGCs compared to control fish, suggesting an essential role of piwil2 in survival of PGCs. The genotypic features of the different phenotypic groups were explored by next generation sequencing (NGS) and other mutant screening methods including T7 endonuclease 1 (T7E1), CRISPR/Cas-derived RNA-guided engineered nuclease (RGEN), high resolution melt curve analysis (HRMA) and fragment analysis. Linking phenotypes to genotypes in F0 was hindered by the complex mosacism and wide indel spectrum revealed by NGS and fragment analysis. This study strongly suggests the functional importance of piwil2 in PGCs survival. Further studies should focus on reducing mosaicism when using CRISPR/Cas9 system to facilitate direct functional analysis in F0.