Project description:Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a life-limiting genetic disorder caused by deleterious variants in the CFTR gene that results in altered mucous impairing the airway epithelia. Durable correction of these variants in airway cells remain a therapeutic challenge for ~10% of individuals unresponsive to CFTR modulators. A common disease-causing CFTR splice site variant 3120+1G>A was corrected in primary CF airway cells using base editor RNAs. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed a remarkable increase in detectable CFTR transcript in most CF airway epithelial cell types resulting in notable enrichment of CFTR-expressing ionocytes and secretory goblet cells. Progenitor basal cell subtypes were edited but they decreased as a fraction of total cells and CFTR expressing cells compared to unedited cells.
Project description:Restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is a severe cardiac disorder characterized by impaired ventricular filling and diastolic dysfunction, with mutations in sarcomeric proteins representing major causative factors. Mutations of TNNI3 gene (e.g. p.R192H) constitute major genetic causes of RCM, particularly affecting pediatric patients and being associated with poor prognosis. Here, we demonstrate that adenine base editor (ABE) is able effectively correct RCM-causing mutation and alleviate RCM in a murine model. We first developed a novel murine model harboring the Tnni3R193H mutation that recapitulates the hallmark features of human RCM. Importantly, targeted delivery of ABE via adeno-associated virus (AAV) achieved efficient and precise correction of the Tnni3R193H mutation in adult RCM mice, leading to significant improvement of cardiac functions. Our findings establish base editing as a therapeutic strategy for RCM and highlight its broader potential for treating genetic cardiomyopathies in clinical settings.
2025-04-30 | GSE295799 | GEO
Project description:Functional Correction of CFTR Mutations in Human Airway Epithelial Cells using Adenine Base Editors
Project description:CRISPR-based gene editing holds promise for treating genetic diseases, yet its application to lung disorders has been hindered by the challenges of pulmonary delivery. Inspired by the modularity and biocompatibility of amino acid-derived chemistries, we report the combinatorial synthesis of 960 ionizable lipids incorporating chemically diverse backbones from both proteinogenic and non-proteinogenic α-amino acids. Through high-throughput screening and structure-function analysis, we identify CHCha-10, a cyclohexyl amino acid-derived lipid that forms biodegradable nanoparticles capable of efficiently delivering mRNA-based gene editors to lung epithelial cells. Following intratracheal administration, CHCha-10 nanoparticles exhibit enhanced mucus penetration, and epithelial-specific transfection in both mice and ferrets. As a functional application, we demonstrate the first instance of in vivo base editing in the lung via inhalation. Delivery of adenine base editor mRNA and guide RNA targeting the CFTR G542X mutation restores CFTR expression and chloride channel function in G542X human airway epithelial cells, mouse-derived intestinal organoids, and the lungs of cystic fibrosis mice.
2026-03-09 | GSE317845 | GEO
Project description:A split and inducible adenine base editor for precise in vivo base editing
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.
2024-01-23 | GSE253655 | GEO
Project description:Precise, minimally evolved adenine base editors generated through mutation reversion analysis
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.