Journal article
Therapeutic Exon Skipping Through a CRISPR-Guided Cytidine Deaminase Rescues Dystrophic Cardiomyopathy in Vivo
Circulation (New York, N.Y.), Vol.144(22), pp.1760-1776
11/30/2021
DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.054628
PMID: 34698513
Abstract
Background: Loss of dystrophin protein causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), characterized by progressive degeneration of cardiac and skeletal muscles, and mortality in adolescence or young adulthood. Although cardiac failure has risen as the leading cause of mortality in patients with DMD, effective therapeutic interventions remain underdeveloped, in part, because of the lack of a suitable preclinical model. Methods: We analyzed a novel murine model of DMD created by introducing a 4-bp deletion into exon 4, one of the exons encoding the actin-binding domain 1 of dystrophin (referred to as Dmd E4* mice). Echocardiography, microcomputed tomography, muscle force measurement, and histological analysis were performed to determine cardiac and skeletal muscle defects in these mice. Using this model, we examined the feasibility of using a cytidine base editor to install exon skipping and rescue dystrophic cardiomyopathy in vivo. AAV9-based CRISPR/Cas9-AID (eTAM) together with AAV9-sgRNA was injected into neonatal Dmd E4* mice, which were analyzed 2 or 12 months after treatment to evaluate the extent of exon skipping, dystrophin restoration, and phenotypic improvements of cardiac and skeletal muscles. Results: Dmd E4* mice recapitulated many aspects of human DMD, including shortened life span (by ≈50%), progressive cardiomyopathy, kyphosis, profound loss of muscle strength, and myocyte degeneration. A single-dose administration of AAV9-eTAM instituted >50% targeted exon skipping in the Dmd transcripts and restored up to 90% dystrophin in the heart. As a result, early ventricular remodeling was prevented and cardiac and skeletal muscle functions were improved, leading to an increased life span of the Dmd E4* mice. Despite gradual decline of AAV vector and base editor expression, dystrophin restoration and pathophysiological rescue of muscular dystrophy were long lasted for at least 1 year. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates the feasibility and efficacy to institute exon skipping through an enhanced TAM (eTAM) for therapeutic application(s).
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Therapeutic Exon Skipping Through a CRISPR-Guided Cytidine Deaminase Rescues Dystrophic Cardiomyopathy in Vivo
- Creators
- Jia Li - Westlake UniversityKaiying Wang - Westlake UniversityYuchen Zhang - Westlake UniversityTuan Qi - Westlake UniversityJuanjuan Yuan - Shunde Hospital, Southern Medical University (The First People’s Hospital of Shunde), Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China (J.Y., H.Q.)Lei Zhang - Westlake UniversityHan Qiu - Westlake UniversityJinxi Wang - Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and HealthHuang-Tian Yang - Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and HealthYi Dai - Peking Union Medical College HospitalYan Song - University of California San DiegoXing Chang - Westlake University
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Circulation (New York, N.Y.), Vol.144(22), pp.1760-1776
- DOI
- 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.054628
- PMID
- 34698513
- NLM abbreviation
- Circulation
- ISSN
- 0009-7322
- eISSN
- 1524-4539
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 11/30/2021
- Academic Unit
- Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984446520802771
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