CRISPR/nCas9-Based Genome Editing on GM2 Gangliosidoses Fibroblasts via Non-Viral Vectors.
Int J Mol Sci 2022;
23:ijms231810672. [PMID:
36142595 PMCID:
PMC9505638 DOI:
10.3390/ijms231810672]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The gangliosidoses GM2 are a group of pathologies mainly affecting the central nervous system due to the impaired GM2 ganglioside degradation inside the lysosome. Under physiological conditions, GM2 ganglioside is catabolized by the β-hexosaminidase A in a GM2 activator protein-dependent mechanism. In contrast, uncharged substrates such as globosides and some glycosaminoglycans can be hydrolyzed by the β-hexosaminidase B. Monogenic mutations on HEXA, HEXB, or GM2A genes arise in the Tay–Sachs (TSD), Sandhoff (SD), and AB variant diseases, respectively. In this work, we validated a CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing strategy that relies on a Cas9 nickase (nCas9) as a potential approach for treating GM2 gangliosidoses using in vitro models for TSD and SD. The nCas9 contains a mutation in the catalytic RuvC domain but maintains the active HNH domain, which reduces potential off-target effects. Liposomes (LPs)- and novel magnetoliposomes (MLPs)-based vectors were used to deliver the CRISPR/nCas9 system. When LPs were used as a vector, positive outcomes were observed for the β-hexosaminidase activity, glycosaminoglycans levels, lysosome mass, and oxidative stress. In the case of MLPs, a high cytocompatibility and transfection ratio was observed, with a slight increase in the β-hexosaminidase activity and significant oxidative stress recovery in both TSD and SD cells. These results show the remarkable potential of CRISPR/nCas9 as a new alternative for treating GM2 gangliosidoses, as well as the superior performance of non-viral vectors in enhancing the potency of this therapeutic approach.
Collapse