1
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Müller JA, Schäffler N, Kellerer T, Schwake G, Ligon TS, Rädler JO. Kinetics of RNA-LNP delivery and protein expression. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 2024; 197:114222. [PMID: 38387850 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpb.2024.114222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) employing ionizable lipids are the most advanced technology for delivery of RNA, most notably mRNA, to cells. LNPs represent well-defined core-shell particles with efficient nucleic acid encapsulation, low immunogenicity and enhanced efficacy. While much is known about the structure and activity of LNPs, less attention is given to the timing of LNP uptake, cytosolic transfer and protein expression. However, LNP kinetics is a key factor determining delivery efficiency. Hence quantitative insight into the multi-cascaded pathway of LNPs is of interest to elucidate the mechanism of delivery. Here, we review experiments as well as theoretical modeling of the timing of LNP uptake, mRNA-release and protein expression. We describe LNP delivery as a sequence of stochastic transfer processes and review a mathematical model of subsequent protein translation from mRNA. We compile probabilities and numbers obtained from time resolved microscopy. Specifically, live-cell imaging on single cell arrays (LISCA) allows for high-throughput acquisition of thousands of individual GFP reporter expression time courses. The traces yield the distribution of mRNA life-times, expression rates and expression onset. Correlation analysis reveals an inverse dependence of gene expression efficiency and transfection onset-times. Finally, we discuss why timing of mRNA release is critical in the context of codelivery of multiple nucleic acid species as in the case of mRNA co-expression or CRISPR/Cas gene editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith A Müller
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Nathalie Schäffler
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Kellerer
- Multiphoton Imaging Lab, Munich University of Applied Sciences, Munich, Germany
| | - Gerlinde Schwake
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Joachim O Rädler
- Faculty of Physics and Center for NanoScience, Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
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2
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Srinivas T, Siqueira E, Guil S. Techniques for investigating lncRNA transcript functions in neurodevelopment. Mol Psychiatry 2024; 29:874-890. [PMID: 38145986 PMCID: PMC11176085 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02377-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are sequences of 200 nucleotides or more that are transcribed from a large portion of the mammalian genome. While hypothesized to have a variety of biological roles, many lncRNAs remain largely functionally uncharacterized due to unique challenges associated with their investigation. For example, some lncRNAs overlap with other genomic loci, are expressed in a cell-type-specific manner, and/or are differentially processed at the post-transcriptional level. The mammalian CNS contains a vast diversity of lncRNAs, and lncRNAs are highly abundant in the mammalian brain. However, interrogating lncRNA function in models of the CNS, particularly in vivo, can be complex and challenging. Here we review the breadth of methods used to investigate lncRNAs in the CNS, their merits, and the understanding they can provide with respect to neurodevelopment and pathophysiology. We discuss remaining challenges in the field and provide recommendations to assay lncRNAs based on current methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara Srinivas
- Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916, Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Edilene Siqueira
- Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916, Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sonia Guil
- Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), 08916, Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
- Germans Trias i Pujol Health Science Research Institute, 08916, Badalona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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3
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Alawar N, Schirra C, Hohmann M, Becherer U. A solution for highly efficient electroporation of primary cytotoxic T lymphocytes. BMC Biotechnol 2024; 24:16. [PMID: 38532411 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-024-00839-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are central players in the adaptive immune response. Their functional characterization and clinical research depend on efficient and reliable transfection. Although various methods have been utilized, electroporation remains the preferred technique for transient gene over-expression. However, the efficiency of electroporation is reduced for human and mouse primary CTLs. Lonza offers kits that effectively improve plasmid DNA transfection quality. Unfortunately, the removal of key components of the cell recovery medium considerably reduced the efficiency of their kit for CTLs. Our aim was to develop a new recovery medium to be used with Lonza's Nucleofector system that would significantly enhance transfection rates. RESULTS We assessed the impact of different media in which the primary CTLs were placed to recover after electroporation on cell survival, transfection rate and their ability to form an immunological synapse and to perform exocytosis. We transfected the cells with pmax-GFP and large constructs encoding for either CD81-super ecliptic pHluorin or granzyme B-pHuji. The comparison of five different media for mouse and two for human CTLs demonstrated that our new recovery medium composed of Opti-MEM-GlutaMAX supplemented with HEPES, DMSO and sodium pyruvate gave the best result in cell survival (> 50%) and transfection rate (> 30 and 20% for mouse and human cells, respectively). More importantly, the functionality of CTLs was at least twice as high as with the original Lonza recovery medium. In addition, our RM significantly improved transfection efficacy of natural killer cells that are notoriously hard to electroporate. CONCLUSION Our results show that successful transfection depends not only on the electroporation medium and pulse sequence but also on the medium applied for cell recovery. In addition, we have reduced our reliance on proprietary products by designing an effective recovery medium for both mouse and human primary CTLs and other lymphocytes that can be easily implemented by any laboratory. We expect that this recovery medium will have a significant impact on both fundamental and applied research in immunology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Alawar
- Department of Cellular Neurophysiology, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), Saarland University, Homburg, 66421, Germany
| | - Claudia Schirra
- Department of Cellular Neurophysiology, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), Saarland University, Homburg, 66421, Germany
| | - Meltem Hohmann
- Department of Cellular Neurophysiology, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), Saarland University, Homburg, 66421, Germany
| | - Ute Becherer
- Department of Cellular Neurophysiology, Center for Integrative Physiology and Molecular Medicine (CIPMM), Saarland University, Homburg, 66421, Germany.
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4
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Chen X, Du J, Yun S, Xue C, Yao Y, Rao S. Recent advances in CRISPR-Cas9-based genome insertion technologies. MOLECULAR THERAPY. NUCLEIC ACIDS 2024; 35:102138. [PMID: 38379727 PMCID: PMC10878794 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2024.102138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Programmable genome insertion (or knock-in) is vital for both fundamental and translational research. The continuously expanding number of CRISPR-based genome insertion strategies demonstrates the ongoing development in this field. Common methods for site-specific genome insertion rely on cellular double-strand breaks repair pathways, such as homology-directed repair, non-homologous end-joining, and microhomology-mediated end joining. Recent advancements have further expanded the toolbox of programmable genome insertion techniques, including prime editing, integrase coupled with programmable nuclease, and CRISPR-associated transposon. These tools possess their own capabilities and limitations, promoting tremendous efforts to enhance editing efficiency, broaden targeting scope and improve editing specificity. In this review, we first summarize recent advances in programmable genome insertion techniques. We then elaborate on the cons and pros of each technique to assist researchers in making informed choices when using these tools. Finally, we identify opportunities for future improvements and applications in basic research and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinwen Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300020, China
- Tianjin Institutes of Health Science, Tianjin 301600, China
| | - Jingjing Du
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300020, China
- Tianjin Institutes of Health Science, Tianjin 301600, China
| | - Shaowei Yun
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300020, China
- Tianjin Institutes of Health Science, Tianjin 301600, China
| | - Chaoyou Xue
- Key Laboratory of Engineering Biology for Low-Carbon Manufacturing, Tianjin Institute of Industrial Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 32 West 7th Avenue, Tianjin Airport Economic Area, Tianjin 300308, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yao Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300020, China
- Tianjin Institutes of Health Science, Tianjin 301600, China
| | - Shuquan Rao
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300020, China
- Tianjin Institutes of Health Science, Tianjin 301600, China
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5
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Maeki M, Uno S, Sugiura K, Sato Y, Fujioka Y, Ishida A, Ohba Y, Harashima H, Tokeshi M. Development of Polymer-Lipid Hybrid Nanoparticles for Large-Sized Plasmid DNA Transfection. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:2110-2119. [PMID: 38141015 PMCID: PMC10798250 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c14714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
RNA and DNA delivery technologies using lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have advanced significantly, as demonstrated by their successful application in mRNA vaccines. To date, commercially available RNA therapeutics include Onpattro, a 21 bp siRNA, and mRNA vaccines comprising 4300 nucleotides for COVID-19. However, a significant challenge remains in achieving efficient transfection, as the size of the delivered RNA and DNA increases. In contrast to RNA transfection, plasmid DNA (pDNA) transfection requires multiple steps, including cellular uptake, endosomal escape, nuclear translocation, transcription, and translation. The low transfection efficiency of large pDNA is a critical limitation in the development of artificial cells and their cellular functionalization. Here, we introduce polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles designed for efficient, large-sized pDNA transfection. We demonstrated that LNPs loaded with positively charged pDNA-polycation core nanoparticles exhibited a 4-fold increase in transfection efficiency for 15 kbp pDNA compared with conventional LNPs, which encapsulate a negatively charged pDNA-polycation core. Based on assessments of the size and internal structure of the polymer-lipid nanoparticles as well as hemolysis and cellular uptake analysis, we propose a strategy to enhance large-sized pDNA transfection using LNPs. This approach holds promise for accelerating the in vivo delivery of large-sized pDNA and advancing the development of artificial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masatoshi Maeki
- Division
of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan
- JST
PRESTO, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
- Institute
of Materials Structure Science, High Energy
Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan
| | - Shuya Uno
- Graduate
School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan
| | - Kaisei Sugiura
- Graduate
School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan
| | - Yusuke Sato
- Faculty
of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Kita 12 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0812, Japan
| | - Yoichiro Fujioka
- Department
of Cell Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15 Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan
| | - Akihiko Ishida
- Division
of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan
| | - Yusuke Ohba
- Department
of Cell Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Graduate School of Medicine, Hokkaido University, Kita 15 Nishi 7, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8638, Japan
| | - Hideyoshi Harashima
- Graduate
School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Hokkaido University, Kita 13 Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-8628, Japan
| | - Manabu Tokeshi
- JST
PRESTO, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
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6
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Li CC, Hu R, Hua XM, Ni YX, Ge L, Zhang L, Yu W, Hao NX, Xia H, Fang Q, Tao ZY. Construction and functional verification of size-reduced plasmids based on TMP resistance gene dfrB10. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0120623. [PMID: 37905802 PMCID: PMC10714783 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01206-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 11/02/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Plasmid size is one of the factors affecting transfection efficacy in most of the molecular genetic research studies. One effective approach for reducing plasmid size is to replace relatively large, conventional antibiotic resistance genes with the short-size dfrB10 gene. The successful construct of a series of dfrB10-based tool plasmids and their functional validation, via comparison with original plasmids, suggest that dfrB10 is a potent drug resistance selection marker. The antibiotic trimethoprim offers convenient usage comparable to that of ampicillin or kanamycin. Additionally, fluorescence analysis has demonstrated the compatibility of TMP with protein expression in various host cells. Based on these findings, TMP-dfrB10 could be an alternative choice for future use in molecular genetic research studies that require miniature plasmids to achieve optimal results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun-cao Li
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Rui Hu
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Xiu-min Hua
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Yi-xuan Ni
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Lu Ge
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Lu Zhang
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Wen Yu
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Ni-xin Hao
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Hui Xia
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Qiang Fang
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
| | - Zhi-yong Tao
- Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
- Anhui Key Laboratory of Infection and Immunology, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, Anhui, China
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7
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Bajwa KK, Punetha M, Kumar D, Yadav PS, Long CR, Selokar NL. Electroporation-based CRISPR gene editing in adult buffalo fibroblast cells. Anim Biotechnol 2023; 34:5055-5066. [PMID: 37870061 DOI: 10.1080/10495398.2023.2271030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Electroporation is a widely used method for delivering CRISPR components into cells; however, it presents challenges when applied to difficult-to-transfect cells like adult buffalo fibroblasts. In this study, the ITGB2 gene (encoding the CD18 protein), plays vital for cellular adhesion and immune responses, was selected for editing experiments. To optimize electroporation conditions, we investigated parameters such as electric field strength, pulse duration, plasmid DNA amount, cuvette type, and cell type. The best transfection rates were obtained in a 4 mm gap cuvette with a single 20-millisecond pulse of 300 V using a 10 μg of all-in-one CRISPR plasmid for 106 cells in 100 μL of electroporation buffer. Increasing DNA quantity enhanced transfection rates but compromised cell viability. The 4 mm cuvette gap had high transfection rates than the 2 mm gap, and newborn cells exhibited higher transfection rates than adult cells. We achieved transfection rates of 10-12% with a cell viability of 25-30% for adult fibroblast cells. Subsequently, successfully edited the ITGB2 gene with a 30% editing efficiency, confirmed through various analysis methods, including T7E1 assay, TIDE and ICE analysis, and TA cloning. In conclusion, electroporation conditions reported here can edit buffalo gene(s) for various biotechnological research applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamlesh Kumari Bajwa
- Division of Animal Physiology and Reproduction, ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar, India
- Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India
| | - Meeti Punetha
- Division of Animal Physiology and Reproduction, ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar, India
| | - Dharmendra Kumar
- Division of Animal Physiology and Reproduction, ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar, India
| | - Prem Singh Yadav
- Division of Animal Physiology and Reproduction, ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar, India
| | - Chares R Long
- College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Naresh L Selokar
- Division of Animal Physiology and Reproduction, ICAR-Central Institute for Research on Buffaloes, Hisar, India
- Animal Biotechnology Centre, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana, India
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8
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Komel T, Bosnjak M, Sersa G, Cemazar M. Expression of GFP and DsRed fluorescent proteins after gene electrotransfer of tumour cells in vitro. Bioelectrochemistry 2023; 153:108490. [PMID: 37356264 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2023.108490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
Fluorescent reporter genes are widely used to study the transfection of various types of primary cells and cell lines. The aim of our research was to investigate the expression dynamics of GFP and DsRed reporter genes individually and combined after gene electrotransfer of plasmids with two different electroporation protocols in B16F10 and CT26 cells in vitro. The cytotoxicity after gene electrotransfer of both plasmids was first determined. Second, the intensity of fluorescence and the percentage of cells transfected with both plasmids individually and in combination were monitored in real time. The results show that the percentage of viability after gene electrotransfer of plasmids using the EP2 pulses was significantly higher compared to the EP1 pulses. In contrast, the percentage of transfected cells and fluorescence intensity were higher after gene electrotransfer with the EP1 pulse protocol. Moreover, the percentage of transfected cells was higher and started earlier in the B16F10 cell line than in the CT26 cell line. However, fluorescence intensity was higher in CT26 cells. Co-expression of fluorescent proteins was achieved only in a small number of cells. In conclusion, this study elucidated some of the dynamics of reporter gene expression in cancer cell lines after gene electrotransfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilen Komel
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Department of Experimental Oncology, Zaloska 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Medicine, Vrazov trg 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Masa Bosnjak
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Department of Experimental Oncology, Zaloska 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Gregor Sersa
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Department of Experimental Oncology, Zaloska 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Health Sciences, Zdravstvena pot 5, SI - 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Cemazar
- Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Department of Experimental Oncology, Zaloska 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; University of Primorska, Faculty of Health Sciences, Polje 42, SI - 6310 Izola, Slovenia.
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9
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Liu W, Wang X, Liu R, Liao Y, Peng Z, Jiang H, Jing Q, Xing Y. Efficient delivery of a large-size Cas9-EGFP vector in porcine fetal fibroblasts using a Lonza 4D-Nucleofector system. BMC Biotechnol 2023; 23:29. [PMID: 37587435 PMCID: PMC10428654 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-023-00799-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Porcine fetal fibroblasts (PFFs) are important donor cells for generating genetically modified pigs, but the transfection efficiencies of PFFs are often unsatisfactory especially when large-size vectors are to be delivered. In this study, we aimed to optimize the transfection conditions for delivery of a large-size vector in PFFs using Lonza 4D-Nucleofector™ vessels and strips. METHODS We firstly delivered a 13 kb Cas9-EGFP and a 3.5 kb pMAX-GFP vector into PFFs via 7 programs recommended by the Lonza basic protocol. We then tested 6 customized dual-electroporation programs for delivering the 13 kb plasmid into PFFs. In addition, we screened potential alternative electroporation buffers to the Nucleofector™ P3 solution. Finally, three CRISPR/Cas9-sgRNAs targeting Rosa26, H11, and Cep112 loci were delivered into PFFs with different single and dual-electroporation programs. RESULTS Notably lower transfection efficiencies were observed when delivering the 13 kb vector than delivering the 3.5 kb vector in PFFs via the single-electroporation programs. The customized dual-electroporation program FF-113 + CA-137 exhibited higher transfection efficiencies than any of the single-electroporation programs using vessels (98.1%) or strips (89.1%) with acceptable survival rates for the 13 kb vector. Entranster-E buffer generated similar transfection efficiencies and 24-hour survival rates to those from the P3 solution, thus can be used as an alternative electroporation buffer. In the genome-editing experiments, the FF-113 + CA-137 and CA-137 + CA-137 programs showed significantly superior (P < 0.01) efficiencies to ones from the single-electroporation programs in vessels and strips. Entranster-E buffer produced higher indel efficiencies than the P3 buffer. CONCLUSIONS We markedly increased the delivery efficiencies for a large vector via customized dual-electroporation programs using Lonza 4D-Nucleofector™ system, and Entranster-E buffer can be used as an alternative electroporation buffer to Nucleofector™ P3 buffer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiwei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China
| | - Xiaoguo Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China
| | - Ruirong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China
| | - Yaya Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China
| | - Zhiwei Peng
- State Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China
| | - Haoyun Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China
| | - Qiqi Jing
- State Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China
| | - Yuyun Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Pig Genetic Improvement and Production Technology, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China.
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10
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Richards C, Sarkar S, Kandell J, Snyder R, Lakshmipathy U. Assessing the suitability of cell counting methods during different stages of a cell processing workflow using an ISO 20391-2 guided study design and analysis. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1223227. [PMID: 37600315 PMCID: PMC10438949 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1223227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell counting is a fundamental measurement for determining viable cell numbers in biomanufacturing processes. The properties of different cell types and the range of intended uses for cell counts within a biomanufacturing process can lead to challenges in identifying suitable counting methods for each potential application. This is further amplified by user subjectivity in identifying the cells of interest and further identifying viable cells. Replacement of traditionally used manual counting methods with automated systems has alleviated some of these issues. However, a single cell type can exhibit different physical properties at various stages of cell processing which is further compounded by process impurities such as cell debris or magnetic beads. These factors make it challenging to develop a robust cell counting method that offers a high level of confidence in the results. Several initiatives from standards development organizations have attempted to address this critical need for standardization in cell counting. This study utilizes flow-based and image-based methods for the quantitative measurement of cell concentration and viability in the absence of a reference material, based on the tools and guidance provided by the International of Standards (ISO) and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Primary cells were examined at different stages of cell processing in a cell therapy workflow. Results from this study define a systematic approach that enables the identification of counting methods and parameters that are best suited for specific cell types and workflows to ensure accuracy and consistency. Cell counting is a foundational method used extensively along various steps of cell and gene therapy. The standard used in this study may be applied to other cell and gene therapy processes to enable accurate measurement of parameters required to guide critical decisions throughout the development and production process. Using a framework that confirms the suitability of the cell counting method used can minimize variability in the process and final product.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colleen Richards
- Science and Technology Team, Pharma Services Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Sumona Sarkar
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, United States
| | - Jennifer Kandell
- Science and Technology Team, Pharma Services Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Richard Snyder
- Science and Technology Team, Pharma Services Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Uma Lakshmipathy
- Science and Technology Team, Pharma Services Group, Thermo Fisher Scientific, San Diego, CA, United States
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11
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Rahimi A, Esmaeili Y, Dana N, Dabiri A, Rahimmanesh I, Jandaghain S, Vaseghi G, Shariati L, Zarrabi A, Javanmard SH, Cordani M. A comprehensive review on novel targeted therapy methods and nanotechnology-based gene delivery systems in melanoma. Eur J Pharm Sci 2023:106476. [PMID: 37236377 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2023.106476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Melanoma, a malignant form of skin cancer, has been swiftly increasing in recent years. Although there have been significant advancements in clinical treatment underlying a well-understanding of melanoma-susceptible genes and the molecular basis of melanoma pathogenesis, the permanency of response to therapy is frequently constrained by the emergence of acquired resistance and systemic toxicity. Conventional therapies, including surgical resection, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy, have already been used to treat melanoma and are dependent on the cancer stage. Nevertheless, ineffective side effects and the heterogeneity of tumors pose major obstacles to the therapeutic treatment of malignant melanoma through such strategies. In light of this, advanced therapies including nucleic acid therapies (ncRNA, aptamers), suicide gene therapies, and gene therapy using tumor suppressor genes, have lately gained immense attention in the field of cancer treatment. Furthermore, nanomedicine and targeted therapy based on gene editing tools have been applied to the treatment of melanoma as potential cancer treatment approaches nowadays. Indeed, nanovectors enable delivery of the therapeutic agents into the tumor sites by passive or active targeting, improving therapeutic efficiency and minimizing adverse effects. Accordingly, in this review, we summarized the recent findings related to novel targeted therapy methods as well as nanotechnology-based gene systems in melanoma. We also discussed current issues along with potential directions for future research, paving the way for the next-generation of melanoma treatments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azadeh Rahimi
- Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Yasaman Esmaeili
- Biosensor Research Center, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 8174673461, Iran
| | - Nasim Dana
- Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Arezou Dabiri
- Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Ilnaz Rahimmanesh
- Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Setareh Jandaghain
- Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Golnaz Vaseghi
- Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran; Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 8158388994, Iran
| | - Laleh Shariati
- Department of Biomaterials, Nanotechnology and Tissue Engineering, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan 8174673461, Iran
| | - Ali Zarrabi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Natural Sciences, Istinye University, Istanbul 34396, Turkey
| | - Shaghayegh Haghjooy Javanmard
- Applied Physiology Research Center, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
| | - Marco Cordani
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University, 28040 Madrid, Spain; Instituto de Investigaciones Sanitarias San Carlos (IdISSC), 28040 Madrid, Spain.
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12
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VanderBurgh JA, Corso TN, Levy SL, Craighead HG. Scalable continuous-flow electroporation platform enabling T cell transfection for cellular therapy manufacturing. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6857. [PMID: 37185305 PMCID: PMC10133335 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33941-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Viral vectors represent a bottleneck in the manufacturing of cellular therapies. Electroporation has emerged as an approach for non-viral transfection of primary cells, but standard cuvette-based approaches suffer from low throughput, difficult optimization, and incompatibility with large-scale cell manufacturing. Here, we present a novel electroporation platform capable of rapid and reproducible electroporation that can efficiently transfect small volumes of cells for research and process optimization and scale to volumes required for applications in cellular therapy. We demonstrate delivery of plasmid DNA and mRNA to primary human T cells with high efficiency and viability, such as > 95% transfection efficiency for mRNA delivery with < 2% loss of cell viability compared to control cells. We present methods for scaling delivery that achieve an experimental throughput of 256 million cells/min. Finally, we demonstrate a therapeutically relevant modification of primary T cells using CRISPR/Cas9 to knockdown T cell receptor (TCR) expression. This study displays the capabilities of our system to address unmet needs for efficient, non-viral engineering of T cells for cell manufacturing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas N Corso
- CyteQuest, Inc, 95 Brown Road, Box 1011, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Stephen L Levy
- CyteQuest, Inc, 95 Brown Road, Box 1011, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
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13
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Sinclair F, Begum AA, Dai CC, Toth I, Moyle PM. Recent advances in the delivery and applications of nonviral CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. Drug Deliv Transl Res 2023; 13:1500-1519. [PMID: 36988873 PMCID: PMC10052255 DOI: 10.1007/s13346-023-01320-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
The CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats)/Cas9 genome editing system has been a major technological breakthrough that has brought revolutionary changes to genome editing for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes and precision medicine. With the advent of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, one of the critical limiting factors has been the safe and efficient delivery of this system to cells or tissues of interest. Several approaches have been investigated to find delivery systems that can attain tissue-targeted delivery, lowering the chances of off-target editing. While viral vectors have shown promise for in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo delivery of CRISPR/Cas9, their further clinical applications have been restricted due to shortcomings including limited cargo packaging capacity, difficulties with large-scale production, immunogenicity and insertional mutagenesis. Rapid progress in nonviral delivery vectors, including the use of lipid, polymer, peptides, and inorganic nanoparticle-based delivery systems, has established nonviral delivery approaches as a viable alternative to viral vectors. This review will introduce the molecular mechanisms of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing system, current strategies for delivering CRISPR/Cas9-based tools, an overview of strategies for overcoming off-target genome editing, and approaches for improving genome targeting and tissue targeting. We will also highlight current developments and recent clinical trials for the delivery of CRISPR/Cas9. Finally, future directions for overcoming the limitations and adaptation of this technology for clinical trials will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frazer Sinclair
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
| | - Anjuman A Begum
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia.
| | - Charles C Dai
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
| | - Istvan Toth
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Peter M Moyle
- School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia.
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14
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Stankey CT, Lee JC. Translating non-coding genetic associations into a better understanding of immune-mediated disease. Dis Model Mech 2023; 16:297044. [PMID: 36897113 PMCID: PMC10040244 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.049790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies have identified hundreds of genetic loci that are associated with immune-mediated diseases. Most disease-associated variants are non-coding, and a large proportion of these variants lie within enhancers. As a result, there is a pressing need to understand how common genetic variation might affect enhancer function and thereby contribute to immune-mediated (and other) diseases. In this Review, we first describe statistical and experimental methods to identify causal genetic variants that modulate gene expression, including statistical fine-mapping and massively parallel reporter assays. We then discuss approaches to characterise the mechanisms by which these variants modulate immune function, such as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-based screens. We highlight examples of studies that, by elucidating the effects of disease variants within enhancers, have provided important insights into immune function and uncovered key pathways of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina T Stankey
- Genetic Mechanisms of Disease Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Department of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK
| | - James C Lee
- Genetic Mechanisms of Disease Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Institute of Liver and Digestive Health, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London NW3 2PF, UK
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15
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Eghbalsaied S, Kues WA. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated targeted knock-in of large constructs using nocodazole and RNase HII. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2690. [PMID: 36792645 PMCID: PMC9931768 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29789-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
On-target integration of large cassettes via homology-directed repair (HDR) has several applications. However, the HDR-mediated targeted knock-in suffered from low efficiency. In this study, we made several large plasmids (12.1-13.4 kb) which included the CRISPR/Cas9 system along with a puromycin transgene as part of the large DNA donor (5.3-7.1 kb insertion cassettes) and used them to evaluate their targeted integration efficiency into a transgenic murine embryonic fibroblast (MEF) cell line carrying a single copy of a Venus transgene. We established a detection assay by which HDR events could be discriminated from the error-prone non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) events. Improving the plasmid quality could considerably leverage the cell toxicity impediment of large plasmids. The use of the TILD (targeted integration with linearized dsDNA) cassettes did not improve the HDR rate compared to the circular plasmids. However, the direct inclusion of nocodazole into the electroporation solution significantly improved the HDR rate. Also, simultaneous delivery of RNase HII and the donor plasmids into the electroporated cells considerably improved the HDR events. In conclusion, the results of this study showed that using cell synchronization reagents in the electroporation medium can efficiently induce HDR rate in the mammalian genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahin Eghbalsaied
- grid.417834.dBiotechnology/Stem Cell Physiology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Höltystr. 10, 31535 Neustadt, Germany ,grid.411463.50000 0001 0706 2472Department of Animal Science, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran ,grid.1008.90000 0001 2179 088XSchool of Biosciences, Royal Parade, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC Australia
| | - Wilfried A. Kues
- grid.417834.dBiotechnology/Stem Cell Physiology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Höltystr. 10, 31535 Neustadt, Germany
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16
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Canoy RJ, André F, Shmakova A, Wiels J, Lipinski M, Vassetzky Y, Germini D. Easy and robust electrotransfection protocol for efficient ectopic gene expression and genome editing in human B cells. Gene Ther 2023; 30:167-171. [PMID: 32999452 DOI: 10.1038/s41434-020-00194-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
B-cell lines and primary PBMCs are notoriously hard to transfect, thus making genome editing, ectopic gene expression, or gene silencing experiments particularly tedious. Here we propose a novel efficient and reproducible protocol for electrotransfection of lymphoblastoid, B-cell lymphoma, leukemia cell lines, and B cells from PBMCs. The proposed protocol requires neither costly equipment nor expensive reagents; it can be used with small or large plasmids. Transfection and viability rates of about 79% and 58%, respectively, have been routinely achieved by optimizing the salt concentration in the electrotransfection medium and the amount of plasmid used. A validation of the protocol was obtained via the generation of a TP53-/- RPMI8866 lymphoblastoid cell line which should prove useful in future hematological and blood cancer studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reynand Jay Canoy
- UMR 9018, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris Saclay, Institut Gustave Roussy, 94805, Villejuif, France.,Institute of Human Genetics, National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines Manila, 1000, Manila, Philippines
| | - Franck André
- UMR 9018, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris Saclay, Institut Gustave Roussy, 94805, Villejuif, France
| | - Anna Shmakova
- UMR 9018, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris Saclay, Institut Gustave Roussy, 94805, Villejuif, France.,Laboratory of molecular endocrinology, Institute of Experimental Cardiology, Federal State Budgetary Organization National Cardiology Research Center Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, 121552, Moscow, Russia
| | - Joëlle Wiels
- UMR 9018, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris Saclay, Institut Gustave Roussy, 94805, Villejuif, France
| | - Marc Lipinski
- UMR 9018, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris Saclay, Institut Gustave Roussy, 94805, Villejuif, France
| | - Yegor Vassetzky
- UMR 9018, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris Saclay, Institut Gustave Roussy, 94805, Villejuif, France. .,Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology, RAS, 117334, Moscow, Russia.
| | - Diego Germini
- UMR 9018, CNRS, Univ. Paris-Sud, Université Paris Saclay, Institut Gustave Roussy, 94805, Villejuif, France.
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17
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Opposing MMP-9 Expression in Mesenchymal Stromal Cells and Head and Neck Tumor Cells after Direct 2D and 3D Co-Culture. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24021293. [PMID: 36674806 PMCID: PMC9861345 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BMSCs) respond to a variety of tumor cell-derived signals, such as inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. As a result, the inflammatory tumor microenvironment may lead to the recruitment of BMSCs. Whether BMSCs in the tumor environment are more likely to promote tumor growth or tumor suppression is still controversial. In our experiments, direct 3D co-culture of BMSCs with tumor cells from the head and neck region (HNSCC) results in strong expression and secretion of MMP-9. The observed MMP-9 secretion mainly originates from BMSCs, leading to increased invasiveness. In addition to our in vitro data, we show in vivo data based on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model. Our results demonstrate that MMP-9 induces hemorrhage and increased perfusion in BMSC/HNSCC co-culture. While we had previously outlined that MMP-9 expression and secretion originate from BMSCs, our data showed a strong downregulation of MMP-9 promoter activity in HNSCC cells upon direct contact with BMSCs using the luciferase activity assay. Interestingly, the 2D and 3D models of direct co-culture suggest different drivers for the downregulation of MMP-9 promoter activity. Whereas the 3D model depicts a BMSC-dependent downregulation, the 2D model shows cell density-dependent downregulation. In summary, our data suggest that the direct interaction of HNSCC cells and BMSCs promotes tumor progression by significantly facilitating angiogenesis via MMP-9 expression. On the other hand, data from 3D and 2D co-culture models indicate opposing regulation of the MMP-9 promoter in tumor cells once stromal cells are involved.
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18
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Yamazaki K, Matsuo K, Okada A, Uno N, Suzuki T, Abe S, Hamamichi S, Kishima N, Togai S, Tomizuka K, Kazuki Y. Simultaneous loading of PCR-based multiple fragments on mouse artificial chromosome vectors in DT40 cell for gene delivery. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21790. [PMID: 36526651 PMCID: PMC9758134 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25959-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Homology-directed repair-mediated knock-in (HDR-KI) in combination with CRISPR-Cas9-mediated double strand break (DSB) leads to high frequency of site-specific HDR-KI. While this characteristic is advantageous for generating genetically modified cellular and animal models, HDR-KI efficiency in mammalian cells remains low. Since avian DT40 cells offer distinct advantage of high HDR-KI efficiency, we expanded this practicality to adapt to mammalian research through sequential insertion of target sequences into mouse/human artificial chromosome vector (MAC/HAC). Here, we developed the simultaneous insertion of multiple fragments by HDR method termed the simHDR wherein a target sequence and selection markers could be loaded onto MAC simultaneously. Additionally, preparing each HDR donor containing homology arm by PCR could bypass the cloning steps of target sequence and selection markers. To confirm the functionality of the loaded HDR donors, we constructed a MAC with human leukocyte antigen A (HLA-A) gene in the DT40 cells, and verified the expression of this genomic region by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and western blotting. Collectively, the simHDR offers a rapid and convenient approach to generate genetically modified models for investigating gene functions, as well as understanding disease mechanisms and therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyotaro Yamazaki
- grid.265107.70000 0001 0663 5064Department of Chromosome Biomedical Engineering, Integrated Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503 Japan ,grid.265107.70000 0001 0663 5064Department of Biomedical Science, Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biofunction, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503 Japan
| | - Kyosuke Matsuo
- grid.265107.70000 0001 0663 5064Department of Biomedical Science, Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biofunction, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503 Japan
| | - Akane Okada
- grid.265107.70000 0001 0663 5064Chromosome Engineering Research Center, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503 Japan
| | - Narumi Uno
- grid.410785.f0000 0001 0659 6325Laboratory of Bioengineering, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392 Japan
| | - Teruhiko Suzuki
- grid.272456.00000 0000 9343 3630Stem Cell Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Kamikitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 156-8506 Japan
| | - Satoshi Abe
- grid.265107.70000 0001 0663 5064Chromosome Engineering Research Center, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503 Japan
| | - Shusei Hamamichi
- grid.265107.70000 0001 0663 5064Chromosome Engineering Research Center, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503 Japan
| | - Nanami Kishima
- grid.265107.70000 0001 0663 5064Department of Chromosome Biomedical Engineering, Integrated Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503 Japan
| | - Shota Togai
- grid.265107.70000 0001 0663 5064Department of Chromosome Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biofunction, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503 Japan
| | - Kazuma Tomizuka
- grid.410785.f0000 0001 0659 6325Laboratory of Bioengineering, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, 1432-1 Horinouchi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0392 Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Kazuki
- Department of Chromosome Biomedical Engineering, Integrated Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, 683-8503, Japan. .,Department of Biomedical Science, Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biofunction, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, 683-8503, Japan. .,Chromosome Engineering Research Center, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, 683-8503, Japan. .,Department of Chromosome Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Biofunction, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, 683-8503, Japan. .,Department of Chromosome Biomedical Engineering, School of Life Science, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, 86 Nishi-cho, Yonago, Tottori, 683-8503, Japan. .,Chromosome Engineering Research Group, The Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems (ExCELLS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences, 5-1 Higashiyama, Myodaiji, Okazaki, Aichi, 444-8787, Japan.
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19
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Huang W, Sakuma S, Tottori N, Sugano SS, Yamanishi Y. Viscosity-aided electromechanical poration of cells for transfecting molecules. LAB ON A CHIP 2022; 22:4276-4291. [PMID: 36263697 DOI: 10.1039/d2lc00628f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Cell poration technologies offer opportunities not only to understand the activities of biological molecules but also to investigate genetic manipulation possibilities. Unfortunately, transferring large molecules that can carry huge genomic information is challenging. Here, we demonstrate electromechanical poration using a core-shell-structured microbubble generator, consisting of a fine microelectrode covered with a dielectric material. By introducing a microcavity at its tip, we could concentrate the electrical field with the application of electric pulses and generate microbubbles for electromechanical stimulation of cells. Specifically, the technology enables transfection with molecules that are thousands of kDa even into osteoblasts and Chlamydomonas, which are generally considered to be difficult to inject. Notably, we found that the transfection efficiency can be enhanced by adjusting the viscosity of the cell suspension, which was presumably achieved by remodeling of the membrane cytoskeleton. The applicability of the approach to a variety of cell types opens up numerous emerging gene engineering applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjing Huang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Shinya Sakuma
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Naotomo Tottori
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
| | - Shigeo S Sugano
- Bioproduction Research Institute, The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan.
| | - Yoko Yamanishi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan.
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20
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Takamori S, Cicuta P, Takeuchi S, Di Michele L. DNA-assisted selective electrofusion (DASE) of Escherichia coli and giant lipid vesicles. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:14255-14267. [PMID: 36129323 PMCID: PMC9536516 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr03105a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic biology and cellular engineering require chemical and physical alterations, which are typically achieved by fusing target cells with each other or with payload-carrying vectors. On one hand, electrofusion can efficiently induce the merging of biological cells and/or synthetic analogues via the application of intense DC pulses, but it lacks selectivity and often leads to uncontrolled fusion. On the other hand, synthetic DNA-based constructs, inspired by natural fusogenic proteins, have been shown to induce a selective fusion between membranes, albeit with low efficiency. Here we introduce DNA-assisted selective electrofusion (DASE) which relies on membrane-anchored DNA constructs to bring together the objects one seeks to merge, and applying an electric impulse to trigger their fusion. The DASE process combines the efficiency of standard electrofusion and the selectivity of fusogenic nanostructures, as we demonstrate by inducing and characterizing the fusion of spheroplasts derived from Escherichia coli bacteria with cargo-carrying giant lipid vesicles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sho Takamori
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK.
- Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan.
- Artificial Cell Membrane Systems Group, Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, 3-2-1 Sakado, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 213-0012, Japan
| | - Pietro Cicuta
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK.
| | - Shoji Takeuchi
- Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan.
- Artificial Cell Membrane Systems Group, Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, 3-2-1 Sakado, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 213-0012, Japan
- Department of Mechano-Informatics, Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan
- International Research Center for Neurointelligence (IRCN), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS), The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8654, Japan
| | - Lorenzo Di Michele
- Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK.
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK.
- fabriCELL, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK
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21
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Demirci S, Essawi K, Germino-Watnick P, Liu X, Hakami W, Tisdale JF. Advances in CRISPR Delivery Methods: Perspectives and Challenges. CRISPR J 2022; 5:660-676. [PMID: 36260301 PMCID: PMC9835311 DOI: 10.1089/crispr.2022.0051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
With the advent of new genome editing technologies and the emphasis placed on their optimization, the genetic and phenotypic correction of a plethora of diseases sit on the horizon. Ideally, genome editing approaches would provide long-term solutions through permanent disease correction instead of simply treating patients symptomatically. Although various editing machinery options exist, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas (CRISPR-associated protein) editing technique has emerged as the most popular due to its high editing efficiency, simplicity, and affordability. However, while CRISPR technology is gradually being perfected, optimization is futile without accessible, effective, and safe delivery to the desired cell or tissue. Therefore, it is important that scientists simultaneously focus on inventing and improving delivery modalities for editing machinery as well. In this review, we will discuss the critical details of viral and nonviral delivery systems, including payload, immunogenicity, efficacy in delivery, clinical application, and future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selami Demirci
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA; and College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.,Address correspondence to: Selami Demirci, Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20814, USA,
| | - Khaled Essawi
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA; and College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.,Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
| | - Paula Germino-Watnick
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA; and College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
| | - Xiong Liu
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA; and College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
| | - Waleed Hakami
- Department of Medical Laboratory Science, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
| | - John F. Tisdale
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA; and College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.,Address correspondence to: John F. Tisdale, Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD 20814, USA,
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22
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Foley RA, Sims RA, Duggan EC, Olmedo JK, Ma R, Jonas SJ. Delivering the CRISPR/Cas9 system for engineering gene therapies: Recent cargo and delivery approaches for clinical translation. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:973326. [PMID: 36225598 PMCID: PMC9549251 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.973326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) has transformed our ability to edit the human genome selectively. This technology has quickly become the most standardized and reproducible gene editing tool available. Catalyzing rapid advances in biomedical research and genetic engineering, the CRISPR/Cas9 system offers great potential to provide diagnostic and therapeutic options for the prevention and treatment of currently incurable single-gene and more complex human diseases. However, significant barriers to the clinical application of CRISPR/Cas9 remain. While in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo gene editing has been demonstrated extensively in a laboratory setting, the translation to clinical studies is currently limited by shortfalls in the precision, scalability, and efficiency of delivering CRISPR/Cas9-associated reagents to their intended therapeutic targets. To overcome these challenges, recent advancements manipulate both the delivery cargo and vehicles used to transport CRISPR/Cas9 reagents. With the choice of cargo informing the delivery vehicle, both must be optimized for precision and efficiency. This review aims to summarize current bioengineering approaches to applying CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tools towards the development of emerging cellular therapeutics, focusing on its two main engineerable components: the delivery vehicle and the gene editing cargo it carries. The contemporary barriers to biomedical applications are discussed within the context of key considerations to be made in the optimization of CRISPR/Cas9 for widespread clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth A. Foley
- Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Ruby A. Sims
- Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Emily C. Duggan
- Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jessica K. Olmedo
- Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Rachel Ma
- Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Steven J. Jonas
- Department of Pediatrics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
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23
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Mueller KP, Piscopo NJ, Forsberg MH, Saraspe LA, Das A, Russell B, Smerchansky M, Cappabianca D, Shi L, Shankar K, Sarko L, Khajanchi N, La Vonne Denne N, Ramamurthy A, Ali A, Lazzarotto CR, Tsai SQ, Capitini CM, Saha K. Production and characterization of virus-free, CRISPR-CAR T cells capable of inducing solid tumor regression. J Immunother Cancer 2022; 10:jitc-2021-004446. [PMID: 36382633 PMCID: PMC9454086 DOI: 10.1136/jitc-2021-004446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have demonstrated high clinical response rates against hematological malignancies (e.g., CD19+ cancers) but have shown limited activity in patients with solid tumors. Recent work showed that precise insertion of a CAR at a defined locus improves treatment outcomes in the context of a CD19 CAR; however, it is unclear if such a strategy could also affect outcomes in solid tumors. Furthermore, CAR manufacturing generally relies on viral vectors for gene delivery, which comprise a complex and resource-intensive part of the manufacturing supply chain. METHODS Anti-GD2 CAR T cells were generated using CRISPR/Cas9 within 9 days using recombinant Cas9 protein and nucleic acids, without any viral vectors. The CAR was specifically targeted to the T cell receptor alpha constant gene (TRAC). T cell products were characterized at the level of the genome, transcriptome, proteome, and secretome using CHANGE-seq, targeted next-generation sequencing, scRNA-seq, spectral cytometry, and ELISA assays, respectively. Functionality was evaluated in vivo in an NSG™ xenograft neuroblastoma model. RESULTS In comparison to retroviral CAR T cells, virus-free CRISPR CAR (VFC-CAR) T cells exhibit TRAC-targeted genomic integration of the CAR transgene, elevation of transcriptional and protein characteristics associated with a memory-like phenotype, and low tonic signaling prior to infusion arising in part from the knockout of the T cell receptor. On exposure to the GD2 target antigen, anti-GD2 VFC-CAR T cells exhibit specific cytotoxicity against GD2+ cells in vitro and induce solid tumor regression in vivo. VFC-CAR T cells demonstrate robust homing and persistence and decreased exhaustion relative to retroviral CAR T cells against a human neuroblastoma xenograft model. CONCLUSIONS This study leverages virus-free genome editing technology to generate CAR T cells featuring a TRAC-targeted CAR, which could inform manufacturing of CAR T cells to treat cancers, including solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine P Mueller
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA,Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Nicole J Piscopo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA,Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Matthew H Forsberg
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Louise A Saraspe
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Amritava Das
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Brittany Russell
- Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Madeline Smerchansky
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA,Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Dan Cappabianca
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA,Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Lei Shi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Keerthana Shankar
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA,Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Lauren Sarko
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA,Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Namita Khajanchi
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA,Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Nina La Vonne Denne
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA,Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Apoorva Ramamurthy
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA,Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Adeela Ali
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Cicera R Lazzarotto
- Department of Hematology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Shengdar Q Tsai
- Department of Hematology, St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA
| | - Christian M Capitini
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Krishanu Saha
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA,Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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24
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Transfection by Electroporation of Cancer and Primary Cells Using Nanosecond and Microsecond Electric Fields. Pharmaceutics 2022; 14:pharmaceutics14061239. [PMID: 35745814 PMCID: PMC9230780 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics14061239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene transfer into primary immune cells as well as into cell lines is essential for scientific and therapeutical applications. One of the methods used for gene transfer is electroporation (EP). EP is a method where a pulsed electric field (PEF) causes a highly transient permeability of the targeted cell membrane. In this work, we present the electrotransfection of CHO-K1, 4T1 cell lines, and primary murine DCs with detectable protein-encoding plasmids in the sub-microsecond range. Microsecond (µs)- and nanosecond (ns)-range pulsed electric field transfection protocols were used. The efficiency of electrotransfection was evaluated using green fluorescent protein (GFP)-encoding plasmids (4.7 kbp; p-EGFP-N1) and plasmids expressing a firefly luciferase and red fluorescent protein (tdTomato) (8.5 kbp; pcDNA3.1(+)/Luc2 = tdT)). It was shown that the used nsPEFs protocol (7 kV/cm × 300 ns × 100, 1 MHz) ensured a better transfection efficiency than µsPEFs (1.2 kV/cm × 100 µs × 8, 1 Hz). Plasmid size and concentration had a strong impact on the cell transfection efficiency too. We also showed that there were no significant differences in transfection efficiency between immature and mature DCs. Finally, the nsPEF protocols were successfully applied for the stable transfection of the CHO-K1 cell line with the linearized pcDNA3.1(+)/Luc2 = tdT plasmid. The results of the study are applicable in gene therapy and DNA vaccination studies for the derivation of optimal electrotransfection conditions.
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25
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Binding of the erlin1/2 complex to the third intralumenal loop of IP 3R1 triggers its ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102026. [PMID: 35568199 PMCID: PMC9168715 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-term activation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) leads to their degradation by the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway. The first and rate-limiting step in this process is thought to be the association of conformationally active IP3Rs with the erlin1/2 complex, an endoplasmic reticulum–located oligomer of erlin1 and erlin2 that recruits the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF170, but the molecular determinants of this interaction remain unknown. Here, through mutation of IP3R1, we show that the erlin1/2 complex interacts with the IP3R1 intralumenal loop 3 (IL3), the loop between transmembrane (TM) helices 5 and 6, and in particular, with a region close to TM5, since mutation of amino acids D-2471 and R-2472 can specifically block erlin1/2 complex association. Surprisingly, we found that additional mutations in IL3 immediately adjacent to TM5 (e.g., D2465N) almost completely abolish IP3R1 Ca2+ channel activity, indicating that the integrity of this region is critical to IP3R1 function. Finally, we demonstrate that inhibition of the ubiquitin-activating enzyme UBE1 by the small-molecule inhibitor TAK-243 completely blocked IP3R1 ubiquitination and degradation without altering erlin1/2 complex association, confirming that association of the erlin1/2 complex is the primary event that initiates IP3R1 processing and that IP3R1 ubiquitination mediates IP3R1 degradation. Overall, these data localize the erlin1/2 complex–binding site on IP3R1 to IL3 and show that the region immediately adjacent to TM5 is key to the events that facilitate channel opening.
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26
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Aghaamoo M, Chen Y, Li X, Garg N, Jiang R, Yun JT, Lee AP. High-Throughput and Dosage-Controlled Intracellular Delivery of Large Cargos by an Acoustic-Electric Micro-Vortices Platform. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2102021. [PMID: 34716688 PMCID: PMC8728830 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202102021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
A high-throughput non-viral intracellular delivery platform is introduced for the transfection of large cargos with dosage-control. This platform, termed Acoustic-Electric Shear Orbiting Poration (AESOP), optimizes the delivery of intended cargo sizes with poration of the cell membranes via mechanical shear followed by the modulated expansion of these nanopores via electric field. Furthermore, AESOP utilizes acoustic microstreaming vortices wherein up to millions of cells are trapped and mixed uniformly with exogenous cargos, enabling the delivery of cargos into cells with targeted dosages. Intracellular delivery of a wide range of molecule sizes (<1 kDa to 2 MDa) with high efficiency (>90%), cell viability (>80%), and uniform dosages (<60% coefficient of variation (CV)) simultaneously into 1 million cells min-1 per single chip is demonstrated. AESOP is successfully applied to two gene editing applications that require the delivery of large plasmids: i) enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) plasmid (6.1 kbp) transfection, and ii) clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9-mediated gene knockout using a 9.3 kbp plasmid DNA encoding Cas9 protein and single guide RNA (sgRNA). Compared to alternative platforms, this platform offers dosage-controlled intracellular delivery of large plasmids simultaneously to large populations of cells while maintaining cell viability at comparable delivery efficiencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Aghaamoo
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
- Center for Advanced Design & Manufacturing of Integrated Microfluidics (CADMIM)University of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
| | - Yu‐Hsi Chen
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
- Center for Advanced Design & Manufacturing of Integrated Microfluidics (CADMIM)University of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
| | - Xuan Li
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
- Center for Advanced Design & Manufacturing of Integrated Microfluidics (CADMIM)University of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
| | - Neha Garg
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
- Center for Advanced Design & Manufacturing of Integrated Microfluidics (CADMIM)University of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
| | - Ruoyu Jiang
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
- Center for Advanced Design & Manufacturing of Integrated Microfluidics (CADMIM)University of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
| | - Jeremy Tian‐Hao Yun
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
- Palo Alto Senior High SchoolPalo AltoCA94301USA
| | - Abraham Phillip Lee
- Department of Biomedical EngineeringUniversity of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
- Center for Advanced Design & Manufacturing of Integrated Microfluidics (CADMIM)University of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
- Department of Mechanical & Aerospace EngineeringUniversity of California IrvineIrvineCA92697USA
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27
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Eghbalsaied S, Kues WA. An electrochemical protocol for CRISPR-mediated gene-editing of sheep embryonic fibroblast cells. Cells Tissues Organs 2021; 212:176-184. [PMID: 34823242 DOI: 10.1159/000521128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic engineering of farm animals is commonly carried out via cell-mediated transfection followed by somatic cell nuclear transfer. However, efficient transfer of exogenous DNA into ovine embryonic fibroblast (EF) cells without compromising cell viability have remained a challenging issue. Here, we aimed to develop a protocol for electrotransfection of sheep EF cells. First, we optimized the pulsing condition using an OptiMEM-GlutaMAX medium as the electroporation buffer and found two pulses of 270 V, each for 10 ms and 10 s interval, is the most efficient condition to have a high rate of transfection and cell survival. Moreover, supplementing 3 % dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) into the electroporation medium considerably improved the cell viability after the electroporation process. The electroporation procedure resulted in > 98% transfection efficiency and > 97 % cell survival rate using reporter plasmids. Finally, using CRISPR/Cas9-encoding vectors, we targeted BMP15 and GDF9 genes in sheep EF cells. The electroporated cells are associated with a 52 % indels rate using single gRNAs as well as a highly efficient target deletion using two gRNAs. In conclusion, we developed an electrotransfection protocol using the OptiMEM-GlutaMAX medium supplemented with 3 % DMSO for sheep EF cells. The electroporation method can be used for cell-mediated gene-editing in sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahin Eghbalsaied
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute of Animal Health, Biotechnology, Stem Cell Physiology, Neustadt, Germany
- Department of Animal Science, Isfahan branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Wilfried A Kues
- Department of Animal Science, Isfahan branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
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28
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Hwang SY, Lee YH, Kuk MU, Kim JW, Oh S, Park JT. Improvement of Tol2 Transposon System Enabling Efficient Protein Production in CHO Cells. BIOTECHNOL BIOPROC E 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12257-020-0310-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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29
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Encapsulation of Large-Size Plasmids in PLGA Nanoparticles for Gene Editing: Comparison of Three Different Synthesis Methods. NANOMATERIALS 2021; 11:nano11102723. [PMID: 34685164 PMCID: PMC8541650 DOI: 10.3390/nano11102723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The development of new gene-editing technologies has fostered the need for efficient and safe vectors capable of encapsulating large nucleic acids. In this work we evaluate the synthesis of large-size plasmid-loaded PLGA nanoparticles by double emulsion (considering batch ultrasound and microfluidics-assisted methodologies) and magnetic stirring-based nanoprecipitation synthesis methods. For this purpose, we characterized the nanoparticles and compared the results between the different synthesis processes in terms of encapsulation efficiency, morphology, particle size, polydispersity, zeta potential and structural integrity of loaded pDNA. Our results demonstrate particular sensibility of large pDNA for shear and mechanical stress degradation during double emulsion, the nanoprecipitation method being the only one that preserved plasmid integrity. However, plasmid-loaded PLGA nanoparticles synthesized by nanoprecipitation did not show cell expression in vitro, possibly due to the slow release profile observed in our experimental conditions. Strong electrostatic interactions between the large plasmid and the cationic PLGA used for this synthesis may underlie this release kinetics. Overall, none of the methods evaluated satisfied all the requirements for an efficient non-viral vector when applied to large-size plasmid encapsulation. Further optimization or alternative synthesis methods are thus in current need to adapt PLGA nanoparticles as delivery vectors for gene editing therapeutic technologies.
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30
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Tesse A, André FM, Ragot T. Aluminum particles generated during millisecond electric pulse application enhance adenovirus-mediated gene transfer in L929 cells. Sci Rep 2021; 11:17725. [PMID: 34489497 PMCID: PMC8421418 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96781-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene electrotransfer is an attractive method of non-viral gene delivery. However, the mechanism of DNA penetration across the plasma membrane is widely discussed. To explore this process for even larger structures, like viruses, we applied various combinations of short/long and high/low-amplitude electric pulses to L929 cells, mixed with a human adenovirus vector expressing GFP. We observed a transgene expression increase, both in the number of GFP-converted cells and GFP levels, when we added a low-voltage/millisecond-pulse treatment to the adenovirus/cell mixture. This increase, reflecting enhanced virus penetration, was proportional to the applied electric field amplitude and pulse number, but was not associated with membrane permeabilization, nor to direct cell modifications. We demonstrated that this effect is mainly due to adenovirus particle interactions with aggregated aluminum particles released from energized electrodes. Indeed, after centrifugation of the pulsed viral suspension and later on addition to cells, the activity was found mainly associated with the aluminum aggregates concentrated in the lower fraction and was proportional to generated quantities. Overall, this work focused on the use of electrotransfer to facilitate the adenovirus entry into cell, demonstrating that modifications of the penetrating agent can be more important than modifications of the target cell for transfer efficacy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Tesse
- Université de Nantes, CNRS, INSERM, l'institut du thorax, 8 quai Moncousu, F-44000, Nantes, France
| | - Franck M André
- CNRS, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Aspects métaboliques et systémiques de l'oncogenèse pour de nouvelles approches thérapeutiques, UMR 9018, 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, F-94805, Villejuif, France
| | - Thierry Ragot
- CNRS, Institut Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, Aspects métaboliques et systémiques de l'oncogenèse pour de nouvelles approches thérapeutiques, UMR 9018, 114 rue Edouard Vaillant, F-94805, Villejuif, France.
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31
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Jang HK, Jo DH, Lee SN, Cho CS, Jeong YK, Jung Y, Yu J, Kim JH, Woo JS, Bae S. High-purity production and precise editing of DNA base editing ribonucleoproteins. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/35/eabg2661. [PMID: 34452911 PMCID: PMC8397273 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg2661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex-mediated base editing is expected to be greatly beneficial because of its reduced off-target effects compared to plasmid- or viral vector-mediated gene editing, especially in therapeutic applications. However, production of recombinant cytosine base editors (CBEs) or adenine base editors (ABEs) with ample yield and high purity in bacterial systems is challenging. Here, we obtained highly purified CBE/ABE proteins from a human cell expression system and showed that CBE/ABE RNPs exhibited different editing patterns (i.e., less conversion ratio of multiple bases to single base) compared to plasmid-encoded CBE/ABE, mainly because of the limited life span of RNPs in cells. Furthermore, we found that off-target effects in both DNA and RNA were greatly reduced for ABE RNPs compared to plasmid-encoded ABE. We ultimately applied NG PAM-targetable ABE RNPs to in vivo gene correction in retinal degeneration 12 (rd12) model mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyeon-Ki Jang
- Department of Chemistry and Research Institute for Convergence of Basic Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, South Korea
| | - Dong Hyun Jo
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, South Korea
| | - Seu-Na Lee
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul 02841, South Korea
| | - Chang Sik Cho
- Fight against Angiogenesis-Related Blindness (FARB) Laboratory, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, South Korea
| | - You Kyeong Jeong
- Department of Chemistry and Research Institute for Convergence of Basic Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, South Korea
| | - Youngri Jung
- Department of Chemistry and Research Institute for Convergence of Basic Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, South Korea
| | - Jihyeon Yu
- Department of Chemistry and Research Institute for Convergence of Basic Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, South Korea
| | - Jeong Hun Kim
- Fight against Angiogenesis-Related Blindness (FARB) Laboratory, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul 03080, South Korea.
- Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 03080, South Korea
- Advanced Biomedical Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience & Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon 34141, South Korea
| | - Jae-Sung Woo
- Department of Life Sciences, Korea University, Seoul 02841, South Korea.
| | - Sangsu Bae
- Department of Chemistry and Research Institute for Convergence of Basic Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, South Korea.
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32
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Keim D, Gollner K, Gollner U, Jérôme V, Freitag R. Generation of Recombinant Primary Human B Lymphocytes Using Non-Viral Vectors. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:8239. [PMID: 34361005 PMCID: PMC8347318 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22158239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the development of gene delivery systems based on non-viral vectors is advancing, it remains a challenge to deliver plasmid DNA into human blood cells. The current "gold standard", namely linear polyethyleneimine (l-PEI 25 kDa), in particular, is unable to produce transgene expression levels >5% in primary human B lymphocytes. Here, it is demonstrated that a well-defined 24-armed poly(2-dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (PDMAEMA, 755 kDa) nano-star is able to reproducibly elicit high transgene expression (40%) at sufficient residual viability (69%) in primary human B cells derived from tonsillar tissue. Moreover, our results indicate that the length of the mitogenic stimulation prior to transfection is an important parameter that must be established during the development of the transfection protocol. In our hands, four days of stimulation with rhCD40L post-thawing led to the best transfection results in terms of TE and cell survival. Most importantly, our data argue for an impact of the B cell subsets on the transfection outcomes, underlining that the complexity and heterogeneity of a given B cell population pre- and post-transfection is a critical parameter to consider in the multiparametric approach required for the implementation of the transfection protocol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Keim
- Process Biotechnology, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany; (D.K.); (V.J.)
| | - Katrin Gollner
- Praxis am Schießgraben, Schießgraben 21, 95326 Kulmbach, Germany; (K.G.); (U.G.)
| | - Ulrich Gollner
- Praxis am Schießgraben, Schießgraben 21, 95326 Kulmbach, Germany; (K.G.); (U.G.)
| | - Valérie Jérôme
- Process Biotechnology, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany; (D.K.); (V.J.)
| | - Ruth Freitag
- Process Biotechnology, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany; (D.K.); (V.J.)
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33
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SMARCB1 deletion in atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors results in human endogenous retrovirus K (HML-2) expression. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12893. [PMID: 34145313 PMCID: PMC8213802 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92223-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (AT/RT) is a rare pediatric central nervous system cancer often characterized by deletion or mutation of SMARCB1, a tumor suppressor gene. In this study, we found that SMARCB1 regulates Human Endogenous Retrovirus K (HERV-K, subtype HML-2) expression. HML-2 is a repetitive element scattered throughout the human genome, encoding several intact viral proteins that have been associated with stem cell maintenance and tumorigenesis. We found HML-2 env expression in both the intracellular and extracellular compartments in all AT/RT cell lines (n = 4) and in 95% of AT/RT patient tissues (n = 37) evaluated. SMARCB1 knock-down in neural stem cells (NSCs) led to an upregulation of HML-2 transcription. We found that SMARCB1 binds adjacent to the HML-2 promoter, repressing its transcription via chromatin immunoprecipitation; restoration of SMARCB1 expression in AT/RT cell lines significantly downregulated HML-2 expression. Further, targeted downregulation of HML-2 transcription via CRISPR-dCas9 coupled with suppressor proteins led to cellular dispersion, decreased proliferation, and cell death in vitro. HML-2 knock-down with shRNA, siRNA, and CRISPR-dCas9 significantly decreased Ras expression as measured by qRT-PCR, suggesting that HML-2 modulates MAPK/ERK signaling in AT/RT cells. Overexpression of NRAS was sufficient to restore cellular proliferation, and MYC, a transcription factor downstream of NRAS, was bound to the HERV-K LTR significantly more in the absence of SMARCB1 expression in AT/RT cells. We show a mechanism by which these undifferentiated tumors remain pluripotent, and we demonstrate that their formation is aided by aberrant HML-2 activation, which is dependent on SMARCB1 and its interaction with MYC.
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Sweeney CL, Pavel-Dinu M, Choi U, Brault J, Liu T, Koontz S, Li L, Theobald N, Lee J, Bello EA, Wu X, Meis RJ, Dahl GA, Porteus MH, Malech HL, De Ravin SS. Correction of X-CGD patient HSPCs by targeted CYBB cDNA insertion using CRISPR/Cas9 with 53BP1 inhibition for enhanced homology-directed repair. Gene Ther 2021; 28:373-390. [PMID: 33712802 PMCID: PMC8232036 DOI: 10.1038/s41434-021-00251-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
X-linked chronic granulomatous disease is an immunodeficiency characterized by defective production of microbicidal reactive oxygen species (ROS) by phagocytes. Causative mutations occur throughout the 13 exons and splice sites of the CYBB gene, resulting in loss of gp91phox protein. Here we report gene correction by homology-directed repair in patient hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) using CRISPR/Cas9 for targeted insertion of CYBB exon 1-13 or 2-13 cDNAs from adeno-associated virus donors at endogenous CYBB exon 1 or exon 2 sites. Targeted insertion of exon 1-13 cDNA did not restore physiologic gp91phox levels, consistent with a requirement for intron 1 in CYBB expression. However, insertion of exon 2-13 cDNA fully restored gp91phox and ROS production upon phagocyte differentiation. Addition of a woodchuck hepatitis virus post-transcriptional regulatory element did not further enhance gp91phox expression in exon 2-13 corrected cells, indicating that retention of intron 1 was sufficient for optimal CYBB expression. Targeted correction was increased ~1.5-fold using i53 mRNA to transiently inhibit nonhomologous end joining. Following engraftment in NSG mice, corrected HSPCs generated phagocytes with restored gp91phox and ROS production. Our findings demonstrate the utility of tailoring donor design and targeting strategies to retain regulatory elements needed for optimal expression of the target gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin L Sweeney
- Genetic Immunotherapy Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Mara Pavel-Dinu
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Uimook Choi
- Genetic Immunotherapy Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Julie Brault
- Genetic Immunotherapy Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Taylor Liu
- Genetic Immunotherapy Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Sherry Koontz
- Genetic Immunotherapy Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Narda Theobald
- Genetic Immunotherapy Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Janet Lee
- Genetic Immunotherapy Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ezekiel A Bello
- Genetic Immunotherapy Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Xiaolin Wu
- Cancer Research Technology Program, Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., Frederick, MD, USA
| | | | | | - Matthew H Porteus
- Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Harry L Malech
- Genetic Immunotherapy Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Suk See De Ravin
- Genetic Immunotherapy Section, Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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Patel YD, Brown AJ, Zhu J, Rosignoli G, Gibson SJ, Hatton D, James DC. Control of Multigene Expression Stoichiometry in Mammalian Cells Using Synthetic Promoters. ACS Synth Biol 2021; 10:1155-1165. [PMID: 33939428 PMCID: PMC8296667 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.0c00643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
To successfully engineer mammalian cells for a desired purpose, multiple recombinant genes are required to be coexpressed at a specific and optimal ratio. In this study, we hypothesized that synthetic promoters varying in transcriptional activity could be used to create single multigene expression vectors coexpressing recombinant genes at a predictable relative stoichiometry. A library of 27 multigene constructs was created comprising three discrete fluorescent reporter gene transcriptional units in fixed series, each under the control of either a relatively low, medium, or high transcriptional strength synthetic promoter in every possible combination. Expression of each reporter gene was determined by absolute quantitation qRT-PCR in CHO cells. The synthetic promoters did generally function as designed within a multigene vector context; however, significant divergences from predicted promoter-mediated transcriptional activity were observed. First, expression of all three genes within a multigene vector was repressed at varying levels relative to coexpression of identical reporter genes on separate single gene vectors at equivalent gene copies. Second, gene positional effects were evident across all constructs where expression of the reporter genes in positions 2 and 3 was generally reduced relative to position 1. Finally, after accounting for general repression, synthetic promoter transcriptional activity within a local multigene vector format deviated from that expected. Taken together, our data reveal that mammalian synthetic promoters can be employed in vectors to mediate expression of multiple genes at predictable relative stoichiometries. However, empirical validation of functional performance is a necessary prerequisite, as vector and promoter design features can significantly impact performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yash D. Patel
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, U.K.
| | - Adam J. Brown
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, U.K.
| | - Jie Zhu
- Cell
Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals Development,
R&D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878, United States
| | - Guglielmo Rosignoli
- Dynamic
Omics, Antibody Discovery & Protein Engineering, R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, CB21 6GH, U.K.
| | - Suzanne J. Gibson
- Cell
Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals Development,
R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, CB21 6GH, U.K.
| | - Diane Hatton
- Cell
Culture and Fermentation Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals Development,
R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, CB21 6GH, U.K.
| | - David C. James
- Department
of Chemical and Biological Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD, U.K.
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Scales JL, Koroma DC, Oancea E. Single organelle measurements of melanosome pH using the novel ratiometric indicator RpHiMEL. Methods Enzymol 2021; 654:315-344. [PMID: 34120720 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2021.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Melanocytes are specialized cells that produce melanin pigments responsible for skin, hair, and eye pigmentation. The synthesis and storage of melanin occurs in unique lysosome-related organelles called melanosomes, which regulate melanin production via complex regulatory mechanisms. Maintenance of the melanosome luminal ionic environment and pH is crucial for proper function of the main melanogenic enzymes. Defects in genes encoding pH-regulating melanosomal proteins result in oculocutaneous albinism, which is characterized by hypopigmentation, impaired vision, and increased susceptibility to skin and eye cancers. We recently uncovered several ion channels and transporters that modulate melanin synthesis by acidifying or neutralizing the luminal pH of melanosomes. However, our understanding of how melanosomes and other related organelles maintain their luminal pH is far from complete. The study of melanosome pH regulation requires robust imaging and quantification tools. Despite recent advances in the development of such methods, many limitations remain, particularly for quantitative analysis of individual organelle pH. In this chapter, we will provide an overview of the available methods used for melanosome pH determination, including their advantages, limitations, and challenges. To address the critical, unmet need for reliable melanosome pH quantification tools, we engineered a novel genetically encoded, ratiometric pH sensor for melanosomes that we named RpHiMEL. Here, we describe the design and optimization of RpHiMEL, and provide a pH quantification method for individual melanosomes in live cells. We demonstrate that RpHiMEL is a highly versatile tool with the potential to advance our understanding of pH regulation in melanosomes and related organelles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Scales
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biotechnology, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Donald C Koroma
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biotechnology, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Elena Oancea
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology, and Biotechnology, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States.
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Autologous antigen-presenting cells efficiently expand piggyBac transposon CAR-T cells with predominant memory phenotype. MOLECULAR THERAPY-METHODS & CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT 2021; 21:315-324. [PMID: 33898630 PMCID: PMC8047430 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2021.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The quality of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell products, including the expression of memory and exhaustion markers, has been shown to influence their long-term functionality. The manufacturing process of CAR-T cells should be optimized to prevent early T cell exhaustion during expansion. Activation of T cells by monoclonal antibodies is a critical step for T cell expansion, which may sometimes induce excess stimulation and exhaustion of T cells. Given that piggyBac transposon (PB)-based gene transfer could circumvent the conventional pre-activation of T cells, we established a manufacturing method of PB-mediated HER2-specific CAR-T cells (PB-HER2-CAR-T cells) that maintains their memory phenotype without early T cell exhaustion. Through stimulation of CAR-transduced T cells with autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cell-derived feeder cells expressing both truncated HER2, CD80, and 4-1BBL proteins, we could effectively propagate memory-rich, PD-1-negative PB-HER2-CAR-T cells. PB-HER2-CAR-T cells demonstrated sustained antitumor efficacy in vitro and debulked the HER2-positive tumors in vivo. Mice treated with PB-HER2-CAR-T cells rejected the second tumor establishment owing to the in vivo expansion of PB-HER2-CAR-T cells. Our simple and effective manufacturing process using PB system and genetically modified donor-derived feeder cells is a promising strategy for the use of PB-CAR-T cell therapy.
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Savarin M, Kamensek U, Znidar K, Todorovic V, Sersa G, Cemazar M. Evaluation of a Novel Plasmid for Simultaneous Gene Electrotransfer-Mediated Silencing of CD105 and CD146 in Combination with Irradiation. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22063069. [PMID: 33802812 PMCID: PMC8002395 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22063069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Targeting tumor vasculature through specific endothelial cell markers represents a promising approach for cancer treatment. Here our aim was to construct an antibiotic resistance gene-free plasmid encoding shRNAs to simultaneously target two endothelial cell markers, CD105 and CD146, and to test its functionality and therapeutic potential in vitro when delivered by gene electrotransfer (GET) and combined with irradiation (IR). Functionality of the plasmid was evaluated by determining the silencing of the targeted genes using qRT-PCR. Antiproliferative and antiangiogenic effects were determined by the cytotoxicity assay tube formation assay and wound healing assay in murine endothelial cells 2H-11. The functionality of the plasmid construct was also evaluated in malignant melanoma tumor cell line B16F10. Additionally, potential activation of immune response was measured by induction of DNA sensor STING and proinflammatory cytokines by qRT-PCR in endothelial cells 2H-11. We demonstrated that the plasmid construction was successful and can efficiently silence the expression of the two targeted genes. As a consequence of silencing, reduced migration rate and angiogenic potential was confirmed in 2H-11 endothelial cells. Furthermore, induction of DNA sensor STING and proinflammatory cytokines were determined, which could add to the therapeutic effectiveness when used in vivo. To conclude, we successfully constructed a novel plasmid DNA with two shRNAs, which holds a great promise for further in vivo testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Savarin
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (U.K.); (K.Z.); (V.T.); (G.S.)
- Correspondence: (M.S.); (M.C.)
| | - Urska Kamensek
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (U.K.); (K.Z.); (V.T.); (G.S.)
- Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Katarina Znidar
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (U.K.); (K.Z.); (V.T.); (G.S.)
| | - Vesna Todorovic
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (U.K.); (K.Z.); (V.T.); (G.S.)
| | - Gregor Sersa
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (U.K.); (K.Z.); (V.T.); (G.S.)
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Cemazar
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (U.K.); (K.Z.); (V.T.); (G.S.)
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, 6310 Izola, Slovenia
- Correspondence: (M.S.); (M.C.)
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Gisbert Roca F, André FM, Más Estellés J, Monleón Pradas M, Mir LM, Martínez-Ramos C. BDNF-Gene Transfected Schwann Cell-Assisted Axonal Extension and Sprouting on New PLA-PPy Microfiber Substrates. Macromol Biosci 2021; 21:e2000391. [PMID: 33645917 DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202000391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The work here reported analyzes the effect of increased efficiency of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) production by electroporated Schwann cells (SCs) on the axonal extension in a coculture system on a biomaterial platform that can be of interest for the treatment of injuries of the nervous system, both central and peripheral. Rat SCs are electrotransfected with a plasmid coding for the BDNF protein in order to achieve an increased expression and release of this protein into the culture medium of the cells, performing the best balance between the level of transfection and the number of living cells. Gene-transfected SCs show an about 100-fold increase in the release of BDNF into the culture medium, compared to nonelectroporated SCs. Cocultivation of electroporated SCs with rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG) is performed on highly aligned substrates of polylactic acid (PLA) microfibers coated with the electroconductive polymer polypyrrol (PPy). The coculture of DRG with electrotransfected SCs increase both the axonal extension and the axonal sprouting from DRG neurons compared to the coculture of DRG with nonelectroporated SCs. Therefore, the use of PLA-PPy highly aligned microfiber substrates preseeded with electrotransfected SCs with an increased BDNF secretion is capable of both guiding and accelerating axonal growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Gisbert Roca
- Centro de Biomateriales e Ingeniería Tisular, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia, 46022, Spain
| | - Franck M André
- Metabolic and systemic aspects of oncogenesis (METSY), CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, 94805, France
| | - Jorge Más Estellés
- Centro de Biomateriales e Ingeniería Tisular, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia, 46022, Spain
| | - Manuel Monleón Pradas
- Centro de Biomateriales e Ingeniería Tisular, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia, 46022, Spain.,CIBER-BBN, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, Madrid, 28029, Spain
| | - Lluis M Mir
- Metabolic and systemic aspects of oncogenesis (METSY), CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif, 94805, France
| | - Cristina Martínez-Ramos
- Centro de Biomateriales e Ingeniería Tisular, Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia, 46022, Spain.,Unitat predepartamental de Medicina, Universitat Jaume I, Avda/Sos Baynat, S/N, Castellón de la Plana, 12071, Spain
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40
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Toualbi L, Toms M, Moosajee M. The Landscape of Non-Viral Gene Augmentation Strategies for Inherited Retinal Diseases. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:2318. [PMID: 33652562 PMCID: PMC7956638 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22052318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders causing progressive loss of vision, affecting approximately one in 1000 people worldwide. Gene augmentation therapy, which typically involves using adeno-associated viral vectors for delivery of healthy gene copies to affected tissues, has shown great promise as a strategy for the treatment of IRDs. However, the use of viruses is associated with several limitations, including harmful immune responses, genome integration, and limited gene carrying capacity. Here, we review the advances in non-viral gene augmentation strategies, such as the use of plasmids with minimal bacterial backbones and scaffold/matrix attachment region (S/MAR) sequences, that have the capability to overcome these weaknesses by accommodating genes of any size and maintaining episomal transgene expression with a lower risk of eliciting an immune response. Low retinal transfection rates remain a limitation, but various strategies, including coupling the DNA with different types of chemical vehicles (nanoparticles) and the use of electrical methods such as iontophoresis and electrotransfection to aid cell entry, have shown promise in preclinical studies. Non-viral gene therapy may offer a safer and effective option for future treatment of IRDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyes Toualbi
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London EC1V 9EL, UK; (L.T.); (M.T.)
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Maria Toms
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London EC1V 9EL, UK; (L.T.); (M.T.)
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Mariya Moosajee
- UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London EC1V 9EL, UK; (L.T.); (M.T.)
- The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London EC1V 2PD, UK
- Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Found Trust, London WC1N 3JH, UK
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McGrath K, Dotti G. Combining Oncolytic Viruses with Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy. Hum Gene Ther 2021; 32:150-157. [PMID: 33349123 PMCID: PMC8336251 DOI: 10.1089/hum.2020.278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has revolutionized the treatment of hematological malignancies, but solid tumors continue to pose significant challenges. Oncolytic viruses (OVs) have generated significant excitement in the field of cancer treatment recently. In particular, OVs can help CAR T cells overcome some of the immunosuppressive mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment through OV intrinsic effects or delivery of immunostimulatory agents. Numerous preclinical studies demonstrate that combining CAR T cells with OVs can increase CAR T cell trafficking, antitumor activity, and elimination of antigen-negative tumor cells. Despite promising preclinical results, only one clinical trial (NCT03740256) investigating CAR T and OV combination therapy is underway, highlighting the challenges of translating this approach to the clinic. Antiviral immunity and the route of OV administration, in addition to concerns about cost and safety, limit the clinical application of this approach. Strategies to reduce the production cost of both CAR T cells and OVs, as well as molecularly modifying OVs to enhance their bioavailability, will likely encourage further exploration of this combination therapy in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gianpietro Dotti
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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Chu D, Nguyen A, Smith SS, Vavrušová Z, Schneider RA. Stable integration of an optimized inducible promoter system enables spatiotemporal control of gene expression throughout avian development. Biol Open 2020; 9:bio055343. [PMID: 32917762 PMCID: PMC7561481 DOI: 10.1242/bio.055343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Precisely altering gene expression is critical for understanding molecular processes of embryogenesis. Although some tools exist for transgene misexpression in developing chick embryos, we have refined and advanced them by simplifying and optimizing constructs for spatiotemporal control. To maintain expression over the entire course of embryonic development we use an enhanced piggyBac transposon system that efficiently integrates sequences into the host genome. We also incorporate a DNA targeting sequence to direct plasmid translocation into the nucleus and a D4Z4 insulator sequence to prevent epigenetic silencing. We designed these constructs to minimize their size and maximize cellular uptake, and to simplify usage by placing all of the integrating sequences on a single plasmid. Following electroporation of stage HH8.5 embryos, our tetracycline-inducible promoter construct produces robust transgene expression in the presence of doxycycline at any point during embryonic development in ovo or in culture. Moreover, expression levels can be modulated by titrating doxycycline concentrations and spatial control can be achieved using beads or gels. Thus, we have generated a novel, sensitive, tunable, and stable inducible-promoter system for high-resolution gene manipulation in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Chu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California at San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1164, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514, USA
| | - An Nguyen
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California at San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1164, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514, USA
| | - Spenser S Smith
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California at San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1164, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514, USA
| | - Zuzana Vavrušová
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California at San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1164, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514, USA
| | - Richard A Schneider
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California at San Francisco, 513 Parnassus Avenue, S-1164, San Francisco, CA 94143-0514, USA
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Noureddine A, Maestas-Olguin A, Saada EA, LaBauve AE, Agola JO, Baty KE, Howard T, Sabo JK, Espinoza CRS, Doudna JA, Schoeniger JS, Butler KS, Negrete OA, Brinker CJ, Serda RE. Engineering of monosized lipid-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles for CRISPR delivery. Acta Biomater 2020; 114:358-368. [PMID: 32702530 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2020.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Revised: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
CRISPR gene editing technology is strategically foreseen to control diseases by correcting underlying aberrant genetic sequences. In order to overcome drawbacks associated with viral vectors, the establishment of an effective non-viral CRISPR delivery vehicle has become an important goal for nanomaterial scientists. Herein, we introduce a monosized lipid-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticle (LC-MSN) delivery vehicle that enables both loading of CRISPR components [145 µg ribonucleoprotein (RNP) or 40 µg plasmid/mg nanoparticles] and efficient release within cancer cells (70%). The RNP-loaded LC-MSN exhibited 10% gene editing in both in vitro reporter cancer cell lines and in an in vivo Ai9-tdTomato reporter mouse model. The structural and chemical versatility of the mesoporous silica core and lipid coating along with framework dissolution-assisted cargo delivery open new prospects towards safe CRISPR component delivery and enhanced gene editing. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: After the discovery of CRISPR gene-correcting technology in bacteria. The translation of this technology to mammalian cells may change the face of cancer therapy within the next years. This was first made possible through the use of viral vectors; however, such systems limit the safe translation of CRISPR into clinics because its difficult preparation and immunogenicity. Therefore, biocompatible non-viral nanoparticulate systems are required to successfully deliver CRISPR into cancer cells. The present study presents the use of biomimetic lipid-coated mesoporous silica nanoparticles showing successful delivery of CRISPR ribonucleoprotein and plasmid into HeLa cervical and A549 lung cancer cells as well as successful gene editing in mice brain.
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44
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Investigation of Plasmid DNA Delivery and Cell Viability Dynamics for Optimal Cell Electrotransfection In Vitro. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/app10176070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Electroporation is an effective method for delivering plasmid DNA molecules into cells. The efficiency of gene electrotransfer depends on several factors. To achieve high transfection efficiency while maintaining cell viability is a tedious task in electroporation. Here, we present a combined study in which the dynamics of both evaluation types of transfection efficiency and the cell viability were evaluated in dependence of plasmid concentration as well as at the different number of high voltage (HV) electric pulses. The results of this study reveal a quantitative sigmoidal (R2 > 0.95) dependence of the transfection efficiency and cell viability on the distance between the cell membrane and the nearest plasmid. We propose this distance value as a new, more accurate output parameter that could be used in further optimization studies as a predictor and a measure of electrotransfection efficiency.
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Gene Delivery to the Skin - How Far Have We Come? Trends Biotechnol 2020; 39:474-487. [PMID: 32873394 PMCID: PMC7456264 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Gene therapies are powerful tools to prevent, treat, and cure human diseases. The application of gene therapies for skin diseases received little attention so far, despite the easy accessibility of skin and the urgent medical need. A major obstacle is the unique barrier properties of human skin, which significantly limits the absorption of biomacromolecules, and thus hampers the efficient delivery of nucleic acid payloads. In this review, we discuss current approaches, successes, and failures of cutaneous gene therapy and provide guidance toward the development of next-generation concepts. We specifically allude to the delivery strategies as the major obstacle that prevents the full potential of gene therapies – not only for skin disorders but also for almost any other human disease. Gene therapies are powerful tools for the treatment of inflammatory, genetic, and cancer-related skin diseases. The skin barrier function and the low number of cells that get transfected are the main hurdles for cutaneous gene therapy and contribute to the fact that gene therapies for skin diseases are an underexplored area. Gene editing provides an approach to cure rare and severe genodermatoses-like epidermolysis bullosa. First studies demonstrate the potential and invaluable impact these treatments may have even if only a small percentage of the gene function can be restored. Recent advancements demonstrate the power of non-viral delivery systems for the delivery of gene therapeutics to the skin. They may prove superior to viral vectors, the current gold standard, because their use is not limited by packaging size, serious safety concerns, or manufacturing issues.
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Eghbalsaied S, Hyder I, Kues WA. A versatile bulk electrotransfection protocol for murine embryonic fibroblasts and iPS cells. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13332. [PMID: 32770110 PMCID: PMC7414887 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70258-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Although electroporation has been widely accepted as the main gene transfer tool, there is still considerable scope to improve the electroporation efficiency of exogenous DNAs into primary cells. Here, we developed a square-wave pulsing protocol using OptiMEM-GlutaMAX for highly efficient transfection of murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) and induced pluripotency stem (iPS) cells using reporter genes as well as gRNA/Cas9-encoding plasmids. An electrotransfection efficiency of > 95% was achieved for both MEF and iPS cells using reporter-encoding plasmids. The protocol was efficient for plasmid sizes ranging from 6.2 to 13.5 kb. Inducing the error prone non-homologous end joining repair by gRNA/Cas9 plasmid transfection, a high rate of targeted gene knockouts of up to 98% was produced in transgenic cells carrying a single-copy of Venus reporter. Targeted deletions in the Venus transgene were efficiently (up to 67% deletion rate) performed by co-electroporation of two gRNA-encoding plasmids. We introduced a plasmid electrotransfection protocol which is straight-forward, cost-effective, and efficient for CRISPRing murine primary cells. This protocol is promising to make targeted genetic engineering using the CRISPR/Cas9 plasmid system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahin Eghbalsaied
- Department of Biotechnology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Höltystr. 10, 31535, Neustadt, Germany
- Department of Animal Science, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Iqbal Hyder
- Department of Biotechnology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Höltystr. 10, 31535, Neustadt, Germany
| | - Wilfried A Kues
- Department of Biotechnology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Höltystr. 10, 31535, Neustadt, Germany.
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Novickij V, Balevičiūtė A, Ruzgys P, Šatkauskas S, Novickij J, Zinkevičienė A, Girkontaitė I. Sub-microsecond electrotransfection using new modality of high frequency electroporation. Bioelectrochemistry 2020; 136:107594. [PMID: 32679337 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioelechem.2020.107594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 06/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Micro-millisecond range electric field pulses have been used for decades to facilitate DNA transfer into cells and tissues, while the growing number of clinical trials underline the strong potential of DNA electroporation. In this work, we present new sub-microsecond range protocols and methodology enabling successful electrotransfection in the sub-microsecond range. To facilitate DNA transfer, a 3 kV/60 A and high frequency (1 MHz) sub-microsecond range square wave generator was applied in the study. As a model, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells were used. Sub-microsecond range (300-700 ns) high frequency pulsed electric fields of 2-15 kV/cm were applied. The efficiency of electrotransfection was evaluated using two green fluorescent protein encoding plasmids of different size (3.5 kbp and 4.7 kbp). It was shown that transfection efficiency cannot be effectively improved with increase of the number of pulses after a certain threshold, however, independently on the plasmid size, the proposed sub-microsecond range pulsing methodology (2-5 kV/cm; n = 250) efficiency-wise was equivalent to 1.5 kV/cm × 100 μs × 4 electroporation procedure. The results of the study are useful for further development of in vitro and in vivo methods for effective electrotransfer of DNA using shorter pulses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vitalij Novickij
- Faculty of Electronics, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Vilnius, Lithuania.
| | - Austėja Balevičiūtė
- State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine, Department of Immunology, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Paulius Ruzgys
- Biophysical Research Group, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Saulius Šatkauskas
- Biophysical Research Group, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania
| | - Jurij Novickij
- Faculty of Electronics, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Auksė Zinkevičienė
- State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine, Department of Immunology, Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Irutė Girkontaitė
- State Research Institute Centre for Innovative Medicine, Department of Immunology, Vilnius, Lithuania
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Successful delivery of large-size CRISPR/Cas9 vectors in hard-to-transfect human cells using small plasmids. Commun Biol 2020; 3:319. [PMID: 32561814 PMCID: PMC7305135 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-1045-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
With the rise of new powerful genome engineering technologies, such as CRISPR/Cas9, cell models can be engineered effectively to accelerate basic and disease research. The most critical step in this procedure is the efficient delivery of foreign nucleic acids into cells by cellular transfection. Since the vectors encoding the components necessary for CRISPR/Cas genome engineering are always large (9–19 kb), they result in low transfection efficiency and cell viability, and thus subsequent selection or purification of positive cells is required. To overcome those obstacles, we here show a non-toxic and non-viral delivery method that increases transfection efficiency (up to 40-fold) and cell viability (up to 6-fold) in a number of hard-to-transfect human cancer cell lines and primary blood cells. At its core, the technique is based on adding exogenous small plasmids of a defined size to the transfection mixture. Søndergaard et al. show that electroporation and lipofectamine-based cell transfection of cancer cell lines and primary cells can be improved by adding a small vector to a large CRISPR vector. This study presents an optimized protocol for genome engineering by increasing transfection efficiency and cell viability.
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Fajrial AK, He QQ, Wirusanti NI, Slansky JE, Ding X. A review of emerging physical transfection methods for CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing. Theranostics 2020; 10:5532-5549. [PMID: 32373229 PMCID: PMC7196308 DOI: 10.7150/thno.43465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene editing is a versatile technique in biomedicine that promotes fundamental research as well as clinical therapy. The development of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) as a genome editing machinery has accelerated the application of gene editing. However, the delivery of CRISPR components often suffers when using conventional transfection methods, such as viral transduction and chemical vectors, due to limited packaging size and inefficiency toward certain cell types. In this review, we discuss physical transfection methods for CRISPR gene editing which can overcome these limitations. We outline different types of physical transfection methods, highlight novel techniques to deliver CRISPR components, and emphasize the role of micro and nanotechnology to improve transfection performance. We present our perspectives on the limitations of current technology and provide insights on the future developments of physical transfection methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Apresio K. Fajrial
- Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Qing Qing He
- Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
| | - Nurul I. Wirusanti
- University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherland
| | - Jill E. Slansky
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Xiaoyun Ding
- Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA
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Ishino T, Kurita H, Kirisawa R, Shimamoto Y, Numano R, Kitamura H. Introduction of a plasmid and a protein into bovine and swine cells by water-in-oil droplet electroporation. J Vet Med Sci 2019; 82:14-22. [PMID: 31776296 PMCID: PMC6983666 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.19-0475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Instrument cost is a major problem for the transduction of DNA fragments and proteins into cells. Water-in-oil droplet electroporation (droplet-EP) was recently invented as a low-cost and
effective method for the transfection of plasmids into cultured human cells. We here applied droplet-EP to livestock animal cells. Although it is difficult to transfect plasmids into bovine
fibroblasts using conventional lipofection methods, droplet-EP enabled us to introduce an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-expressing plasmid into bovine earlobe fibroblasts. The
optimal transfection condition was 3.0 kV, which allowed 19.1% of the cells to be transfected. For swine earlobe fibroblasts, the maximum transfection efficacy was 14.0% at 4.0 kV. After
transfection with droplet-EP, 69.1% of bovine and 76.5% of swine cells were viable. Furthermore, droplet-EP successfully transduced Escherichia coli recombinant EGFP into
frozen-thawed bovine sperm at 1.5 kV. Flow cytometry analysis revealed that 71.5% of spermatozoa exhibited green fluorescence after transfection. Overall, droplet-EP is suitable for the
transfection of plasmids and proteins into cultured livestock animal cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Ishino
- Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology, Departments of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Hokkaido 069-8501, Japan
| | - Hirofumi Kurita
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Sciences, Graduate School of Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580, Japan
| | - Rikio Kirisawa
- Laboratory of Veterinary Virology, Departments of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Hokkaido 069-8501, Japan
| | - Yoshinori Shimamoto
- Laboratory of Animal Therapeutics, Department of Veterinary Science, School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Hokkaido 069-8501, Japan
| | - Rika Numano
- Department of Applied Chemistry and Life Sciences, Graduate School of Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, Toyohashi, Aichi 441-8580, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kitamura
- Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology, Departments of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Hokkaido 069-8501, Japan
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