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Zwicklhuber J, Kocher T, Liemberger B, Hainzl S, Bischof J, Strunk D, Raninger AM, Gratz I, Wally V, Guttmann-Gruber C, Hofbauer JP, Bauer JW, Koller U. A Novel Fluorescence-Based Screen of Gene Editing Molecules for Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24065197. [PMID: 36982270 PMCID: PMC10049061 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24065197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB) is a severe blistering skin disease caused by mutations in genes encoding structural proteins essential for skin integrity. In this study, we developed a cell line suitable for gene expression studies of the JEB-associated COL17A1 encoding type XVII collagen (C17), a transmembrane protein involved in connecting basal keratinocytes to the underlying dermis of the skin. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 system of Streptococcus pyogenes we fused the coding sequence of GFP to COL17A1 leading to the constitutive expression of GFP-C17 fusion proteins under the control of the endogenous promoter in human wild-type and JEB keratinocytes. We confirmed the accurate full-length expression and localization of GFP-C17 to the plasma membrane via fluorescence microscopy and Western blot analysis. As expected, the expression of GFP-C17mut fusion proteins in JEB keratinocytes generated no specific GFP signal. However, the CRISPR/Cas9-mediated repair of a JEB-associated frameshift mutation in GFP-COL17A1mut-expressing JEB cells led to the restoration of GFP-C17, apparent in the full-length expression of the fusion protein, its accurate localization within the plasma membrane of keratinocyte monolayers as well as within the basement membrane zone of 3D-skin equivalents. Thus, this fluorescence-based JEB cell line provides the potential to serve as a platform to screen for personalized gene editing molecules and applications in vitro and in appropriate animal models in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janine Zwicklhuber
- EB House Austria, Research Program for Molecular Therapy of Genodermatoses, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Thomas Kocher
- EB House Austria, Research Program for Molecular Therapy of Genodermatoses, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Bernadette Liemberger
- EB House Austria, Research Program for Molecular Therapy of Genodermatoses, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Stefan Hainzl
- EB House Austria, Research Program for Molecular Therapy of Genodermatoses, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Johannes Bischof
- EB House Austria, Research Program for Molecular Therapy of Genodermatoses, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Dirk Strunk
- Cell Therapy Institute, Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg (SCI-TReCS), Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Anna M. Raninger
- Cell Therapy Institute, Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center Salzburg (SCI-TReCS), Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Iris Gratz
- EB House Austria, Research Program for Molecular Therapy of Genodermatoses, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Department of Biosciences and Medical Biology, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Verena Wally
- EB House Austria, Research Program for Molecular Therapy of Genodermatoses, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Christina Guttmann-Gruber
- EB House Austria, Research Program for Molecular Therapy of Genodermatoses, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Josefina Piñón Hofbauer
- EB House Austria, Research Program for Molecular Therapy of Genodermatoses, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Johann W. Bauer
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
| | - Ulrich Koller
- EB House Austria, Research Program for Molecular Therapy of Genodermatoses, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, University Hospital of the Paracelsus Medical University, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
- Correspondence:
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