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Cai DL, Chan Y, Kong YM, Liu YZ, Guo Y, Cai AQ, Zhu BS. Ginsenoside Rg1 promotes fetal hemoglobin production in vitro: A potential therapeutic avenue for β-thalassemia. Eur J Pharmacol 2024; 968:176404. [PMID: 38382804 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2024.176404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
β-thalassemia, a globally prevalent genetic disorder, urgently requires innovative treatment options. Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) induction stands as a key therapeutic approach. This investigation focused on Ginsenoside Rg1 from the Panax genus for HbF induction. Employing K562 cells and human erythroid precursor cells (ErPCs) derived from neonatal cord blood, the study tested Rg1 at different concentrations. We measured its effects on γ-globin mRNA levels and HbF expression, alongside assessments of cell proliferation and differentiation. In K562 cells, Rg1 at 400 μM significantly increased γ-globin mRNA expression by 4.24 ± 1.08-fold compared to the control. In ErPCs, the 800 μM concentration was most effective, leading to an over 80% increase in F-cells and a marked upregulation in HbF expression. Notably, Rg1 did not adversely affect cell proliferation or differentiation, with the 200 μM concentration showing an increase in γ-globin mRNA by 2.33 ± 0.58-fold, and the 800 μM concentration enhancing HbF expression by 2.59 ± 0.03-fold in K562 cells. Our results underscore Rg1's potential as an effective and safer alternative for β-thalassemia treatment. By significantly enhancing HbF levels without cytotoxicity, Rg1 offers a notable advantage over traditional treatments like Hydroxyurea. While promising, these in vitro findings warrant further in vivo exploration to confirm Rg1's therapeutic efficacy and to unravel its underlying mechanistic pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Ling Cai
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China; Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Ying Chan
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China; Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China; Department of Medical Genetics, NHC Key Laboratory of Preconception Health Birth in Western China, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Birth Defects and Genetic Diseases, First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650032, China
| | - Ya-Min Kong
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China; Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China; Department of Medical Genetics, NHC Key Laboratory of Preconception Health Birth in Western China, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Birth Defects and Genetic Diseases, First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650032, China
| | - Yi-Ze Liu
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Yan Guo
- Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Ai-Qi Cai
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China; Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China; Department of Medical Genetics, NHC Key Laboratory of Preconception Health Birth in Western China, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Birth Defects and Genetic Diseases, First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650032, China
| | - Bao-Sheng Zhu
- Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China; Medical School, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650500, Yunnan Province, China; Department of Medical Genetics, NHC Key Laboratory of Preconception Health Birth in Western China, Yunnan Provincial Key Laboratory for Birth Defects and Genetic Diseases, First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Affiliated Hospital of Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, 650032, China.
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Zhang X, Xia F, Zhang X, Blumenthal RM, Cheng X. C2H2 Zinc Finger Transcription Factors Associated with Hemoglobinopathies. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168343. [PMID: 37924864 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
In humans, specific aberrations in β-globin results in sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia, symptoms of which can be ameliorated by increased expression of fetal globin (HbF). Two recent CRISPR-Cas9 screens, centered on ∼1500 annotated sequence-specific DNA binding proteins and performed in a human erythroid cell line that expresses adult hemoglobin, uncovered four groups of candidate regulators of HbF gene expression. They are (1) members of the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex proteins that are already known for HbF control; (2) seven C2H2 zinc finger (ZF) proteins, including some (ZBTB7A and BCL11A) already known for directly silencing the fetal γ-globin genes in adult human erythroid cells; (3) a few other transcription factors of different structural classes that might indirectly influence HbF gene expression; and (4) DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) that maintains the DNA methylation marks that attract the MBD2-associated NuRD complex to DNA as well as associated histone H3 lysine 9 methylation. Here we briefly discuss the effects of these regulators, particularly C2H2 ZFs, in inducing HbF expression for treating β-hemoglobin disorders, together with recent advances in developing safe and effective small-molecule therapeutics for the regulation of this well-conserved hemoglobin switch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Zhang
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
| | - Fangfang Xia
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Xiaotian Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Texas Health Science Center Houston, McGovern Medical School, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Robert M Blumenthal
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, and Program in Bioinformatics, The University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH 43614, USA
| | - Xiaodong Cheng
- Department of Epigenetics and Molecular Carcinogenesis, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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Jiang Y, Ye Y, Zhang X, Yu Y, Huang L, Bao X, Xu X. Identification and characterization of CHD4-associated eRNA as a novel modulator of fetal hemoglobin levels in β-thalassemia. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 701:149555. [PMID: 38325179 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2024.149555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Fetal-to-adult hemoglobin switching is controlled by programmed silencing of γ-globin while the re-activation of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) is an effective strategy for ameliorating the clinical severity of β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease. The identification of enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) related to the fetal (α2γ2) to adult hemoglobin (α2β2) switching remains incomplete. In this study, the transcriptomes of GYPA+ cells from six β-thalassemia patients with extreme HbF levels were sequenced to identify differences in patterns of noncoding RNA expression. It is interesting that an enhancer upstream of CHD4, an HbF-related core subunit of the NuRD complex, was differentially transcribed. We found a significantly positive correlation of eRNA-CHD4 enhancer-gene interaction using the public database of FANTOM5. Specifically, the eRNA-CHD4 expression was found to be significantly higher in both CD34+ HSPCs and HUDEP-2 than those in K562 cells which commonly expressed high level of HbF, suggesting a correlation between eRNA and HbF expression. Furthermore, prediction of transcription binding sites of cis-eQTLs and the CHD4 genomic region revealed a putative interaction site between rs73264846 and ZNF410, a known transcription factor regulating HbF expression. Moreover, in-vitro validation showed that the inhibition of eRNA could reduce the expression of HBG expression in HUDEP-2 cells. Taken together, the findings of this study demonstrate that a distal enhancer contributes to stage-specific silencing of γ-globin genes through direct modulation of CHD4 expression and provide insights into the epigenetic mechanisms of NuRD-mediated hemoglobin switching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yida Jiang
- Innovation Center for Diagnostics and Treatment of Thalassemia, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Guangdong Key Chip Laboratory, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuhua Ye
- Innovation Center for Diagnostics and Treatment of Thalassemia, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Guangdong Key Chip Laboratory, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xinhua Zhang
- Department of Hematology, 923rd Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Yanping Yu
- Department of Pediatric, 923rd Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Liping Huang
- Department of Pediatric, 923rd Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, Nanning, Guangxi, China
| | - Xiuqin Bao
- Medical Genetic Center, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiangmin Xu
- Innovation Center for Diagnostics and Treatment of Thalassemia, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China; Guangdong Key Chip Laboratory, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
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Rajendiran V, Devaraju N, Haddad M, Ravi NS, Panigrahi L, Paul J, Gopalakrishnan C, Wyman S, Ariudainambi K, Mahalingam G, Periyasami Y, Prasad K, George A, Sukumaran D, Gopinathan S, Pai AA, Nakamura Y, Balasubramanian P, Ramalingam R, Thangavel S, Velayudhan SR, Corn JE, Mackay JP, Marepally S, Srivastava A, Crossley M, Mohankumar KM. Base editing of key residues in the BCL11A-XL-specific zinc finger domains derepresses fetal globin expression. Mol Ther 2024; 32:663-677. [PMID: 38273654 PMCID: PMC10928131 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.01.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
BCL11A-XL directly binds and represses the fetal globin (HBG1/2) gene promoters, using 3 zinc-finger domains (ZnF4, ZnF5, and ZnF6), and is a potential target for β-hemoglobinopathy treatments. Disrupting BCL11A-XL results in derepression of fetal globin and high HbF, but also affects hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) engraftment and erythroid maturation. Intriguingly, neurodevelopmental patients with ZnF domain mutations have elevated HbF with normal hematological parameters. Inspired by this natural phenomenon, we used both CRISPR-Cas9 and base editing at specific ZnF domains and assessed the impacts on HbF production and hematopoietic differentiation. Generating indels in the various ZnF domains by CRISPR-Cas9 prevented the binding of BCL11A-XL to its site in the HBG1/2 promoters and elevated the HbF levels but affected normal hematopoiesis. Far fewer side effects were observed with base editing- for instance, erythroid maturation in vitro was near normal. However, we observed a modest reduction in HSPC engraftment and a complete loss of B cell development in vivo, presumably because current base editing is not capable of precisely recapitulating the mutations found in patients with BCL11A-XL-associated neurodevelopment disorders. Overall, our results reveal that disrupting different ZnF domains has different effects. Disrupting ZnF4 elevated HbF levels significantly while leaving many other erythroid target genes unaffected, and interestingly, disrupting ZnF6 also elevated HbF levels, which was unexpected because this region does not directly interact with the HBG1/2 promoters. This first structure/function analysis of ZnF4-6 provides important insights into the domains of BCL11A-XL that are required to repress fetal globin expression and provide framework for exploring the introduction of natural mutations that may enable the derepression of single gene while leaving other functions unaffected.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vignesh Rajendiran
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India; Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695 011, India
| | - Nivedhitha Devaraju
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India; Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka 576104, India
| | - Mahdi Haddad
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Nithin Sam Ravi
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India; Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695 011, India
| | - Lokesh Panigrahi
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India; Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka 576104, India
| | - Joshua Paul
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India; Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka 576104, India
| | - Chandrasekar Gopalakrishnan
- Department of Integrative Biology, School of Bioscience and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT, Deemed to be University), Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632014, India
| | - Stacia Wyman
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA
| | | | - Gokulnath Mahalingam
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India
| | - Yogapriya Periyasami
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India
| | - Kirti Prasad
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India; Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka 576104, India
| | - Anila George
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India; Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695 011, India
| | - Dhiyaneshwaran Sukumaran
- Department of Integrative Biology, School of Bioscience and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT, Deemed to be University), Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632014, India
| | - Sandhiya Gopinathan
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India
| | - Aswin Anand Pai
- Department of Haematology, Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632 004, India
| | - Yukio Nakamura
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, 3-1-1 Koyadai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan
| | | | - Rajasekaran Ramalingam
- Department of Integrative Biology, School of Bioscience and Technology, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT, Deemed to be University), Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632014, India
| | - Saravanabhavan Thangavel
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India
| | - Shaji R Velayudhan
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India; Department of Haematology, Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632 004, India
| | - Jacon E Corn
- Innovative Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA; Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, Department of Biology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Joel P Mackay
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Srujan Marepally
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India
| | - Alok Srivastava
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India; Department of Haematology, Christian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632 004, India
| | - Merlin Crossley
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Kumarasamypet M Mohankumar
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (a Unit of inStem, Bengaluru), Christian Medical College Campus, Bagayam, Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632002, India.
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Bao X, Gao Y, Wang Z, Ye Y, Chen D, Zuo Y, Zhao C, Xu X. Activation of γ-globin expression by LncRNA-mediated ERF promoter hypermethylation in β-thalassemia. Clin Epigenetics 2024; 16:12. [PMID: 38218889 PMCID: PMC10787479 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-023-01614-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
The mechanism that drives the switch from fetal to adult hemoglobin (Hb) provides a therapeutic target for β-thalassemia. We have previously identified that hypermethylation of transcription factor ERF promoter reactivated γ-globin expression. To uncover the mechanism underlying the hypermethylation of ERF promoter, we performed RNA sequencing in β0/β0-thalassemia patients and identified an upregulated long noncoding RNA (RP11-196G18.23) associated with HbF production. RP11-196G18.23 bound to the ERF promoter and recruited DNA methyltransferase 3A to promote DNA hypermethylation-mediated ERF downregulation, thereby ameliorating ERF-induced γ-globin inactivation. The identification of RP11-196G18.23 provides an epigenetic mechanism for the reactivation of fetal γ-globin expression for β-hemoglobinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuqin Bao
- Medical Genetic Center, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, 514000, Guangdong, China
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center for Molecular Diagnostics of Human Genetic Diseases, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
- Maternal and Children Metabolic-Genetic Key Laboratory, Guangdong Women and Children Hospital, Guangzhou, 514000, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuanyi Gao
- Innovation Center for Diagnostics and Treatment of Thalassemia, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center for Molecular Diagnostics of Human Genetic Diseases, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhongju Wang
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center for Molecular Diagnostics of Human Genetic Diseases, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuhua Ye
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center for Molecular Diagnostics of Human Genetic Diseases, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Diyu Chen
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center for Molecular Diagnostics of Human Genetic Diseases, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Yangjin Zuo
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
- Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center for Molecular Diagnostics of Human Genetic Diseases, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China
| | - Cunyou Zhao
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
- Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center for Molecular Diagnostics of Human Genetic Diseases, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
- Key Laboratory of Mental Health of the Ministry of Education, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Psychiatric Disorders, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Xiangmin Xu
- Innovation Center for Diagnostics and Treatment of Thalassemia, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
- Guangdong Engineering and Technology Research Center for Molecular Diagnostics of Human Genetic Diseases, Guangzhou, 510515, Guangdong, China.
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Xie D, Han Y, Zhang W, Wu J, An B, Huang S, Sun F. Long Non-Coding RNA H19 Leads to Upregulation of γ-Globin Gene Expression during Erythroid Differentiation. Hemoglobin 2024; 48:4-14. [PMID: 38419555 DOI: 10.1080/03630269.2023.2284950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important because they are involved in a variety of life activities and have many downstream targets. Moreover, there is also increasing evidence that some lncRNAs play important roles in the expression and regulation of γ-globin genes. In our previous study, we analyzed genetic material from nucleated red blood cells (NRBCs) extracted from premature and full-term umbilical cord blood samples. Through RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis, lncRNA H19 emerged as a differentially expressed transcript between the two blood types. While this discovery provided insight into H19, previous studies had not investigated its effect on the γ-globin gene. Therefore, the focus of our study was to explore the impact of H19 on the γ-globin gene. In this study, we discovered that overexpressing H19 led to a decrease in HBG mRNA levels during erythroid differentiation in K562 cells. Conversely, in CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells and human umbilical cord blood-derived erythroid progenitor (HUDEP-2) cells, HBG expression increased. Additionally, we observed that H19 was primarily located in the nucleus of K562 cells, while in HUDEP-2 cells, H19 was present predominantly in the cytoplasm. These findings suggest a significant upregulation of HBG due to H19 overexpression. Notably, cytoplasmic localization in HUDEP-2 cells hints at its potential role as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA), regulating γ-globin expression by targeting microRNA/mRNA interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Xie
- Medical College, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Yuanyuan Han
- Department of laboratory medicine, Guangzhou Second Provincial General Hospotal, Guangzhou, China
| | - Wenyi Zhang
- Medical College, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Jiangfen Wu
- Medical College, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
| | - Banquan An
- Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Shengwen Huang
- Medical College, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
- Prenatal Diagnostic Center, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang, Guizhou, China
| | - Fa Sun
- Medical College, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
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Palani CD, Zhu X, Alagar M, Attucks OC, Pace BS. Bach1 inhibitor HPP-D mediates γ-globin gene activation in sickle erythroid progenitors. Blood Cells Mol Dis 2024; 104:102792. [PMID: 37633023 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcmd.2023.102792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 07/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common β-hemoglobinopathy caused by various mutations in the adult β-globin gene resulting in sickle hemoglobin production, chronic hemolytic anemia, pain, and progressive organ damage. The best therapeutic strategies to manage the clinical symptoms of SCD is the induction of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) using chemical agents. At present, among the Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs to treat SCD, hydroxyurea is the only one proven to induce HbF protein synthesis, however, it is not effective in all people. Therefore, we evaluated the ability of the novel Bach1 inhibitor, HPP-D to induce HbF in KU812 cells and primary sickle erythroid progenitors. HPP-D increased HbF and decreased Bach1 protein levels in both cell types. Furthermore, chromatin immunoprecipitation assay showed reduced Bach1 and increased NRF2 binding to the γ-globin promoter antioxidant response elements. We also observed increased levels of the active histone marks H3K4Me1 and H3K4Me3 supporting an open chromatin configuration. In primary sickle erythroid progenitors, HPP-D increased γ-globin transcription and HbF positive cells and reduced sickled erythroid progenitors under hypoxia conditions. Collectively, our data demonstrate that HPP-D induces γ-globin gene transcription through Bach1 inhibition and enhanced NRF2 binding in the γ-globin promoter antioxidant response elements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chithra D Palani
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Xingguo Zhu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Manickam Alagar
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | | | - Betty S Pace
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA; Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
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Ibanez V, Vaitkus K, Ruiz MA, Lei Z, Maienschein-Cline M, Arbieva Z, Lavelle D. Effect of the LSD1 inhibitor RN-1 on γ-globin and global gene expression during erythroid differentiation in baboons (Papio anubis). PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289860. [PMID: 38134183 PMCID: PMC10745162 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289860] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Elevated levels of Fetal Hemoglobin interfere with polymerization of sickle hemoglobin thereby reducing anemia, lessening the severity of symptoms, and increasing life span of patients with sickle cell disease. An affordable, small molecule drug that stimulates HbF expression in vivo would be ideally suited to treat the large numbers of SCD patients that exist worldwide. Our previous work showed that administration of the LSD1 (KDM1A) inhibitor RN-1 to normal baboons increased Fetal Hemoglobin (HbF) and was tolerated over a prolonged treatment period. HbF elevations were associated with changes in epigenetic modifications that included increased levels of H3K4 di-and tri-methyl lysine at the γ-globin promoter. While dramatic effects of the loss of LSD1 on hematopoietic differentiation have been observed in murine LSD1 gene deletion and silencing models, the effect of pharmacological inhibition of LSD1 in vivo on hematopoietic differentiation is unknown. The goal of these experiments was to investigate the in vivo mechanism of action of the LSD1 inhibitor RN-1 by determining its effect on γ-globin expression in highly purified subpopulations of bone marrow erythroid cells enriched for varying stages of erythroid differentiation isolated directly from baboons treated with RN-1 and also by investigating the effect of RN1 on the global transcriptome in a highly purified population of proerythroblasts. Our results show that RN-1 administered to baboons targets an early event during erythroid differentiation responsible for γ-globin repression and increases the expression of a limited number of genes including genes involved in erythroid differentiation such as GATA2, GFi-1B, and LYN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinzon Ibanez
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Kestis Vaitkus
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Maria Armila Ruiz
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Zhengdeng Lei
- Research Informatics Core, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Ambry Genetics, Aliso Viejo, California, United States of America
| | - Mark Maienschein-Cline
- Research Informatics Core, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Zarema Arbieva
- Genomics Research Core, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Donald Lavelle
- Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
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9
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Worth EH, Fugate MK, Grasty KC, Loll PJ, Bishop MF, Ferrone FA. An α-chain modification rivals the effect of fetal hemoglobin in retarding the rate of sickle cell fiber formation. Sci Rep 2023; 13:21997. [PMID: 38081985 PMCID: PMC10713580 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48919-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Adults with sickle cell disease bear a mutation in the β-globin gene, leading to the expression of sickle hemoglobin (HbS; α2βS2). Adults also possess the gene for γ-globin, which is a component of fetal hemoglobin (HbF, α2γ2); however, γ-chain expression normally ceases after birth. As HbF does not form the fibers that cause the disease, pharmacological and gene-modifying interventions have attempted to either reactivate expression of the γ chain or introduce a gene encoding a modified β chain having γ-like character. Here, we show that a single-site modification on the α chain, αPro114Arg, retards fiber formation as effectively as HbF. Because this addition to the repertoire of anti-sickling approaches acts independently of other modifications, it could be coupled with other therapies to significantly enhance their effectiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eli H Worth
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Mark K Fugate
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Kimberly C Grasty
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, USA
| | - Patrick J Loll
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, USA
| | - Marilyn F Bishop
- Deparment of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, 23284-2000, USA
| | - Frank A Ferrone
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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10
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Han W, Qiu HY, Sun S, Fu ZC, Wang GQ, Qian X, Wang L, Zhai X, Wei J, Wang Y, Guo YL, Cao GH, Ji RJ, Zhang YZ, Ma H, Wang H, Zhao M, Wu J, Bi L, Chen QB, Li Z, Yu L, Mou X, Yin H, Yang L, Chen J, Yang B, Zhang Y. Base editing of the HBG promoter induces potent fetal hemoglobin expression with no detectable off-target mutations in human HSCs. Cell Stem Cell 2023; 30:1624-1639.e8. [PMID: 37989316 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Reactivating silenced γ-globin expression through the disruption of repressive regulatory domains offers a therapeutic strategy for treating β-hemoglobinopathies. Here, we used transformer base editor (tBE), a recently developed cytosine base editor with no detectable off-target mutations, to disrupt transcription-factor-binding motifs in hematopoietic stem cells. By performing functional screening of six motifs with tBE, we found that directly disrupting the BCL11A-binding motif in HBG1/2 promoters triggered the highest γ-globin expression. Via a side-by-side comparison with other clinical and preclinical strategies using Cas9 nuclease or conventional BEs (ABE8e and hA3A-BE3), we found that tBE-mediated disruption of the BCL11A-binding motif at the HBG1/2 promoters triggered the highest fetal hemoglobin in healthy and β-thalassemia patient hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells while exhibiting no detectable DNA or RNA off-target mutations. Durable therapeutic editing by tBE persisted in repopulating hematopoietic stem cells, demonstrating that tBE-mediated editing in HBG1/2 promoters is a safe and effective strategy for treating β-hemoglobinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenyan Han
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Hou-Yuan Qiu
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical Research Institute, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Shangwu Sun
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Zhi-Can Fu
- Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; Center for Molecular Medicine, Children's Hospital of Fudan University and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Guo-Quan Wang
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical Research Institute, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Xiaowen Qian
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China
| | - Lijie Wang
- CorrectSequence Therapeutics, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Xiaowen Zhai
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China
| | - Jia Wei
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Children's Hospital of Fudan University and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Yichuan Wang
- CorrectSequence Therapeutics, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Yi-Lin Guo
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Children's Hospital of Fudan University and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Guo-Hua Cao
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical Research Institute, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Rui-Jin Ji
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical Research Institute, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Yi-Zhou Zhang
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical Research Institute, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Hongxia Ma
- CorrectSequence Therapeutics, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Hongsheng Wang
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China
| | - Mingli Zhao
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Jing Wu
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Lili Bi
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical Research Institute, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Qiu-Bing Chen
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical Research Institute, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China
| | - Zifeng Li
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China
| | - Ling Yu
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China
| | - Xiaodun Mou
- CorrectSequence Therapeutics, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Hao Yin
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical Research Institute, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China; Department of Pathology and Department of Urology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China; TaiKang Centre for Life and Medical Sciences, TaiKang Medical School, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Li Yang
- Center for Molecular Medicine, Children's Hospital of Fudan University and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics, International Laboratory of Medical Epigenetics and Metabolism, Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Jia Chen
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai 201210, China; Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Biomacromolecules and Precision Medicine, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China.
| | - Bei Yang
- Gene Editing Center, School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China; Shanghai Clinical Research and Trial Center, Shanghai 201210, China; Shanghai Frontiers Science Center for Biomacromolecules and Precision Medicine, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 200031, China.
| | - Ying Zhang
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical Research Institute, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China; State Key Laboratory of Virology, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
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11
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Iftikhar F, Khan MBN, Tehreem S, Kanwal N, Musharraf SG. BCL11A-targeted γ-globin gene induction by triterpenoid glycosides of Fagonia indica: A preclinical scientific validation of indigenous herb for the treatment of β-hemoglobinopathies. Bioorg Chem 2023; 140:106768. [PMID: 37586133 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2023.106768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Pharmacological induction of fetal hemoglobin has proven to be a promising therapeutic intervention in β-hemoglobinopathies by reducing the globin chain imbalance and inhibiting sickle cell polymerization. Fagonia indica has shown therapeutic relevance to β-thalassemia. Therefore, we study the ethnopharmacological potential of Fagonia indica and its biomarker compounds for their HbF induction ability for the treatment of β-thalassemia. Here, we identify, compound 8 (triterpenoid glycosides) of F. indica. as a prominent HbF inducer in-vitro and in-vivo. Compound 8 showed potent erythroid differentiation, enhanced cellular proliferation, ample accumulation of total hemoglobin, and a strong notion of γ-globin gene expression in K562 cultures. Compound 8 treatment also revealed strong induction of erythroid differentiation and fetal hemoglobin mRNA and protein in adult erythroid precursor cells. This induction was associated with simultaneous downregulation of BCL11A and SOX6, and overexpression of the GATA-1 gene, suggesting a compound 8-mediated partial mechanism involved in the reactivation of fetal-like globin genes. The in vivo study with compound 8 (10 mg/kg) in β-YAC mice resulted in significant HbF synthesis demonstrated by the enhanced level of F-cells (84.14 %) and an 8.85-fold increase in the γ-globin gene. Overall, the study identifies compound 8 as a new HbF-inducing entity and provides an early "proof-of-concept" to enable the initiation of preclinical and clinical studies in the development of this HbF-inducing agent for β-thalassemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fizza Iftikhar
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Behroz Naeem Khan
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
| | - Syeda Tehreem
- H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
| | - Nayab Kanwal
- H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
| | - Syed Ghulam Musharraf
- Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan; H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan.
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12
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Finotti A, Gasparello J, Zuccato C, Cosenza LC, Fabbri E, Bianchi N, Gambari R. Effects of Mithramycin on BCL11A Gene Expression and on the Interaction of the BCL11A Transcriptional Complex to γ-Globin Gene Promoter Sequences. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1927. [PMID: 37895276 PMCID: PMC10606601 DOI: 10.3390/genes14101927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/04/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The anticancer drug mithramycin (MTH), has been proposed for drug repurposing after the finding that it is a potent inducer of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) production in erythroid precursor cells (ErPCs) from β-thalassemia patients. In this respect, previously published studies indicate that MTH is very active in inducing increased expression of γ-globin genes in erythroid cells. This is clinically relevant, as it is firmly established that HbF induction is a valuable approach for the therapy of β-thalassemia and for ameliorating the clinical parameters of sickle-cell disease (SCD). Therefore, the identification of MTH biochemical/molecular targets is of great interest. This study is inspired by recent robust evidence indicating that the expression of γ-globin genes is controlled in adult erythroid cells by different transcriptional repressors, including Oct4, MYB, BCL11A, Sp1, KLF3 and others. Among these, BCL11A is very important. In the present paper we report evidence indicating that alterations of BCL11A gene expression and biological functions occur during MTH-mediated erythroid differentiation. Our study demonstrates that one of the mechanisms of action of MTH is a down-regulation of the transcription of the BCL11A gene, while a second mechanism of action is the inhibition of the molecular interactions between the BCL11A complex and specific sequences of the γ-globin gene promoter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Finotti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (J.G.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.); (E.F.); (N.B.)
| | - Jessica Gasparello
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (J.G.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.); (E.F.); (N.B.)
| | - Cristina Zuccato
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (J.G.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.); (E.F.); (N.B.)
| | - Lucia Carmela Cosenza
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (J.G.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.); (E.F.); (N.B.)
| | - Enrica Fabbri
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (J.G.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.); (E.F.); (N.B.)
| | - Nicoletta Bianchi
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Section of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (J.G.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.); (E.F.); (N.B.)
- Department of Translational Medicine and for Romagna, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Roberto Gambari
- Center “Chiara Gemmo and Elio Zago” for the Research on Thalassemia, Ferrara University, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
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13
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Jomoui W, Satthakarn S, Panyasai S. Molecular understanding of unusual HbE-β +-thalassemia with Hb phenotype similar to HbE heterozygote: simple and rapid differentiation using HbE levels. Ann Med 2023; 55:2267054. [PMID: 37816374 PMCID: PMC10732225 DOI: 10.1080/07853890.2023.2267054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Low HbF expression in HbE-β+-thalassemia may lead to misdiagnosis of HbE heterozygosity. We aimed to characterize the β- and α-globin genes and the modifying factors related to HbF expression in patients with an Hb phenotype similar to that of HbE heterozygotes. Furthermore, screening tools for differentiating HbE-β+-thalassemia from HbE heterozygotes have been investigated. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS A total of 2133 participants with HbE and HbA with varying HbF levels were recruited. Polymerase chain reaction-based DNA analysis and sequencing were performed to characterize β- and α-globin genes. DNA polymorphism at position -158 nt 5' to Gγ-globin was performed by XmnI restriction digestion. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed using the area under the curve (AUC). Cutoff values of HbA2, HbE, and HbF levels for the differentiation of HbE-β+-thalassemia from HbE heterozygotes were determined. RESULTS Five β+-thalassemia mutations trans to βE-gene (β-87(C>A), β-31(A>G), β-28(A>G), β19(A>G), and β126(T>G)) were identified in 79 patients. Among these, 54 presented with low HbF levels, and 25 presented with high HbF levels. ROC curve analysis revealed an excellent AUC of 1.000 (95% confidence interval:1.000-1.000) for HbE levels, and a cut-off point of ≥35.0% had 100.0% sensitivity, specificity, and Youden's index for differentiating HbE-β+-thalassemia from HbE heterozygotes. The proportion of α-thalassemia mutations was 46.3 and 8.0% among HbE-β+-thalassemia patients with low and high HbF levels, respectively. Two rare α-thalassemia mutations (Cap +14(C>G) and initiation codon (ATG>-TG)) of α2-globin genes were identified. The genotype and allele of the polymorphism at -158 nt 5' to Gγ-globin was found to be negatively associated with HbF expression. CONCLUSIONS HbE-β+-thalassemia cannot be disregarded until appropriate DNA analysis is performed, and the detection of α-thalassemia mutations should always be performed under these conditions. An HbE level ≥35.0% may indicate screening of samples for DNA analysis for HbE-β+-thalassemia diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wittaya Jomoui
- Department of Pathology, Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center, Srinakharinwirot University, Ongkharak, Nakhon Nayok, Thailand
- Clinical Research Centre, Srinakharinwirot University, Nakhon Nayok, Thailand
| | - Surada Satthakarn
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Burapha University, Chonburi, Thailand
| | - Sitthichai Panyasai
- Department of Medical Technology, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Phayao, Phayao, Thailand
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14
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Zhou G, Lu D. Proteomics screening uncovers HMGA1 as a promising negative regulator for γ-globin expression in response to decreased β-globin levels. J Proteomics 2023; 286:104957. [PMID: 37423548 DOI: 10.1016/j.jprot.2023.104957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Reactivation of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) is a critical goal for the treatment of patients with hemoglobinopathies. β-globin disorders can trigger stress erythropoiesis in red blood cells (RBCs). Cell-intrinsic erythroid stress signals promote erythroid precursors to express high levels of fetal hemoglobin, which is also known as γ-globin. However, the molecular mechanism underlying γ-globin production during cell-intrinsic erythroid stress remains to be elucidated. Here, we utilized CRISPR-Cas9 to model a stressed state caused by reduced levels of adult β-globin in HUDEP2 human erythroid progenitor cells. We found that a decrease in β-globin expression correlates with the upregulation of γ-globin expression. We also identified transcription factor high-mobility group A1 (HMGA1; formerly HMG-I/Y) as a potential γ-globin regulator that responds to reduced β-globin levels. Upon erythroid stress, there is a downregulation of HMGA1, which normally binds -626 to -610 base pairs upstream from the STAT3 promoter, to downregulate STAT3 expression. STAT3 is a known γ-globin repressor, so the downregulation of HMGA1 ultimately upregulates γ-globin expression. SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrated HMGA1 as a potential regulator in the poorly understood phenomenon of stress-induced globin compensation, and after further validation these results might inform new strategies to treat patients with sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoqiang Zhou
- Greater Bay Area Institute of Precision Medicine (Guangzhou), School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Guangzhou, 511458, China
| | - Daru Lu
- Greater Bay Area Institute of Precision Medicine (Guangzhou), School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Guangzhou, 511458, China; NHC Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Reproductive Health, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Birth Defects and Reproductive Health, Chongqing Population and Family Planning, Science and Technology Research Institute, Chongqing, China.
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15
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Ibanez V, Vaitkus K, Zhang X, Ramasamy J, Rivers AE, Saunthararajah Y, Molokie R, Lavelle D. Combinatorial targeting of epigenome-modifying enzymes with decitabine and RN-1 synergistically increases HbF. Blood Adv 2023; 7:3891-3902. [PMID: 36884303 PMCID: PMC10405201 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2022009558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Increased fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels reduce the symptoms of sickle cell disease (SCD) and increase the lifespan of patients. Because curative strategies for bone marrow transplantation and gene therapy technologies remain unavailable to a large number of patients, the development of a safe and effective pharmacological therapy that increases HbF offers the greatest potential for disease intervention. Although hydroxyurea increases HbF, a substantial proportion of patients fail to demonstrate an adequate response. Pharmacological inhibitors of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT1) and lysine-specific demethylase 1A (LSD1), 2 epigenome-modifying enzymes associated with the multiprotein corepressor complex recruited to the repressed γ-globin gene, are powerful in vivo inducers of HbF. The hematological side effects of these inhibitors limit feasible clinical exposures. We evaluated whether administering these drugs in combination could reduce the dose and/or time of exposure to any single agent to minimize adverse effects, while achieving additive or synergistic increases in HbF. The DNMT1 inhibitor decitabine (0.5 mg/kg per day) and the LSD1 inhibitor RN-1 (0.25 mg/kg per day) administered in combination 2 days per week produced synergistic increases in F-cells, F-reticulocytes, and γ-globin messenger RNA in healthy baboons. Large increases in HbF and F-cells were observed in healthy, nonanemic, and anemic (phlebotomized) baboons. Combinatorial therapy targeting epigenome-modifying enzymes could thus be a useful strategy for producing larger increases in HbF to modify the clinical course of SCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinzon Ibanez
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Research and Development, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL
| | - Kestis Vaitkus
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Research and Development, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL
| | - Xu Zhang
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Jagadeesh Ramasamy
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Angela E. Rivers
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of California at San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, Oakland, CA
| | - Yogen Saunthararajah
- Department of Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders, Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
| | - Robert Molokie
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Research and Development, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Donald Lavelle
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
- Research and Development, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL
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16
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Mayuranathan T, Newby GA, Feng R, Yao Y, Mayberry KD, Lazzarotto CR, Li Y, Levine RM, Nimmagadda N, Dempsey E, Kang G, Porter SN, Doerfler PA, Zhang J, Jang Y, Chen J, Bell HW, Crossley M, Bhoopalan SV, Sharma A, Tisdale JF, Pruett-Miller SM, Cheng Y, Tsai SQ, Liu DR, Weiss MJ, Yen JS. Potent and uniform fetal hemoglobin induction via base editing. Nat Genet 2023; 55:1210-1220. [PMID: 37400614 PMCID: PMC10722557 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01434-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Inducing fetal hemoglobin (HbF) in red blood cells can alleviate β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease. We compared five strategies in CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, using either Cas9 nuclease or adenine base editors. The most potent modification was adenine base editor generation of γ-globin -175A>G. Homozygous -175A>G edited erythroid colonies expressed 81 ± 7% HbF versus 17 ± 11% in unedited controls, whereas HbF levels were lower and more variable for two Cas9 strategies targeting a BCL11A binding motif in the γ-globin promoter or a BCL11A erythroid enhancer. The -175A>G base edit also induced HbF more potently than a Cas9 approach in red blood cells generated after transplantation of CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells into mice. Our data suggest a strategy for potent, uniform induction of HbF and provide insights into γ-globin gene regulation. More generally, we demonstrate that diverse indels generated by Cas9 can cause unexpected phenotypic variation that can be circumvented by base editing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gregory A Newby
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ruopeng Feng
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Yu Yao
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Kalin D Mayberry
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Cicera R Lazzarotto
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Yichao Li
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Rachel M Levine
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Nikitha Nimmagadda
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Erin Dempsey
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Guolian Kang
- Department of Biostatistics, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Shaina N Porter
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Phillip A Doerfler
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jingjing Zhang
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Yoonjeong Jang
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Jingjing Chen
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Henry W Bell
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Merlin Crossley
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Akshay Sharma
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - John F Tisdale
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Shondra M Pruett-Miller
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Yong Cheng
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Shengdar Q Tsai
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - David R Liu
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Mitchell J Weiss
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
| | - Jonathan S Yen
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
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17
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Yin S, Zhang M, Liu Y, Sun X, Guan Y, Chen X, Yang L, Huo Y, Yang J, Zhang X, Han H, Zhang J, Xiao MM, Liu M, Hu J, Wang L, Li D. Engineering of efficiency-enhanced Cas9 and base editors with improved gene therapy efficacies. Mol Ther 2023; 31:744-759. [PMID: 36457249 PMCID: PMC10014233 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2022.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Revised: 10/31/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Editing efficiency is pivotal for the efficacies of CRISPR-based gene therapies. We found that fusing an HMG-D domain to the N terminus of SpCas9 (named efficiency-enhanced Cas9 [eeCas9]) significantly increased editing efficiency by 1.4-fold on average. The HMG-D domain also enhanced the activities of non-NGG PAM Cas9 variants, high-fidelity Cas9 variants, smaller Cas9 orthologs, Cas9-based epigenetic regulators, and base editors in cell lines. Furthermore, we discovered that eeCas9 exhibits comparable off-targeting effects with Cas9, and its specificity could be increased through ribonucleoprotein delivery or using hairpin single-guide RNAs and high-fidelity Cas9s. The entire eeCas9 could be packaged into an adeno-associated virus vector and exhibited a 1.7- to 2.6-fold increase in editing efficiency targeting the Pcsk9 gene in mice, leading to a greater reduction of serum cholesterol levels. Moreover, the efficiency of eeA3A-BE3 also surpasses that of A3A-BE3 in targeting the promoter region of γ-globin genes or BCL11A enhancer in human hematopoietic stem cells to reactivate γ-globin expression for the treatment of β-hemoglobinopathy. Together, eeCas9 and its derivatives are promising editing tools that exhibit higher activity and therapeutic efficacy for both in vivo and ex vivo therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuming Yin
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Mei Zhang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Yang Liu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Genome Editing Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiaoyue Sun
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Yuting Guan
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Xi Chen
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Lei Yang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Yanan Huo
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Jing Yang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Xiaohui Zhang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Honghui Han
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Jiqin Zhang
- Bioray Laboratories Inc., Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Min-Min Xiao
- Clinical Laboratory, Second Peoples Hospital of Wuhu City, Anhui 241000, China
| | - Mingyao Liu
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Jiazhi Hu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Genome Editing Research Center, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Liren Wang
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
| | - Dali Li
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China.
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18
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Elagooz R, Dhara AR, Gott RM, Adams SE, White RA, Ghosh A, Ganguly S, Man Y, Owusu-Ansah A, Mian OY, Gurkan UA, Komar AA, Ramamoorthy M, Gnanapragasam MN. PUM1 mediates the posttranscriptional regulation of human fetal hemoglobin. Blood Adv 2022; 6:6016-6022. [PMID: 35667093 PMCID: PMC9699939 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2021006730] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The fetal-to-adult hemoglobin switching at about the time of birth involves a shift in expression from γ-globin to β-globin in erythroid cells. Effective re-expression of fetal γ-globin can ameliorate sickle cell anemia and β-thalassemia. Despite the physiological and clinical relevance of this switch, its posttranscriptional regulation is poorly understood. Here, we identify Pumilo 1 (PUM1), an RNA-binding protein with no previously reported functions in erythropoiesis, as a direct posttranscriptional regulator of β-globin switching. PUM1, whose expression is regulated by the erythroid master transcription factor erythroid Krüppel-like factor (EKLF/KLF1), peaks during erythroid differentiation, binds γ-globin messenger RNA (mRNA), and reduces γ-globin (HBG1) mRNA stability and translational efficiency, which culminates in reduced γ-globin protein levels. Knockdown of PUM1 leads to a robust increase in fetal hemoglobin (∼22% HbF) without affecting β-globin levels in human erythroid cells. Importantly, targeting PUM1 does not limit the progression of erythropoiesis, which provides a potentially safe and effective treatment strategy for sickle cell anemia and β-thalassemia. In support of this idea, we report elevated levels of HbF in the absence of anemia in an individual with a novel heterozygous PUM1 mutation in the RNA-binding domain (p.(His1090Profs∗16); c.3267_3270delTCAC), which suggests that PUM1-mediated posttranscriptional regulation is a critical player during human hemoglobin switching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reem Elagooz
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Anita R. Dhara
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Rose M. Gott
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Sarah E. Adams
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Rachael A. White
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Arnab Ghosh
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Shinjini Ganguly
- Department of Translational Hematology and Oncology Research, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
| | - Yuncheng Man
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Amma Owusu-Ansah
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Omar Y. Mian
- Department of Translational Hematology and Oncology Research, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
| | - Umut A. Gurkan
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Anton A. Komar
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
- Genomic Medicine Institute, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
- Department of Biochemistry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
- Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Mahesh Ramamoorthy
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Merlin Nithya Gnanapragasam
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH
- Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
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19
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Drakopoulou E, Georgomanoli M, Lederer CW, Panetsos F, Kleanthous M, Voskaridou E, Valakos D, Papanikolaou E, Anagnou NP. The Optimized γ-Globin Lentiviral Vector GGHI-mB-3D Leads to Nearly Therapeutic HbF Levels In Vitro in CD34 + Cells from Sickle Cell Disease Patients. Viruses 2022; 14:v14122716. [PMID: 36560719 PMCID: PMC9783242 DOI: 10.3390/v14122716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
We have previously demonstrated that both the original γ-globin lentiviral vector (LV) GGHI and the optimized GGHI-mB-3D LV, carrying the novel regulatory elements of the 3D HPFH-1 enhancer and the 3' β-globin UTR, can significantly increase HbF production in thalassemic CD34+ cells and ameliorate the disease phenotype in vitro. In the present study, we investigated whether the GGHI-mB-3D vector can also exhibit an equally therapeutic effect, following the transduction of sickle cell disease (SCD) CD34+ cells at MOI 100, leading to HbF increase coupled with HbS decrease, and thus, to phenotype improvement in vitro. We show that GGHI-mB-3D LV can lead to high and potentially therapeutic HbF levels, reaching a mean 2-fold increase to a mean value of VCN/cell of 1.0 and a mean transduction efficiency of 55%. Furthermore, this increase was accompanied by a significant 1.6-fold HbS decrease, a beneficial therapeutic feature for SCD. In summary, our data demonstrate the efficacy of the optimized γ-globin lentiviral vector to improve the SCD phenotype in vitro, and highlights its potential use in future clinical SCD trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ekati Drakopoulou
- Laboratory of Cell and Gene Therapy, Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), 11527 Athens, Greece
- Laboratory of Biology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Maria Georgomanoli
- Laboratory of Cell and Gene Therapy, Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), 11527 Athens, Greece
- Laboratory of Biology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Carsten W. Lederer
- The Molecular Genetics Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, 2371 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | | | - Marina Kleanthous
- The Molecular Genetics Thalassemia Department, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, 2371 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Ersi Voskaridou
- Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease Centre, Laiko General Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Valakos
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Eleni Papanikolaou
- Laboratory of Biology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Nicholas P. Anagnou
- Laboratory of Cell and Gene Therapy, Centre of Basic Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens (BRFAA), 11527 Athens, Greece
- Laboratory of Biology, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
- Correspondence:
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20
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Antoniou P, Hardouin G, Martinucci P, Frati G, Felix T, Chalumeau A, Fontana L, Martin J, Masson C, Brusson M, Maule G, Rosello M, Giovannangeli C, Abramowski V, de Villartay JP, Concordet JP, Del Bene F, El Nemer W, Amendola M, Cavazzana M, Cereseto A, Romano O, Miccio A. Base-editing-mediated dissection of a γ-globin cis-regulatory element for the therapeutic reactivation of fetal hemoglobin expression. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6618. [PMID: 36333351 PMCID: PMC9636226 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34493-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia affect the production of the adult β-hemoglobin chain. The clinical severity is lessened by mutations that cause fetal γ-globin expression in adult life (i.e., the hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin). Mutations clustering ~200 nucleotides upstream of the HBG transcriptional start sites either reduce binding of the LRF repressor or recruit the KLF1 activator. Here, we use base editing to generate a variety of mutations in the -200 region of the HBG promoters, including potent combinations of four to eight γ-globin-inducing mutations. Editing of patient hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells is safe, leads to fetal hemoglobin reactivation and rescues the pathological phenotype. Creation of a KLF1 activator binding site is the most potent strategy - even in long-term repopulating hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Compared with a Cas9-nuclease approach, base editing avoids the generation of insertions, deletions and large genomic rearrangements and results in higher γ-globin levels. Our results demonstrate that base editing of HBG promoters is a safe, universal strategy for treating β-hemoglobinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis Antoniou
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Giulia Hardouin
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Laboratory of Human Lymphohematopoiesis, INSERM UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France
- Biotherapy Department and Clinical Investigation Center, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, INSERM, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Martinucci
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Giacomo Frati
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Tristan Felix
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Anne Chalumeau
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Letizia Fontana
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Jeanne Martin
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Cecile Masson
- Bioinformatics Platform, Imagine Institute, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Megane Brusson
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Giulia Maule
- CIBIO, University of Trento, 38100, Trento, Italy
| | - Marion Rosello
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 75015, Paris, France
| | | | - Vincent Abramowski
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Laboratory of genome dynamics in the immune system, INSERM UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Pierre de Villartay
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Laboratory of genome dynamics in the immune system, INSERM UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Paul Concordet
- INSERM U1154, CNRS UMR7196, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Filippo Del Bene
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Wassim El Nemer
- Établissement Français du Sang, UMR 7268, 13005, Marseille, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence GR-Ex, 75015, Paris, France
| | - Mario Amendola
- Genethon, 91000, Evry, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, Univ Evry, Inserm, Genethon, Integrare research unit UMR_S951, 91000, Evry, France
| | - Marina Cavazzana
- Biotherapy Department and Clinical Investigation Center, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, INSERM, 75015, Paris, France
- Université Paris Cité, 75015, Paris, France
- Imagine Institute, 75015, Paris, France
| | | | - Oriana Romano
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41125, Modena, Italy
| | - Annarita Miccio
- Université Paris Cité, Imagine Institute, Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR 1163, 75015, Paris, France.
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21
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Cyrus C, Vatte C, Al-Nafie A, Chathoth S, Akhtar MS, Darwish M, Almohazey D, AlDubayan SH, Steinberg MH, Al-Ali A. miRNA Expression Associated with HbF in Saudi Sickle Cell Anemia. Medicina (B Aires) 2022; 58:medicina58101470. [PMID: 36295630 PMCID: PMC9611475 DOI: 10.3390/medicina58101470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2022] [Revised: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is a hereditary monogenic disease due to a single β-globin gene mutation that codes for the production of sickle hemoglobin. Its phenotype is modulated by fetal hemoglobin (HbF), a product of γ-globin genes. Exploring the molecules that regulate γ-globin genes at both transcriptional and translational levels, including microRNA (miRNA), might help identify alternative therapeutic targets. Materials and Methods: Using next-generation sequencing we identified pre-miRNAs and mature miRNA expression signatures associated with different HbF levels in patients homozygous for the sickle hemoglobin gene. The involvement of identified miRNAs in potential SCD-related pathways was investigated with the DIANA TOOL and miRWalk 2.0 database. Results: miR-184 were most highly upregulated in reticulocytes. miR-3609 and miR-483-5p were most highly downregulated in sickle cell anemia with high HbF. miR-370-3p that regulates LIN28A, and miR-451a which is effective in modulating α- and β- globin levels were also significantly upregulated. miRNA targeted gene pathway interaction identified BCL7A, BCL2L1, LIN28A, KLF6, GATA6, solute carrier family genes and ZNF genes associated with erythropoiesis, cell cycle regulation, glycosphingolipid biosynthesis, cAMP, cGMP-PKG, mTOR, MAPK and PI3K-AKT signaling pathways and cancer pathways. Conclusions: miRNA signatures and their target genes identified novel miRNAs that could regulate fetal hemoglobin production and might be exploited therapeutically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril Cyrus
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +966-553241441
| | - Chittibabu Vatte
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Awatif Al-Nafie
- Department of Pathology, King Fahd Hospital of the University, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 34445, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shahanas Chathoth
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed S. Akhtar
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohammed Darwish
- Ministry of Health, Qatif Central Hospital, Qatif 32654, Saudi Arabia
| | - Dana Almohazey
- Department of Stem Cell Research, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
| | - Saud H. AlDubayan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Martin H. Steinberg
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Amein Al-Ali
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
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22
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Li C, Georgakopoulou A, Newby GA, Everette KA, Nizamis E, Paschoudi K, Vlachaki E, Gil S, Anderson AK, Koob T, Huang L, Wang H, Kiem HP, Liu DR, Yannaki E, Lieber A. In vivo base editing by a single i.v. vector injection for treatment of hemoglobinopathies. JCI Insight 2022; 7:e162939. [PMID: 36006707 PMCID: PMC9675455 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.162939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with β-thalassemia or sickle cell disease and hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) possessing 30% fetal hemoglobin (HbF) appear to be symptom free. Here, we used a nonintegrating HDAd5/35++ vector expressing a highly efficient and accurate version of an adenine base editor (ABE8e) to install, in vivo, a -113 A>G HPFH mutation in the γ-globin promoters in healthy CD46/β-YAC mice carrying the human β-globin locus. Our in vivo hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) editing/selection strategy involves only s.c. and i.v. injections and does not require myeloablation and HSC transplantation. In vivo HSC base editing in CD46/β-YAC mice resulted in > 60% -113 A>G conversion, with 30% γ-globin of β-globin expressed in 70% of erythrocytes. Importantly, no off-target editing at sites predicted by CIRCLE-Seq or in silico was detected. Furthermore, no critical alterations in the transcriptome of in vivo edited mice were found by RNA-Seq. In vitro, in HSCs from β-thalassemia and patients with sickle cell disease, transduction with the base editor vector mediated efficient -113 A>G conversion and reactivation of γ-globin expression with subsequent phenotypic correction of erythroid cells. Because our in vivo base editing strategy is safe and technically simple, it has the potential for clinical application in developing countries where hemoglobinopathies are prevalent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang Li
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Aphrodite Georgakopoulou
- Gene and Cell Therapy Center, Hematology Department, George Papanicolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Gregory A. Newby
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Kelcee A. Everette
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Evangelos Nizamis
- Department of Computer Science and Biomedical Informatics, University of Thessaly, Lamia, Greece
| | - Kiriaki Paschoudi
- Gene and Cell Therapy Center, Hematology Department, George Papanicolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
- School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Efthymia Vlachaki
- Hematological Laboratory, Second Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Hippokration General Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Sucheol Gil
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Anna K. Anderson
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Theodore Koob
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Lishan Huang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Hongjie Wang
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Hans-Peter Kiem
- Stem and Gene Therapy Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - David R. Liu
- Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Evangelia Yannaki
- Gene and Cell Therapy Center, Hematology Department, George Papanicolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - André Lieber
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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Khamphikham P, Wongborisuth C, Pornprasert S, Tantiworawit A, Tangprasittipap A, Songdej D, Hongeng S. IOX1 Fails to Reduce α-Globin and Mediates γ-Globin Silencing in Adult β 0-Thalassemia/Hemoglobin E Erythroid Progenitor Cells. Exp Hematol 2022; 112-113:9-14.e7. [PMID: 35839944 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2022.07.004] [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: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 07/03/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The accumulation of unbound α-globin chains in red blood cells is a crucial pathophysiology of β-thalassemia. IOX1 (5-carboxy-8-hydroxyquinoline) is a broad-spectrum 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent oxygenase inhibitor that can reduce α-globin mRNA expression in human cord blood erythroid progenitor cells. Therefore, IOX1 has been proposed as a potential compound for β-thalassemia treatment through the decrease inα-globin chain synthesis. However, there is no empirical evidence regarding the consequences of IOX1 in β-thalassemia. In this study, the therapeutic effects of IOX1 were investigated in β0-thalassemia/hemoglobin E (HbE) erythroid progenitor cells during in vitro erythropoiesis. The results indicated that IOX1 had no impact on α-globin gene expression, but it led instead to significant decreases in γ-globin and fetal hemoglobin (HbF, α2γ2) production without affecting well-known globin regulators: KLF1, BCL11A, LRF, and GATA1. In addition, differential mRNA expression of several genes in the hypoxia response pathway revealed the induction of EGLN1, the PHD2-encoding gene, as a result of IOX1 treatment. These findings suggested that IOX1 fails to lower α-globin gene expression; on the contrary, it mediates γ-globin and HbF silencing in β0-thalassemia/HbE erythroid progenitor cells. Because of the negative correlation of EGLN1 and γ-globin gene expression after IOX1 treatment, repurposing IOX1 to study the hypoxia response pathway and γ-globin regulation may provide beneficial information for β-thalassemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pinyaphat Khamphikham
- Division of Clinical Microscopy, Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.
| | - Chokdee Wongborisuth
- Research Center, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Sakorn Pornprasert
- Division of Clinical Microscopy, Department of Medical Technology, Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Adisak Tantiworawit
- Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
| | - Amornrat Tangprasittipap
- Research Center, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Duantida Songdej
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Suradej Hongeng
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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Gao Z, Xiao J, Li X, Li C. [Hypoxia promotes erythroid differentiation of human K562 cells by upregulating endothelial PAS domain-containing protein 1 (EPAS1) expression]. Xi Bao Yu Fen Zi Mian Yi Xue Za Zhi 2022; 38:494-500. [PMID: 35732606] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Objective To investigate the role of endothelial PAS domain-containing protein 1 (EPAS1) gene encoded hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α) in erythroid differentiation of K562 human erythroleukemia cells under hypoxic conditions. Methods K562 cells were treated with 40 μmol/L of hemin and 0.1 ng/mL of cytarabine for erythroid differentiation. After normoxic and hypoxic(50 mL/L O2) incubation, the ratio of CD235a+CD71+ cells was detected by flow cytometry. The percentage of hemoglobin-positive cells was detected by benzidine staining. The level of cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8 assay. The mRNA and protein levels of EPAS1, insulin receptor substrate 2 (IRS2) and γ-globin were detected by real-time quantitative PCR and Wester blot analysis. Besides, the changes in the erythroid differentiation of K562 cells were evaluated after knockdown of EPAS1. Results Hypoxia promoted the erythroid differentiation of K562 cells and upregulated the expression of EPAS1. After EPAS1 kncokdown, the ratio of CD235a+CD71+ cells and hemoglobin-positive cells decreased, and the expressions of IRS2 and γ-globin declined significantly. Conclusion Hypoxia can significantly up-regulate the expression of EPAS1 in K562 cells and promote the erythroid differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhan Gao
- Air Force Clinical College, Anhui Medical University, Beijing 100142; Department of Transfusion, Air Force Medical Center, Beijing 100142, China
| | - Jun Xiao
- Department of Transfusion, Air Force Medical Center, Beijing 100142, China
| | - Xiaowei Li
- Department of Transfusion, Air Force Medical Center, Beijing 100142, China
| | - Cuiying Li
- Air Force Clinical College, Anhui Medical University, Beijing 100142; Department of Transfusion, Air Force Medical Center, Beijing 100142, China. *Corresponding author, E-mail:
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Khan F, Ali H, Musharraf SG. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate-mediated γ-globin induction is correlated with the suppression of trans-acting factors in CD34 + progenitor cells: A role in the reactivation of fetal hemoglobin. Eur J Pharmacol 2022; 927:175036. [PMID: 35618038 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2022.175036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Sickle-cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia are public health issues that affect people all over the world. Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) induction is a molecular intervention, including hydroxyurea, which has made an effort to improve current treatment. Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) is formerly reported with improving levels of hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular volume (MCV). Hence, in this preclinical investigation, human peripheral whole blood-derived CD34+ progenitor cells were cultured to prove the efficacy of TDF on erythroid proliferation, differentiation, γ-globin gene expression regulation, and ultimately HbF production. We observed that TDF increased the proliferation of immature erythroid cells, delayed the terminal erythroid maturation without cytotoxicity as correlated with other HbF inducers. Here, the presented data show that TDF can induce HbF expression by up-regulating the γ-globin gene transcription up to 7.1 ± 0.46-fold and subsequently increased the F-cells (10.79 ± 1.9-fold) population in terminally differentiated erythroid cells. Furthermore, our findings demonstrated that TDF-mediated γ-globin gene induction and HbF production was associated with down-fold regulation of BCL11A and SOX6, and their corresponding trans-acting regulators, FOP, KLF1, and GATA1. Collectively, our findings suggest TDF as an effective inducer of HbF in CD34+ cells and pave the way to put forward the assessment of TDF as a new potential therapy in treating β-hemoglobinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faisal Khan
- Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan
| | - Hamad Ali
- Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan; Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Shifa College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan
| | - Syed Ghulam Musharraf
- Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan; H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, Karachi, 75270, Pakistan.
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26
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Ma SP, Gao XX, Zhou GQ, Zhang HK, Yang JM, Wang WJ, Song XM, Chen HY, Lu DR. Reactivation of γ-globin expression using a minicircle DNA system to treat β-thalassemia. Gene 2022; 820:146289. [PMID: 35143940 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2022.146289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Reactivation of fetal hemoglobin by editing the B-cell lymphoma/leukemia 11A (BCL11A) erythroid enhancer is an effective gene therapy for β-thalassemia. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, fetal γ-globin expression can be robustly reactivated to mitigate the clinical course of β-thalassemia. In our study, we found that the transfection efficiencies of CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) were significantly and negatively correlated with the length of plasmids and greatly affected by the linearization of plasmids. Furthermore, the transgene expression of minicircles (MC) without plasmid backbone sequences was better both in vitro and in vivo compared with conventional plasmids. Thus, MC DNA was used to deliver the cassette of Staphylococcus aureus Cas9 (SaCas9) into HSPCs, and a single-guide RNA targeting the erythroid enhancer region of BCL11A was selected. After electroporation with MC DNA, an evident efficiency of gene editing and reactivation of γ-globin expression in erythroblasts derived from unsorted HSPCs was acquired. No significant off-target effects were found by deep sequencing. Furthermore, fragments derived from lentiviral vectors, but not MC DNA, were highly enriched in promoter, exon, intron, distal-intergenic, and cancer-associated genes, indicating that MC DNA provided a relatively safe and efficient vector for delivering transgenes. The developed MC DNA vector provided a potential approach for the delivery of SaCas9 cassette and the reactivation of γ-globin expression for ameliorating syndromes of β-thalassemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuang-Ping Ma
- Institutes of Health Central Plains, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Xu-Xia Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Guo-Qiang Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hao-Kun Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing-Min Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen-Juan Wang
- Department of Hematology, the first affiliated hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Xian-Min Song
- Department of Hematology, Shanghai General Hospital (affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University), Shanghai, China.
| | - Hong-Yan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
| | - Da-Ru Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering and MOE Engineering Research Center of Gene Technology, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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27
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Li Y, Zaheri S, Nguyen K, Liu L, Hassanipour F, Pace BS, Bleris L. Machine learning-based approaches for identifying human blood cells harboring CRISPR-mediated fetal chromatin domain ablations. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1481. [PMID: 35087158 PMCID: PMC8795181 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05575-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Two common hemoglobinopathies, sickle cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia, arise from genetic mutations within the β-globin gene. In this work, we identified a 500-bp motif (Fetal Chromatin Domain, FCD) upstream of human ϒ-globin locus and showed that the removal of this motif using CRISPR technology reactivates the expression of ϒ-globin. Next, we present two different cell morphology-based machine learning approaches that can be used identify human blood cells (KU-812) that harbor CRISPR-mediated FCD genetic modifications. Three candidate models from the first approach, which uses multilayer perceptron algorithm (MLP 20-26, MLP26-18, and MLP 30-26) and flow cytometry-derived cellular data, yielded 0.83 precision, 0.80 recall, 0.82 accuracy, and 0.90 area under the ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve when predicting the edited cells. In comparison, the candidate model from the second approach, which uses deep learning (T2D5) and DIC microscopy-derived imaging data, performed with less accuracy (0.80) and ROC AUC (0.87). We envision that equivalent machine learning-based models can complement currently available genotyping protocols for specific genetic modifications which result in morphological changes in human cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Li
- Bioengineering Department, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.
- Center for Systems Biology, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.
| | - Shadi Zaheri
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Khai Nguyen
- Bioengineering Department, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
- Center for Systems Biology, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Li Liu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Fatemeh Hassanipour
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA
| | - Betty S Pace
- Department of Pediatrics, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, USA
| | - Leonidas Bleris
- Bioengineering Department, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.
- Center for Systems Biology, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA.
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28
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Psatha N, Georgakopoulou A, Li C, Nandakumar V, Georgolopoulos G, Acosta R, Paschoudi K, Nelson J, Chee D, Athanasiadou A, Kouvatsi A, Funnell APW, Lieber A, Yannaki E, Papayannopoulou T. Enhanced HbF reactivation by multiplex mutagenesis of thalassemic CD34+ cells in vitro and in vivo. Blood 2021; 138:1540-1553. [PMID: 34086867 PMCID: PMC8554647 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2020010020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Thalassemia or sickle cell patients with hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) have an ameliorated clinical phenotype and, in some cases, can achieve transfusion independence. Inactivation via genome editing of γ-globin developmental suppressors, such as BCL11A or LRF/ZBTB7A, or of their binding sites, have been shown to significantly increase expression of endogenous HbF. To broaden the therapeutic window beyond a single-editing approach, we have explored combinations of cis- and trans-editing targets to enhance HbF reactivation. Multiplex mutagenesis in adult CD34+ cells was well tolerated and did not lead to any detectable defect in the cells' proliferation and differentiation, either in vitro or in vivo. The combination of 1 trans and 1 cis mutation resulted in high editing retention in vivo, coupled with almost pancellular HbF expression in NBSGW mice. The greater in vivo performance of this combination was also recapitulated using a novel helper-dependent adenoviral-CRISPR vector (HD-Ad-dualCRISPR) in CD34+ cells from β-thalassemia patients transplanted to NBSGW mice. A pronounced increase in HbF expression was observed in human red blood cells in mice with established predominant β0/β0-thalassemic hemopoiesis after in vivo injection of the HD-Ad-dualCRISPR vector. Collectively, our data suggest that the combination of cis and trans fetal globin reactivation mutations has the potential to significantly increase HbF both totally and on a per cell basis over single editing and could thus provide significant clinical benefit to patients with severe β-globin phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aphrodite Georgakopoulou
- School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Gene and Cell Therapy Center, Hematology Department-Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Unit, George Papanikolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece; and
| | - Chang Li
- Division of Medical Genetics and
| | | | | | - Reyes Acosta
- Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA
| | - Kiriaki Paschoudi
- School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Gene and Cell Therapy Center, Hematology Department-Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Unit, George Papanikolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece; and
| | - Jemma Nelson
- Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA
| | - Daniel Chee
- Altius Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Seattle, WA
| | - Anastasia Athanasiadou
- Gene and Cell Therapy Center, Hematology Department-Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Unit, George Papanikolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece; and
| | - Anastasia Kouvatsi
- School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | | | | - Evangelia Yannaki
- Gene and Cell Therapy Center, Hematology Department-Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Unit, George Papanikolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece; and
- Division of Hematology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
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29
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Li X, Chen M, Liu B, Lu P, Lv X, Zhao X, Cui S, Xu P, Nakamura Y, Kurita R, Chen B, Huang DCS, Liu DP, Liu M, Zhao Q. Transcriptional silencing of fetal hemoglobin expression by NonO. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:9711-9723. [PMID: 34379783 PMCID: PMC8464040 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Human fetal globin (γ-globin) genes are developmentally silenced after birth, and reactivation of γ-globin expression in adulthood ameliorates symptoms of hemoglobin disorders, such as sickle cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia. However, the mechanisms by which γ-globin expression is precisely regulated are still incompletely understood. Here, we found that NonO (non-POU domain-containing octamer-binding protein) interacted directly with SOX6, and repressed the expression of γ-globin gene in human erythroid cells. We showed that NonO bound to the octamer binding motif, ATGCAAAT, of the γ-globin proximal promoter, resulting in inhibition of γ-globin transcription. Depletion of NonO resulted in significant activation of γ-globin expression in K562, HUDEP-2, and primary human erythroid progenitor cells. To confirm the role of NonO in vivo, we further generated a conditional knockout of NonO by using IFN-inducible Mx1-Cre transgenic mice. We found that induced NonO deletion reactivated murine embryonic globin and human γ-globin gene expression in adult β-YAC mice, suggesting a conserved role for NonO during mammalian evolution. Thus, our data indicate that NonO acts as a novel transcriptional repressor of γ-globin gene expression through direct promoter binding, and is essential for γ-globin gene silencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Li
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Mengxia Chen
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Biru Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Peifen Lu
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiang Lv
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Xiang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Shuaiying Cui
- Section of Hematology-Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peipei Xu
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yukio Nakamura
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan
| | - Ryo Kurita
- Department of Research and Development, Central Blood Institute, Japanese Red Cross Society, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Bing Chen
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - David C S Huang
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Department of Medical Biology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - De-Pei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Ming Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Quan Zhao
- The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Department of Hematology and Urology, the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, China-Australia Institute of Translational Medicine, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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30
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Pace BS, Perrine S, Li B, Makala L, Xu H, Takezaki M, Wolf RF, Wang A, Xu X, Huang J, Alimardanov A, Tawa GJ, Sangerman J, Faller A, Zheng W, Toney L, Haugabook SJ. Benserazide racemate and enantiomers induce fetal globin gene expression in vivo: Studies to guide clinical development for beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease. Blood Cells Mol Dis 2021; 89:102561. [PMID: 33744514 PMCID: PMC8409227 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcmd.2021.102561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Increased expression of developmentally silenced fetal globin (HBG) reduces the clinical severity of β-hemoglobinopathies. Benserazide has a relatively benign safety profile having been approved for 50 years in Europe and Canada for Parkinson's disease treatment. Benserazide was shown to activate HBG gene transcription in a high throughput screen, and subsequent studies confirmed fetal hemoglobin (HbF) induction in erythroid progenitors from hemoglobinopathy patients, transgenic mice containing the entire human β-globin gene (β-YAC) and anemic baboons. The goal of this study is to evaluate efficacies and plasma exposure profiles of benserazide racemate and its enantiomers to select the chemical form for clinical development. Intermittent treatment with all forms of benserazide in β-YAC mice significantly increased proportions of red blood cells expressing HbF and HbF protein per cell with similar pharmacokinetic profiles and with no cytopenia. These data contribute to the regulatory justification for development of the benserazide racemate. Additionally, dose ranges and frequencies required for HbF induction using racemic benserazide were explored. Orally administered escalating doses of benserazide in an anemic baboon induced γ-globin mRNA up to 13-fold and establish an intermittent dose regimen for clinical studies as a therapeutic candidate for potential treatment of β-hemoglobinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Betty S Pace
- Department of Pediatrics, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Susan Perrine
- Phoenicia BioSciences, Weston, MA 02493, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Hemoglobinopathy Thalassemia Research Unit, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Biaoru Li
- Department of Pediatrics, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Levi Makala
- Department of Pediatrics, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Hongyan Xu
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Mayuko Takezaki
- Department of Pediatrics, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA
| | - Roman F Wolf
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA
| | - Amy Wang
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) Program, Therapeutic Development Branch, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Xin Xu
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) Program, Therapeutic Development Branch, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Junfeng Huang
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) Program, Therapeutic Development Branch, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Asaf Alimardanov
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) Program, Therapeutic Development Branch, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Gregory J Tawa
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) Program, Therapeutic Development Branch, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jose Sangerman
- Phoenicia BioSciences, Weston, MA 02493, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Hemoglobinopathy Thalassemia Research Unit, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Aidan Faller
- Phoenicia BioSciences, Weston, MA 02493, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Hemoglobinopathy Thalassemia Research Unit, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Wei Zheng
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) Program, Therapeutic Development Branch, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - London Toney
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) Program, Therapeutic Development Branch, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Sharie J Haugabook
- Division of Preclinical Innovation, Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases (TRND) Program, Therapeutic Development Branch, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
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31
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Gilmartin AG, Groy A, Gore ER, Atkins C, Long ER, Montoute MN, Wu Z, Halsey W, McNulty DE, Ennulat D, Rueda L, Pappalardi MB, Kruger RG, McCabe MT, Raoof A, Butlin R, Stowell A, Cockerill M, Waddell I, Ogilvie D, Luengo J, Jordan A, Benowitz AB. In vitro and in vivo induction of fetal hemoglobin with a reversible and selective DNMT1 inhibitor. Haematologica 2021; 106:1979-1987. [PMID: 32586904 PMCID: PMC8252945 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2020.248658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Pharmacological induction of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) expression is an effective therapeutic strategy for the management of beta-hemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell disease. DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitors 5-azacytidine (5-aza) and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (decitabine) have been shown to induce fetal hemoglobin expression in both preclinical models and clinical studies, but are not currently approved for the management of hemoglobinopathies. We report here the discovery of a novel class of orally bioavailable DNMT1-selective inhibitors as exemplified by GSK3482364. This molecule potently inhibits the methyltransferase activity of DNMT1, but not DNMT family members DNMT3A or DNMT3B. In contrast with cytidine analog DNMT inhibitors, the DNMT1 inhibitory mechanism of GSK3482364 does not require DNA incorporation and is reversible. In cultured human erythroid progenitor cells (EPCs), GSK3482364 decreased overall DNA methylation resulting in de-repression of the gamma globin genes HBG1 and HBG2 and increased HbF expression. In a transgenic mouse model of sickle cell disease, orally administered GSK3482364 caused significant increases in both HbF levels and in the percentage HbF-expressing erythrocytes, with good overall tolerability. We conclude that in these preclinical models, selective, reversible inhibition of DNMT1 is sufficient for the induction of HbF, and is well-tolerated. We anticipate that GSK3482364 will be a useful tool molecule for the further study of selective DNMT1 inhibition both in vitro and in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Arthur Groy
- GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, PA, USA and
| | | | - Charity Atkins
- GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, PA, USA and
| | - Edward R. Long
- GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, PA, USA and
| | | | - Zining Wu
- GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, PA, USA and
| | - Wendy Halsey
- GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, PA, USA and
| | | | | | - Lourdes Rueda
- GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, PA, USA and
| | | | - Ryan G. Kruger
- GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, PA, USA and
| | | | - Ali Raoof
- Drug Discovery Unit, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, UK
| | - Roger Butlin
- Drug Discovery Unit, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, UK
| | - Alexandra Stowell
- Drug Discovery Unit, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, UK
| | - Mark Cockerill
- Drug Discovery Unit, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, UK
| | - Ian Waddell
- Drug Discovery Unit, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, UK
| | - Donald Ogilvie
- Drug Discovery Unit, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, UK
| | - Juan Luengo
- GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, Pennsylvania, PA, USA and
| | - Allan Jordan
- Drug Discovery Unit, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, University of Manchester, Alderley Park, Manchester, UK
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32
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Papasavva PL, Papaioannou NY, Patsali P, Kurita R, Nakamura Y, Sitarou M, Christou S, Kleanthous M, Lederer CW. Distinct miRNA Signatures and Networks Discern Fetal from Adult Erythroid Differentiation and Primary from Immortalized Erythroid Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:3626. [PMID: 33807258 PMCID: PMC8037168 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22073626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs crucial for post-transcriptional and translational regulation of cellular and developmental pathways. The study of miRNAs in erythropoiesis elucidates underlying regulatory mechanisms and facilitates related diagnostic and therapy development. Here, we used DNA Nanoball (DNB) small RNA sequencing to comprehensively characterize miRNAs in human erythroid cell cultures. Based on primary human peripheral-blood-derived CD34+ (hCD34+) cells and two influential erythroid cell lines with adult and fetal hemoglobin expression patterns, HUDEP-2 and HUDEP-1, respectively, our study links differential miRNA expression to erythroid differentiation, cell type, and hemoglobin expression profile. Sequencing results validated by reverse-transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) of selected miRNAs indicate shared differentiation signatures in primary and immortalized cells, characterized by reduced overall miRNA expression and reciprocal expression increases for individual lineage-specific miRNAs in late-stage erythropoiesis. Despite the high similarity of same-stage hCD34+ and HUDEP-2 cells, differential expression of several miRNAs highlighted informative discrepancies between both cell types. Moreover, a comparison between HUDEP-2 and HUDEP-1 cells displayed changes in miRNAs, transcription factors (TFs), target genes, and pathways associated with globin switching. In resulting TF-miRNA co-regulatory networks, major therapeutically relevant regulators of globin expression were targeted by many co-expressed miRNAs, outlining intricate combinatorial miRNA regulation of globin expression in erythroid cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panayiota L. Papasavva
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (N.Y.P.); (P.P.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Nikoletta Y. Papaioannou
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (N.Y.P.); (P.P.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Petros Patsali
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (N.Y.P.); (P.P.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Ryo Kurita
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan; (R.K.); (Y.N.)
| | - Yukio Nakamura
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan; (R.K.); (Y.N.)
| | - Maria Sitarou
- Thalassemia Clinic Larnaca, Larnaca General Hospital, Larnaca 6301, Cyprus;
| | - Soteroulla Christou
- Thalassemia Clinic Nicosia, Archbishop Makarios III Hospital, Nicosia 1474, Cyprus;
| | - Marina Kleanthous
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (N.Y.P.); (P.P.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
| | - Carsten W. Lederer
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus; (P.L.P.); (N.Y.P.); (P.P.); (M.K.)
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia 2371, Cyprus
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33
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Bottardi S, Milot E. An early start of Coup-TFII promotes γ-globin gene expression in adult erythroid cells. Haematologica 2021; 106:335-336. [PMID: 33522785 PMCID: PMC7849336 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2020.266791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Bottardi
- Maisonneuve Rosemont Hospital Research Center, CIUSSS Est de l'Île de Montréal, Montréal
| | - Eric Milot
- Maisonneuve Rosemont Hospital Research Center, CIUSSS Est de l'Île de Montréal, Montréal; Department of Medicine, University of Montreal, Montréal, Québec.
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34
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Esrick EB, Lehmann LE, Biffi A, Achebe M, Brendel C, Ciuculescu MF, Daley H, MacKinnon B, Morris E, Federico A, Abriss D, Boardman K, Khelladi R, Shaw K, Negre H, Negre O, Nikiforow S, Ritz J, Pai SY, London WB, Dansereau C, Heeney MM, Armant M, Manis JP, Williams DA. Post-Transcriptional Genetic Silencing of BCL11A to Treat Sickle Cell Disease. N Engl J Med 2021; 384:205-215. [PMID: 33283990 PMCID: PMC7962145 DOI: 10.1056/nejmoa2029392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 207] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sickle cell disease is characterized by hemolytic anemia, pain, and progressive organ damage. A high level of erythrocyte fetal hemoglobin (HbF) comprising α- and γ-globins may ameliorate these manifestations by mitigating sickle hemoglobin polymerization and erythrocyte sickling. BCL11A is a repressor of γ-globin expression and HbF production in adult erythrocytes. Its down-regulation is a promising therapeutic strategy for induction of HbF. METHODS We enrolled patients with sickle cell disease in a single-center, open-label pilot study. The investigational therapy involved infusion of autologous CD34+ cells transduced with the BCH-BB694 lentiviral vector, which encodes a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting BCL11A mRNA embedded in a microRNA (shmiR), allowing erythroid lineage-specific knockdown. Patients were assessed for primary end points of engraftment and safety and for hematologic and clinical responses to treatment. RESULTS As of October 2020, six patients had been followed for at least 6 months after receiving BCH-BB694 gene therapy; median follow-up was 18 months (range, 7 to 29). All patients had engraftment, and adverse events were consistent with effects of the preparative chemotherapy. All the patients who could be fully evaluated achieved robust and stable HbF induction (percentage HbF/(F+S) at most recent follow-up, 20.4 to 41.3%), with HbF broadly distributed in red cells (F-cells 58.9 to 93.6% of untransfused red cells) and HbF per F-cell of 9.0 to 18.6 pg per cell. Clinical manifestations of sickle cell disease were reduced or absent during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS This study validates BCL11A inhibition as an effective target for HbF induction and provides preliminary evidence that shmiR-based gene knockdown offers a favorable risk-benefit profile in sickle cell disease. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03282656).
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica B Esrick
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Leslie E Lehmann
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Alessandra Biffi
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Maureen Achebe
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Christian Brendel
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Marioara F Ciuculescu
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Heather Daley
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Brenda MacKinnon
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Emily Morris
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Amy Federico
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Daniela Abriss
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Kari Boardman
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Radia Khelladi
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Kit Shaw
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Helene Negre
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Olivier Negre
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Sarah Nikiforow
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Jerome Ritz
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Sung-Yun Pai
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Wendy B London
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Colleen Dansereau
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Matthew M Heeney
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - Myriam Armant
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - John P Manis
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
| | - David A Williams
- From the Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Harvard Medical School (E.B.E., L.E.L., A.B., C.B., M.F.C., B.M., K.B., S.-Y.P., W.B.L., C.D., M.M.H., D.A.W.), the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School (A.B., C.B.), the Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (A.B., M.F.C., B.M., E.M., A.F., S.-Y.P., C.D., D.A.W.), the Division of Hematology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (M. Achebe), the Connell and O'Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (H.D., R.K., K.S., H.N., S.N., J.R.), the TransLab, Boston Children's Hospital (D.A., M. Armant), and the Department of Laboratory Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (J.P.M.) - all in Boston; and Bluebird Bio, Cambridge, MA (O.N.)
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Venkatesan V, Srinivasan S, Babu P, Thangavel S. Manipulation of Developmental Gamma-Globin Gene Expression: an Approach for Healing Hemoglobinopathies. Mol Cell Biol 2020; 41:e00253-20. [PMID: 33077498 PMCID: PMC7849396 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.00253-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
β-Hemoglobinopathies are the most common monogenic disorders, and a century of research has provided us with a better understanding of the attributes of these diseases. Allogenic stem cell transplantation was the only potentially curative option available for these diseases until the discovery of gene therapy. The findings on the protective nature of fetal hemoglobin in sickle cell disease (SCD) and thalassemia patients carrying hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) mutations has given us the best evidence that the cure for β-hemoglobinopathies remains hidden in the hemoglobin locus. The detailed understanding of the developmental gene regulation of gamma-globin (γ-globin) and the emergence of gene manipulation strategies offer us the opportunity for developing a γ-globin gene-modified autologous stem cell transplantation therapy. In this review, we summarize different therapeutic strategies that reactivate fetal hemoglobin for the gene therapy of β-hemoglobinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vigneshwaran Venkatesan
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR), InStem Bengaluru, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Saranya Srinivasan
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR), InStem Bengaluru, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Prathibha Babu
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR), InStem Bengaluru, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
- Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
| | - Saravanabhavan Thangavel
- Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR), InStem Bengaluru, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
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Breveglieri G, Pacifico S, Zuccato C, Cosenza LC, Sultan S, D’Aversa E, Gambari R, Preti D, Trapella C, Guerrini R, Borgatti M. Discovery of Novel Fetal Hemoglobin Inducers through Small Chemical Library Screening. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E7426. [PMID: 33050052 PMCID: PMC7582302 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21197426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The screening of chemical libraries based on cellular biosensors is a useful approach to identify new hits for novel therapeutic targets involved in rare genetic pathologies, such as β-thalassemia and sickle cell disease. In particular, pharmacologically mediated stimulation of human γ-globin gene expression, and increase of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) production, have been suggested as potential therapeutic strategies for these hemoglobinopathies. In this article, we screened a small chemical library, constituted of 150 compounds, using the cellular biosensor K562.GR, carrying enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) and red fluorescence protein (RFP) genes under the control of the human γ-globin and β-globin gene promoters, respectively. Then the identified compounds were analyzed as HbF inducers on primary cell cultures, obtained from β-thalassemia patients, confirming their activity as HbF inducers, and suggesting these molecules as lead compounds for further chemical and biological investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Breveglieri
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 74, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (G.B.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.); (S.S.); (E.D.); (R.G.)
| | - Salvatore Pacifico
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (S.P.); (D.P.); (C.T.)
| | - Cristina Zuccato
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 74, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (G.B.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.); (S.S.); (E.D.); (R.G.)
| | - Lucia Carmela Cosenza
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 74, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (G.B.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.); (S.S.); (E.D.); (R.G.)
| | - Shaiq Sultan
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 74, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (G.B.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.); (S.S.); (E.D.); (R.G.)
| | - Elisabetta D’Aversa
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 74, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (G.B.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.); (S.S.); (E.D.); (R.G.)
| | - Roberto Gambari
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 74, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (G.B.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.); (S.S.); (E.D.); (R.G.)
| | - Delia Preti
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (S.P.); (D.P.); (C.T.)
| | - Claudio Trapella
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (S.P.); (D.P.); (C.T.)
| | - Remo Guerrini
- Department of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Via Luigi Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (S.P.); (D.P.); (C.T.)
| | - Monica Borgatti
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 74, 44121 Ferrara, Italy; (G.B.); (C.Z.); (L.C.C.); (S.S.); (E.D.); (R.G.)
- Center of Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 64b, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The current review focuses on recent insights into the development of small molecule therapeutics to treat the β-globinopathies. RECENT FINDINGS Recent studies of fetal γ-globin gene regulation reveal multiple insights into how γ-globin gene reactivation may lead to novel treatment for β-globinopathies. SUMMARY We summarize current information regarding the binding of transcription factors that appear to be impeded or augmented by different hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) mutations. As transcription factors have historically proven to be difficult to target for therapeutic purposes, we next address the contributions of protein complexes associated with these HPFH mutation-affected transcription factors with the aim of defining proteins that might provide additional targets for chemical molecules to inactivate the corepressors. Among the enzymes associated with the transcription factor complexes, a group of corepressors with currently available inhibitors were initially thought to be good candidates for potential therapeutic purposes. We discuss possibilities for pharmacological inhibition of these corepressor enzymes that might significantly reactivate fetal γ-globin gene expression. Finally, we summarize the current clinical trial data regarding the inhibition of select corepressor proteins for the treatment of sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Yu
- Departments of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - Greggory Myers
- Departments of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
| | - James Douglas Engel
- Departments of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, 109 Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
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Weber L, Frati G, Felix T, Hardouin G, Casini A, Wollenschlaeger C, Meneghini V, Masson C, De Cian A, Chalumeau A, Mavilio F, Amendola M, Andre-Schmutz I, Cereseto A, El Nemer W, Concordet JP, Giovannangeli C, Cavazzana M, Miccio A. Editing a γ-globin repressor binding site restores fetal hemoglobin synthesis and corrects the sickle cell disease phenotype. Sci Adv 2020; 6:6/7/eaay9392. [PMID: 32917636 PMCID: PMC7015694 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aay9392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is caused by a single amino acid change in the adult hemoglobin (Hb) β chain that causes Hb polymerization and red blood cell (RBC) sickling. The co-inheritance of mutations causing fetal γ-globin production in adult life hereditary persistence of fetal Hb (HPFH) reduces the clinical severity of SCD. HPFH mutations in the HBG γ-globin promoters disrupt binding sites for the repressors BCL11A and LRF. We used CRISPR-Cas9 to mimic HPFH mutations in the HBG promoters by generating insertions and deletions, leading to disruption of known and putative repressor binding sites. Editing of the LRF-binding site in patient-derived hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) resulted in γ-globin derepression and correction of the sickling phenotype. Xenotransplantation of HSPCs treated with gRNAs targeting the LRF-binding site showed a high editing efficiency in repopulating HSPCs. This study identifies the LRF-binding site as a potent target for genome-editing treatment of SCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie Weber
- Laboratory of Human Lymphohematopoiesis, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France
- Paris Diderot University-Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France
| | - Giacomo Frati
- Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France
- Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | - Tristan Felix
- Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France
- Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | - Giulia Hardouin
- Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France
- Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | | | - Clara Wollenschlaeger
- Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France
- Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | - Vasco Meneghini
- Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France
- Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | - Cecile Masson
- Paris-Descartes Bioinformatics Platform, Imagine Institute, Paris 75015, France
| | - Anne De Cian
- INSERM U1154, CNRS UMR7196, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Anne Chalumeau
- Laboratory of Human Lymphohematopoiesis, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France
- Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France
- Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | - Fulvio Mavilio
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
- Audentes Therapeutics, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | - Isabelle Andre-Schmutz
- Laboratory of Human Lymphohematopoiesis, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France
- Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | | | - Wassim El Nemer
- Biologie Intégrée du Globule Rouge UMR_S1134, Inserm, Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Univ. de la Réunion, Univ. des Antilles, Paris, France
- Institut National de la Transfusion Sanguine, F-75015 Paris, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence GR-Ex, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Paul Concordet
- INSERM U1154, CNRS UMR7196, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | | | - Marina Cavazzana
- Laboratory of Human Lymphohematopoiesis, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France
- Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
- Biotherapy Department, Necker Children's Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Annarita Miccio
- Laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development, INSERM UMR1163, Paris, France.
- Paris Descartes-Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
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39
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Métais JY, Doerfler PA, Mayuranathan T, Bauer DE, Fowler SC, Hsieh MM, Katta V, Keriwala S, Lazzarotto CR, Luk K, Neel MD, Perry SS, Peters ST, Porter SN, Ryu BY, Sharma A, Shea D, Tisdale JF, Uchida N, Wolfe SA, Woodard KJ, Wu Y, Yao Y, Zeng J, Pruett-Miller S, Tsai SQ, Weiss MJ. Genome editing of HBG1 and HBG2 to induce fetal hemoglobin. Blood Adv 2019; 3:3379-3392. [PMID: 31698466 PMCID: PMC6855127 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2019000820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Induction of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) via clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9-mediated disruption of DNA regulatory elements that repress γ-globin gene (HBG1 and HBG2) expression is a promising therapeutic strategy for sickle cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia, although the optimal technical approaches and limiting toxicities are not yet fully defined. We disrupted an HBG1/HBG2 gene promoter motif that is bound by the transcriptional repressor BCL11A. Electroporation of Cas9 single guide RNA ribonucleoprotein complex into normal and SCD donor CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells resulted in high frequencies of on-target mutations and the induction of HbF to potentially therapeutic levels in erythroid progeny generated in vitro and in vivo after transplantation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells into nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency/Il2rγ-/-/KitW41/W41 immunodeficient mice. On-target editing did not impair CD34+ cell regeneration or differentiation into erythroid, T, B, or myeloid cell lineages at 16 to 17 weeks after xenotransplantation. No off-target mutations were detected by targeted sequencing of candidate sites identified by circularization for in vitro reporting of cleavage effects by sequencing (CIRCLE-seq), an in vitro genome-scale method for detecting Cas9 activity. Engineered Cas9 containing 3 nuclear localization sequences edited human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells more efficiently and consistently than conventional Cas9 with 2 nuclear localization sequences. Our studies provide novel and essential preclinical evidence supporting the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of a mechanism-based approach to induce HbF for treating hemoglobinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Yves Métais
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Phillip A Doerfler
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | | | - Daniel E Bauer
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
| | - Stephanie C Fowler
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Matthew M Hsieh
- Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD
| | - Varun Katta
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Sagar Keriwala
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Cicera R Lazzarotto
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Kevin Luk
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA; and
| | | | | | | | | | - Byoung Y Ryu
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Akshay Sharma
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Devlin Shea
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - John F Tisdale
- Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD
| | - Naoya Uchida
- Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD
| | - Scot A Wolfe
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA; and
| | - Kaitly J Woodard
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Yuxuan Wu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | - Yu Yao
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Jing Zeng
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA
| | | | - Shengdar Q Tsai
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Mitchell J Weiss
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
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40
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Dai Y, Shaikho EM, Perez J, Wilson CA, Liu LY, White MR, Farrell JJ, Chui DHK, Sebastiani P, Steinberg MH. BCL2L1 is associated with γ-globin gene expression. Blood Adv 2019; 3:2995-3001. [PMID: 31648320 PMCID: PMC6849934 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2019032243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) expression is partially governed by the trans-acting quantitative trait loci BCL11A and MYB and a cis-acting locus linked to the HBB gene cluster. Our previous analysis of the Genotype-Tissue Expression database suggested that BCL2L1 was associated with HbF gene expression. In erythroid progenitors from patients with sickle cell disease, BCL2L1 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were positively correlated with HBG mRNA and total HbF concentration (r2 = 0.72, P = .047 and r2 = 0.68, P = .01, respectively). Inhibition of BCL2L1 protein activity in HbF-expressing HUDEP-1 cells decreased HBG expression in a dose-dependent manner. Overexpression of BCL2L1 in these cells increased HBG expression fourfold (P < .05) and increased F cells by 13% (P < .05). Overexpression of BCL2L1 in erythroid progenitors derived from primary adult CD34+ cells upregulated HBG expression 11-fold (P < .05), increased F cells by 18% (P < .01), did not significantly affect cell differentiation or proliferation, and had a minor effect on survival. Although the mechanism remains unknown, our results suggest that BCL2L1 is associated with HbF gene activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Dai
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Elmutaz M Shaikho
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
- Bioinformatics Program, Boston University, Boston, MA; and
| | - Jessica Perez
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Carolyn A Wilson
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Lesley Y Liu
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Mitchell R White
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - John J Farrell
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - David H K Chui
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Paola Sebastiani
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Martin H Steinberg
- Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
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41
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Uchida N, Nassehi T, Drysdale CM, Gamer J, Yapundich M, Bonifacino AC, Krouse AE, Linde N, Hsieh MM, Donahue RE, Dunbar CE, Kean LS, Tisdale JF. Busulfan Combined with Immunosuppression Allows Efficient Engraftment of Gene-Modified Cells in a Rhesus Macaque Model. Mol Ther 2019; 27:1586-1596. [PMID: 31253582 PMCID: PMC6731177 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2019.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Revised: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Busulfan conditioning is utilized for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) depletion in the context of HSC gene-therapy conditioning but may result in insufficient immunosuppression. In this study, we evaluated whether additional immunosuppression is required for efficient engraftment of gene-modified cells using a rhesus HSC lentiviral gene-therapy model. We transduced half of rhesus CD34+ cells with an enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP)-encoding vector (immunogenic) and the other half with a γ-globin-encoding vector (no predicted immunogenicity). After autologous transplantation of both transduced cell populations following myeloablative busulfan conditioning (5.5 mg/kg/day for 4 days), we observed immunological rejection of GFP-transduced cells up to 3 months post-transplant and stable engraftment of γ-globin-transduced cells in two animals, demonstrating that ablative busulfan conditioning is sufficient for engraftment of gene-modified cells producing non-immunogenic proteins but insufficient to permit engraftment of immunogenic proteins. We then added immunosuppression with abatacept and sirolimus to busulfan conditioning and observed engraftment of both GFP- and γ-globin-transduced cells in two animals, demonstrating that additional immunosuppression allows for engraftment of gene-modified cells expressing immunogenic proteins. In conclusion, myeloablative busulfan conditioning should permit engraftment of gene-modified cells producing non-immunogenic proteins, while additional immunosuppression is required to prevent immunological rejection of a neoantigen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Uchida
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI)/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tina Nassehi
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI)/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Claire M Drysdale
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI)/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Jackson Gamer
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI)/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Morgan Yapundich
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI)/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | | - Allen E Krouse
- Translational Stem Cell Biology Branch, NHLBI, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Nathaniel Linde
- Translational Stem Cell Biology Branch, NHLBI, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Matthew M Hsieh
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI)/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Robert E Donahue
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI)/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Cynthia E Dunbar
- Translational Stem Cell Biology Branch, NHLBI, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Leslie S Kean
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John F Tisdale
- Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics Branch, National Heart Lung and Blood Institutes (NHLBI)/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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42
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Woo AJ, Patry CAA, Ghamari A, Pregernig G, Yuan D, Zheng K, Piers T, Hibbs M, Li J, Fidalgo M, Wang JY, Lee JH, Leedman PJ, Wang J, Fraenkel E, Cantor AB. Zfp281 (ZBP-99) plays a functionally redundant role with Zfp148 (ZBP-89) during erythroid development. Blood Adv 2019; 3:2499-2511. [PMID: 31455666 PMCID: PMC6712527 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2018030551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2018] [Accepted: 06/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Erythroid maturation requires the concerted action of a core set of transcription factors. We previously identified the Krüppel-type zinc finger transcription factor Zfp148 (also called ZBP-89) as an interacting partner of the master erythroid transcription factor GATA1. Here we report the conditional knockout of Zfp148 in mice. Global loss of Zfp148 results in perinatal lethality from nonhematologic causes. Selective Zfp148 loss within the hematopoietic system results in a mild microcytic and hypochromic anemia, mildly impaired erythroid maturation, and delayed recovery from phenylhydrazine-induced hemolysis. Based on the mild erythroid phenotype of these mice compared with GATA1-deficient mice, we hypothesized that additional factor(s) may complement Zfp148 function during erythropoiesis. We show that Zfp281 (also called ZBP-99), another member of the Zfp148 transcription factor family, is highly expressed in murine and human erythroid cells. Zfp281 knockdown by itself results in partial erythroid defects. However, combined deficiency of Zfp148 and Zfp281 causes a marked erythroid maturation block. Zfp281 physically associates with GATA1, occupies many common chromatin sites with GATA1 and Zfp148, and regulates a common set of genes required for erythroid cell differentiation. These findings uncover a previously unknown role for Zfp281 in erythroid development and suggest that it functionally overlaps with that of Zfp148 during erythropoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Woo
- Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands and Centre for Medical Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Chelsea-Ann A Patry
- Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Alireza Ghamari
- Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Gabriela Pregernig
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Daniel Yuan
- Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Kangni Zheng
- Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Taylor Piers
- Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Moira Hibbs
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands and Centre for Medical Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Ji Li
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands and Centre for Medical Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Miguel Fidalgo
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
- Center for Research in Molecular Medicine and Chronic Diseases, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Jenny Y Wang
- Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Joo-Hyeon Lee
- Wellcome Trust/Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - Peter J Leedman
- Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, QEII Medical Centre, Nedlands and Centre for Medical Research, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Jianlong Wang
- Department of Cell, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY
| | - Ernest Fraenkel
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
| | - Alan B Cantor
- Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
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43
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Wu Y, Zeng J, Roscoe BP, Liu P, Yao Q, Lazzarotto CR, Clement MK, Cole MA, Luk K, Baricordi C, Shen AH, Ren C, Esrick EB, Manis JP, Dorfman DM, Williams DA, Biffi A, Brugnara C, Biasco L, Brendel C, Pinello L, Tsai SQ, Wolfe SA, Bauer DE. Highly efficient therapeutic gene editing of human hematopoietic stem cells. Nat Med 2019; 25:776-783. [PMID: 30911135 PMCID: PMC6512986 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-019-0401-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 289] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Re-expression of the paralogous γ-globin genes (HBG1/2) could be a universal strategy to ameliorate the severe β-globin disorders sickle cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia by induction of fetal hemoglobin (HbF, α2γ2)1. Previously, we and others have shown that core sequences at the BCL11A erythroid enhancer are required for repression of HbF in adult-stage erythroid cells but are dispensable in non-erythroid cells2-6. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene modification has demonstrated variable efficiency, specificity, and persistence in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Here, we demonstrate that Cas9:sgRNA ribonucleoprotein (RNP)-mediated cleavage within a GATA1 binding site at the +58 BCL11A erythroid enhancer results in highly penetrant disruption of this motif, reduction of BCL11A expression, and induction of fetal γ-globin. We optimize conditions for selection-free on-target editing in patient-derived HSCs as a nearly complete reaction lacking detectable genotoxicity or deleterious impact on stem cell function. HSCs preferentially undergo non-homologous compared with microhomology-mediated end joining repair. Erythroid progeny of edited engrafting SCD HSCs express therapeutic levels of HbF and resist sickling, while those from patients with β-thalassemia show restored globin chain balance. Non-homologous end joining repair-based BCL11A enhancer editing approaching complete allelic disruption in HSCs is a practicable therapeutic strategy to produce durable HbF induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxuan Wu
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Zeng
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Benjamin P. Roscoe
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, USA
| | - Pengpeng Liu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, USA
| | - Qiuming Yao
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Center for Cancer Research, and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02129, USA
| | - Cicera R. Lazzarotto
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - M. Kendell Clement
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Center for Cancer Research, and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02129, USA
| | - Mitchel A. Cole
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Kevin Luk
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, USA
| | - Cristina Baricordi
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
| | - Anne H. Shen
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Chunyan Ren
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Erica B. Esrick
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - John P. Manis
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - David M. Dorfman
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - David A. Williams
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Alessandra Biffi
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
| | - Carlo Brugnara
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Luca Biasco
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
- University College of London, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, Faculty of Population Health Sciences, London, UK
| | - Christian Brendel
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
- Gene Therapy Program, Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center
| | - Luca Pinello
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Center for Cancer Research, and Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02129, USA
| | - Shengdar Q. Tsai
- Department of Hematology, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA
| | - Scot A. Wolfe
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts 01605, USA
| | - Daniel E. Bauer
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Broad Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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Yu L, Jearawiriyapaisarn N, Lee MP, Hosoya T, Wu Q, Myers G, Lim KC, Kurita R, Nakamura Y, Vojtek AB, Rual JF, Engel JD. BAP1 regulation of the key adaptor protein NCoR1 is critical for γ-globin gene repression. Genes Dev 2018; 32:1537-1549. [PMID: 30463901 PMCID: PMC6295165 DOI: 10.1101/gad.318436.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Human globin gene production transcriptionally "switches" from fetal to adult synthesis shortly after birth and is controlled by macromolecular complexes that enhance or suppress transcription by cis elements scattered throughout the locus. The DRED (direct repeat erythroid-definitive) repressor is recruited to the ε-globin and γ-globin promoters by the orphan nuclear receptors TR2 (NR2C1) and TR4 (NR2C2) to engender their silencing in adult erythroid cells. Here we found that nuclear receptor corepressor-1 (NCoR1) is a critical component of DRED that acts as a scaffold to unite the DNA-binding and epigenetic enzyme components (e.g., DNA methyltransferase 1 [DNMT1] and lysine-specific demethylase 1 [LSD1]) that elicit DRED function. We also describe a potent new regulator of γ-globin repression: The deubiquitinase BRCA1-associated protein-1 (BAP1) is a component of the repressor complex whose activity maintains NCoR1 at sites in the β-globin locus, and BAP1 inhibition in erythroid cells massively induces γ-globin synthesis. These data provide new mechanistic insights through the discovery of novel epigenetic enzymes that mediate γ-globin gene repression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Yu
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Natee Jearawiriyapaisarn
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
- Thalassemia Research Center, Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand
| | - Mary P Lee
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Tomonori Hosoya
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Qingqing Wu
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Greggory Myers
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Kim-Chew Lim
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Ryo Kurita
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan
| | - Yukio Nakamura
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan
| | - Anne B Vojtek
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Jean-François Rual
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - James Douglas Engel
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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45
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Arroyo JI, Nery MF. Gene fusion of heterophyletic gamma-globin genes in platyrrhine primates. J Genet 2018; 97:1473-1478. [PMID: 30555097] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We performed phylogenetic analyses of HBG genes to assess its origin and interspecific variation among primates. Our analyses showed variation in HBG genes copy number ranging from one to three, some of them pseudogenes. For platyrrhines HBG genes, phylogenetic reconstructions of flanking regions recovered orthologous clades with distinct topologies for 5' and 3' flanking regions. The 5' region originated in the common ancestor of platyrrhines but the 3' region had an anthropoid origin. We hypothesize that the platyrrhine HBG genes of 5' and 3' heterophyletic origins arose from subsequent fusions of the (earlier) platyrrhine 5' portion and the (later) anthropoid 3' portion.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Ignacio Arroyo
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 8331150, Chile.
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Luijk R, Wu H, Ward-Caviness CK, Hannon E, Carnero-Montoro E, Min JL, Mandaviya P, Müller-Nurasyid M, Mei H, van der Maarel SM, Relton C, Mill J, Waldenberger M, Bell JT, Jansen R, Zhernakova A, Franke L, 't Hoen PAC, Boomsma DI, van Duijn CM, van Greevenbroek MMJ, Veldink JH, Wijmenga C, van Meurs J, Daxinger L, Slagboom PE, van Zwet EW, Heijmans BT. Autosomal genetic variation is associated with DNA methylation in regions variably escaping X-chromosome inactivation. Nat Commun 2018; 9:3738. [PMID: 30218040 PMCID: PMC6138682 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05714-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
X-chromosome inactivation (XCI), i.e., the inactivation of one of the female X chromosomes, restores equal expression of X-chromosomal genes between females and males. However, ~10% of genes show variable degrees of escape from XCI between females, although little is known about the causes of variable XCI. Using a discovery data-set of 1867 females and 1398 males and a replication sample of 3351 females, we show that genetic variation at three autosomal loci is associated with female-specific changes in X-chromosome methylation. Through cis-eQTL expression analysis, we map these loci to the genes SMCHD1/METTL4, TRIM6/HBG2, and ZSCAN9. Low-expression alleles of the loci are predominantly associated with mild hypomethylation of CpG islands near genes known to variably escape XCI, implicating the autosomal genes in variable XCI. Together, these results suggest a genetic basis for variable escape from XCI and highlight the potential of a population genomics approach to identify genes involved in XCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- René Luijk
- Molecular Epidemiology, Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, 2333 ZC, The Netherlands
| | - Haoyu Wu
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, 2333 ZC, The Netherlands
| | - Cavin K Ward-Caviness
- Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany
| | - Eilis Hannon
- University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Elena Carnero-Montoro
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
- Pfizer - University of Granada - Andalusian Government Center for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Granada, 18016, Spain
| | - Josine L Min
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TH, UK
- Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1UD, UK
| | - Pooja Mandaviya
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, 3015 CE, The Netherlands
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, 3015 CE, The Netherlands
| | - Martina Müller-Nurasyid
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site: Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, 80802, Germany
- Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, D-85764, Germany
- Department of Medicine I, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, 80336, Germany
| | - Hailiang Mei
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, 2333 ZC, The Netherlands
| | - Silvere M van der Maarel
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, 2333 ZC, The Netherlands
| | - Caroline Relton
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TH, UK
| | - Jonathan Mill
- University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Melanie Waldenberger
- Institute of Epidemiology II, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, 85764, Oberschleißheim, Germany
- Research Unit of Molecular Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, D-85764, Germany
| | - Jordana T Bell
- Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, SE1 7EH, UK
| | - Rick Jansen
- Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Alexandra Zhernakova
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, 9713 AV, The Netherlands
| | - Lude Franke
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, 9713 AV, The Netherlands
| | - Peter A C 't Hoen
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, 2333 ZC, The Netherlands
| | - Dorret I Boomsma
- Department of Biological Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Neuroscience Campus Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1081 TB, The Netherlands
| | - Cornelia M van Duijn
- Department of Epidemiology, Genetic Epidemiology Unit, ErasmusMC, Rotterdam, 3015 GE, The Netherlands
| | - Marleen M J van Greevenbroek
- Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, 6211 LK, The Netherlands
- School for Cardiovascular Diseases (CARIM), Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, 6229 ER, The Netherlands
| | - Jan H Veldink
- Department of Neurology, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, 3584 CG, The Netherlands
| | - Cisca Wijmenga
- Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, 9713 AV, The Netherlands
| | - Joyce van Meurs
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, 3015 CE, The Netherlands
| | - Lucia Daxinger
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, 2333 ZC, The Netherlands
| | - P Eline Slagboom
- Molecular Epidemiology, Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, 2333 ZC, The Netherlands
| | - Erik W van Zwet
- Medical Statistics, Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, 2333 ZC, The Netherlands
| | - Bastiaan T Heijmans
- Molecular Epidemiology, Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, 2333 ZC, The Netherlands.
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47
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Rivers A, Vaitkus K, Jagadeeswaran R, Ruiz MA, Ibanez V, Ciceri F, Cavalcanti F, Molokie RE, Saunthararajah Y, Engel JD, DeSimone J, Lavelle D. Oral administration of the LSD1 inhibitor ORY-3001 increases fetal hemoglobin in sickle cell mice and baboons. Exp Hematol 2018; 67:60-64.e2. [PMID: 30125603 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2018] [Revised: 08/07/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Increased levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) lessen the severity of symptoms and increase the life span of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). More effective strategies to increase HbF are needed because the current standard of care, hydroxyurea, is not effective in a significant proportion of patients. Treatment of the millions of patients projected worldwide would best be accomplished with an orally administered drug therapy that increased HbF. LSD1 is a component of corepressor complexes that repress γ-globin gene expression and are a therapeutic target for HbF reactivation. We have shown that subcutaneous administration of RN-1, a pharmacological LSD1 inhibitor, increased γ-globin expression in SCD mice and baboons, which are widely acknowledged as the best animal model in which to test the activity of HbF-inducing drugs. The objective of this investigation was to test the effect of oral administration of a new LSD1 inhibitor, ORY-3001. Oral administration of ORY-3001 to SCD mice (n = 3 groups) increased γ-globin expression, Fetal Hemoglobin (HbF)-containing (F) cells, and F reticulocytes (retics). In normal baboons (n = 7 experiments) treated with ORY-3001, increased F retics, γ-globin chain synthesis, and γ-globin mRNA were observed. Experiments in anemic baboons (n = 2) showed that ORY-3001 increased F retics (PA8695, predose = 24%, postdose = 66.8%; PA8698: predose = 13%, postdose = 93.6%), γ-globin chain synthesis (PA8695: predose = 0.07 γ/γ+β, postdose = 0.20 γ/γ+β; PA8698: predose = 0.02 γ/γ+β, postdose = 0.44 γ/γ+β), and γ-globin mRNA (PA8695: predose = 0.06 γ/γ+β, postdose = 0.18 γ/γ+β; PA8698: predose = 0.03 γ/γ+β, postdose = 0.33 γ/γ+β). We conclude that oral administration of ORY-3001 increases F retics, γ-globin chain synthesis, and γ-globin mRNA in baboons and SCD mice, supporting further efforts toward the development of this drug for SCD therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Rivers
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Kestis Vaitkus
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Ramasamy Jagadeeswaran
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Maria Armila Ruiz
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Vinzon Ibanez
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | | | - Robert E Molokie
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Yogen Saunthararajah
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Taussig Cancer Center, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - James Douglas Engel
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Joseph DeSimone
- Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Donald Lavelle
- Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA; Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
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48
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Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common life-threatening monogenic diseases affecting millions of people worldwide. Allogenic hematopietic stem cell transplantation is the only known cure for the disease with high success rates, but the limited availability of matched sibling donors and the high risk of transplantation-related side effects force the scientific community to envision additional therapies. Ex vivo gene therapy through globin gene addition has been investigated extensively and is currently being tested in clinical trials that have begun reporting encouraging data. Recent improvements in our understanding of the molecular pathways controlling mammalian erythropoiesis and globin switching offer new and exciting therapeutic options. Rapid and substantial advances in genome engineering tools, particularly CRISPR/Cas9, have raised the possibility of genetic correction in induced pluripotent stem cells as well as patient-derived hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. However, these techniques are still in their infancy, and safety/efficacy issues remain that must be addressed before translating these promising techniques into clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selami Demirci
- Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Naoya Uchida
- Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - John F Tisdale
- Molecular and Clinical Hematology Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
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49
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Moez P, Moftah R, Mahmoud HA. A study on the genotype frequency of -158 Gγ (C→T) Xmn1 polymorphism in a sickle cell trait cohort from Siwa Oasis, Egypt. J Genet 2018; 97:505-511. [PMID: 29932071] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Sickle cell haemoglobinopathy is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of haemoglobin S (HbS) including sickle cell disease (SCD) (sickle cell anemia, HbS/β -thalassaemia and HbSC disease) and sickle cell trait. In Siwa Oasis, most remote oasis town in Egypt, the prevalence rate of sickle cell haemoglobinopathy is approaching 20%. The Xmn1 polymorphism was reported to increase the HbF level ameliorating the severity of the SCD. The present study aims mainly to investigate the genotype frequency of -158Gγ (C→T) Xmn1 polymorphism in Siwa Oasis, Egypt and to study, if possible, any association with increased HbF expression. This study was performed on 62 sickle cell carriers (AS), three cases of sickle cell anaemia (SS) detected during a screening programme conducted on primary school children in Siwa Oasis by Alexandria Faculty of Medicine in 2011-2012. Sixty-five age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls (AA) were included. All enrolled children were subjected to PCR-RFLP for the detection of -158Gγ (C→T) Xmn1 polymorphism using the Xmn1 restriction enzyme. Genotyping of the -158Gγ (CvT) Xmn1 polymorphism revealed that among AS, 85.5% were homozygous for the wild-type allele (CC) and 14.5% were heterozygous (CT). However, among SS, two cases were homozygous for the wild-type allele (CC) and one case was heterozygous (CT). The genotype frequencies among AA were 83.1% homozygous for the wild-type allele (CC) and 16.9% heterozygous (CT). None of the studied cases or controls was homozygous for the mutant allele (TT). Among both AS and AA, there was no significant difference between the wild-type and heterozygous genotypes regarding HbF level. Studying genotype frequency of the Xmn1 γG globin polymorphism (-158C>T ) in Siwa Oasis, Egypt can be considered as a starting point for further research targeting this community sector. However, in our studied cohort, there were only three sickle cell anaemia patients. Further, none of the tested cases or controls was found to be homozygous for the mutant allele (TT). In the absence of any homozygous genotype for the mutant allele (TT) in the studied cohort, any reasonable conclusion on the effect of polymorphism on increase in HbF could not be established. Further studies with a larger sample size are needed for better understanding of the possible association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pacint Moez
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Pathology, Alexandria University, Alexandria2152, Egypt.
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50
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Loucari CC, Patsali P, van Dijk TB, Stephanou C, Papasavva P, Zanti M, Kurita R, Nakamura Y, Christou S, Sitarou M, Philipsen S, Lederer CW, Kleanthous M. Rapid and Sensitive Assessment of Globin Chains for Gene and Cell Therapy of Hemoglobinopathies. Hum Gene Ther Methods 2018; 29:60-74. [PMID: 29325430 PMCID: PMC5806072 DOI: 10.1089/hgtb.2017.190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The β-hemoglobinopathies sickle cell anemia and β-thalassemia are the focus of many gene-therapy studies. A key disease parameter is the abundance of globin chains because it indicates the level of anemia, likely toxicity of excess or aberrant globins, and therapeutic potential of induced or exogenous β-like globins. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) allows versatile and inexpensive globin quantification, but commonly applied protocols suffer from long run times, high sample requirements, or inability to separate murine from human β-globin chains. The latter point is problematic for in vivo studies with gene-addition vectors in murine disease models and mouse/human chimeras. This study demonstrates HPLC-based measurements of globin expression (1) after differentiation of the commonly applied human umbilical cord blood-derived erythroid progenitor-2 cell line, (2) in erythroid progeny of CD34+ cells for the analysis of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/Cas9-mediated disruption of the globin regulator BCL11A, and (3) of transgenic mice holding the human β-globin locus. At run times of 8 min for separation of murine and human β-globin chains as well as of human γ-globin chains, and with routine measurement of globin-chain ratios for 12 nL of blood (tested for down to 0.75 nL) or of 300,000 in vitro differentiated cells, the methods presented here and any variant-specific adaptations thereof will greatly facilitate evaluation of novel therapy applications for β-hemoglobinopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Constantinos C. Loucari
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassaemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Petros Patsali
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassaemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Thamar B. van Dijk
- Erasmus University Medical Center, Department of Cell Biology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Coralea Stephanou
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassaemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Panayiota Papasavva
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassaemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Maria Zanti
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassaemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Ryo Kurita
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yukio Nakamura
- Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | | | | | - Sjaak Philipsen
- Erasmus University Medical Center, Department of Cell Biology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Carsten W. Lederer
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassaemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Marina Kleanthous
- Department of Molecular Genetics Thalassaemia, The Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, Nicosia, Cyprus
- Cyprus School of Molecular Medicine, Nicosia, Cyprus
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