Rai, Rajeev;
Steinberg, Zohar;
Romito, Marianna;
Zinghirino, Federica;
Hu, Yi-Ting;
White, Nathan;
Naseem, Asma;
... Cavazza, Alessia; + view all
(2024)
CRISPR/Cas9-based disease modelling and functional correction of Interleukin 7 Receptor alpha Severe Combined Immunodeficiency in T-lymphocytes and hematopoietic stem cells.
Human Gene Therapy
10.1089/hum.2023.100.
(In press).
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Abstract
Interleukin 7 Receptor Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (IL7R-SCID) is a life-threatening disorder caused by homozygous mutations in the IL7RA gene. Defective IL7R expression in humans hampers T cell precursors proliferation and differentiation during lymphopoiesis resulting in absence of T cells in newborns, who succumb to severe infections and death early after birth. Previous attempts to tackle IL7R-SCID by viral gene therapy have shown that unregulated IL7R expression predisposes to leukaemia, suggesting the application of targeted gene editing to insert a correct copy of the IL7RA gene in its genomic locus and mediate its physiological expression as a more feasible therapeutic approach. To this aim, we have first developed a CRISPR/Cas9-based IL7R-SCID disease modelling system that recapitulates the disease phenotype in primary human T cells and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Then, we have designed a knock-in strategy that targets IL7RA exon 1 and introduces via homology directed repair a corrective, promoterless IL7RA cDNA followed by a reporter cassette through AAV6 transduction. Targeted integration of the corrective cassette in primary T cells restored IL7R expression and rescued functional downstream IL7R signalling. When applied to HSPCs further induced to differentiate into T cells in an Artificial Thymic Organoid system, our gene editing strategy overcame the T cell developmental block observed in IL7R-SCID patients, while promoting full maturation of T cells with physiological and developmentally regulated IL7R expression. Finally, genotoxicity assessment of the CRISPR/Cas9 platform in HSPCs using biased and unbiased technologies confirmed the safety of the strategy, paving the way for a new, efficient, and safe therapeutic option for IL7R-SCID patients.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | CRISPR/Cas9-based disease modelling and functional correction of Interleukin 7 Receptor alpha Severe Combined Immunodeficiency in T-lymphocytes and hematopoietic stem cells |
| Location: | United States |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1089/hum.2023.100 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1089/hum.2023.100 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Gene editing; hematopoietic stem cells; T cells; immunodeficiency; disease modelling |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Infection, Immunity and Inflammation Dept |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10186154 |
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