Genetic editing of primary human dorsal root ganglion neurons using CRISPR-Cas9

Abstract CRISPR-Cas9 is now the leading method for genome editing and is advancing for the treatment of human disease. CRIPSR has promise in treating neurological diseases, but traditional viral-vector-delivery approaches have neurotoxicity limiting their use. Here we describe a simple method for no...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Seph M. Palomino, Katherin A. Gabriel, Juliet M. Mwirigi, Anna Cervantes, Peter Horton, Geoffrey Funk, Aubin Moutal, Laurent F. Martin, Rajesh Khanna, Theodore J. Price, Amol Patwardhan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-04-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91153-2
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract CRISPR-Cas9 is now the leading method for genome editing and is advancing for the treatment of human disease. CRIPSR has promise in treating neurological diseases, but traditional viral-vector-delivery approaches have neurotoxicity limiting their use. Here we describe a simple method for non-viral transfection of primary human DRG (hDRG) neurons for CRISPR-Cas9 editing. We edited TRPV1, NTSR2, and CACNA1E using a lipofection method with CRISPR-Cas9 plasmids containing reporter tags (GFP or mCherry). Transfection was successfully demonstrated by the expression of the reporters two days post-administration. CRISPR-Cas9 editing was confirmed at the genome level with a T7-endonuclease-I assay; protein level with immunocytochemistry and Western blot; and functional level through capsaicin-induced Ca2+ accumulation in a high-throughput compatible fluorescent imaging plate reader (FLIPR) system. This work establishes a reliable, target specific, non-viral CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genetic editing in primary human neurons with potential for future clinical application for sensory diseases.
ISSN:2045-2322