In vivo prime editing rescues photoreceptor degeneration in nonsense mutant retinitis pigmentosa

Abstract The next-generation gene editing tool, prime editing (PE), is adept at correcting point mutations precisely with high editing efficiency and rare off-target events and shows promising therapeutic value in treating hereditary diseases. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the most common type of inh...

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Main Authors: Yidian Fu, Xiaoyu He, Liang Ma, Xin D. Gao, Pengpeng Liu, Hanhan Shi, Peiwei Chai, Shengfang Ge, Renbing Jia, David R. Liu, Xianqun Fan, Zhi Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-03-01
Series:Nature Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57628-6
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author Yidian Fu
Xiaoyu He
Liang Ma
Xin D. Gao
Pengpeng Liu
Hanhan Shi
Peiwei Chai
Shengfang Ge
Renbing Jia
David R. Liu
Xianqun Fan
Zhi Yang
author_facet Yidian Fu
Xiaoyu He
Liang Ma
Xin D. Gao
Pengpeng Liu
Hanhan Shi
Peiwei Chai
Shengfang Ge
Renbing Jia
David R. Liu
Xianqun Fan
Zhi Yang
author_sort Yidian Fu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The next-generation gene editing tool, prime editing (PE), is adept at correcting point mutations precisely with high editing efficiency and rare off-target events and shows promising therapeutic value in treating hereditary diseases. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the most common type of inherited retinal dystrophy and is characterized by progressive degeneration of retinal photoreceptors and, consequently, visual decline. To date, effective treatments for RP are lacking. Herein, a PE system is designed to target the PDE6B Y347X mutation in the rd1 mouse strain, a preclinical RP model. We screen and develop the PE system with epegRNA and RTΔRnH, which is delivered via dual-AAV in vivo with an editing efficiency of 26.47 ± 13.35%, with negligible off-target effects confirmed by AID-Seq and PE-tag. Treatment with the PE system in vivo greatly restores PDE6B protein expression and protects rod cells from degeneration. Mouse behavioural experiments also show that compared with no treatment, prime editing inhibits vision deterioration in littermate rd1 mice. This study provides a therapeutic opportunity for the use of PE to correct mutated RPs at the genomic level.
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issn 2041-1723
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publishDate 2025-03-01
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spelling doaj-art-48667b933eb84fb7b02f54561bb8ab3c2025-08-20T02:56:16ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-03-0116111610.1038/s41467-025-57628-6In vivo prime editing rescues photoreceptor degeneration in nonsense mutant retinitis pigmentosaYidian Fu0Xiaoyu He1Liang Ma2Xin D. Gao3Pengpeng Liu4Hanhan Shi5Peiwei Chai6Shengfang Ge7Renbing Jia8David R. Liu9Xianqun Fan10Zhi Yang11Department of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineDepartment of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineDepartment of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineMerkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MITInstitute of Advanced Biotechnology, Institute of Homeostatic Medicine, and School of Medicine, Southern University of Science and TechnologyDepartment of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineDepartment of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineDepartment of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineDepartment of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineMerkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, Broad Institute of Harvard and MITDepartment of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineDepartment of Ophthalmology, Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of MedicineAbstract The next-generation gene editing tool, prime editing (PE), is adept at correcting point mutations precisely with high editing efficiency and rare off-target events and shows promising therapeutic value in treating hereditary diseases. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the most common type of inherited retinal dystrophy and is characterized by progressive degeneration of retinal photoreceptors and, consequently, visual decline. To date, effective treatments for RP are lacking. Herein, a PE system is designed to target the PDE6B Y347X mutation in the rd1 mouse strain, a preclinical RP model. We screen and develop the PE system with epegRNA and RTΔRnH, which is delivered via dual-AAV in vivo with an editing efficiency of 26.47 ± 13.35%, with negligible off-target effects confirmed by AID-Seq and PE-tag. Treatment with the PE system in vivo greatly restores PDE6B protein expression and protects rod cells from degeneration. Mouse behavioural experiments also show that compared with no treatment, prime editing inhibits vision deterioration in littermate rd1 mice. This study provides a therapeutic opportunity for the use of PE to correct mutated RPs at the genomic level.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57628-6
spellingShingle Yidian Fu
Xiaoyu He
Liang Ma
Xin D. Gao
Pengpeng Liu
Hanhan Shi
Peiwei Chai
Shengfang Ge
Renbing Jia
David R. Liu
Xianqun Fan
Zhi Yang
In vivo prime editing rescues photoreceptor degeneration in nonsense mutant retinitis pigmentosa
Nature Communications
title In vivo prime editing rescues photoreceptor degeneration in nonsense mutant retinitis pigmentosa
title_full In vivo prime editing rescues photoreceptor degeneration in nonsense mutant retinitis pigmentosa
title_fullStr In vivo prime editing rescues photoreceptor degeneration in nonsense mutant retinitis pigmentosa
title_full_unstemmed In vivo prime editing rescues photoreceptor degeneration in nonsense mutant retinitis pigmentosa
title_short In vivo prime editing rescues photoreceptor degeneration in nonsense mutant retinitis pigmentosa
title_sort in vivo prime editing rescues photoreceptor degeneration in nonsense mutant retinitis pigmentosa
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57628-6
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