Therapeutic gene correction for Lesch-Nyhan syndrome using CRISPR-mediated base and prime editing

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome (LNS) is inherited as an X-linked reces-sive genetic disorder caused by mutations in hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase 1 (HPRT1). Patients with LNS show various clinical phenotypes, including hyperurice-mia, gout, devastating behavioral abnormality, intellectual disability, and self-harm. Although uric acid overproduction can be modulated with the xanthine oxidase inhibitor allopu-rinol, there exists no treatment for behavioral and neurological manifestations of LNS. In the current study, CRISPR-mediated base editors (BEs) and prime editors (PEs) were utilized to generate LNS-associated disease models and correct the disease models for therapeutic approach. Cytosine BEs (CBEs) were used to induce c.430C>T and c.508C>T mutations in HAP1 cells, and then adenine BEs (ABEs) were used to correct these mutations without DNA cleavage. PEs induced a c.333_334ins(A) mutation, identified in a Korean patient with LNS, in HAP1 cells, which was corrected in turn by PEs. Furthermore, improved PEs corrected the same mutation in LNS patient-derived fibroblasts by up to 14% without any un-wanted mutations. These results suggest that CRISPR-medi-ated BEs and PEs would be suggested as a potential therapeutic strategy of this extremely rare, devastating genetic disease.

Automated summary

This study utilized CRISPR-mediated base editors (BEs) and prime editors (PEs) to generate LNS-associated disease models and correct the disease models, suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for this rare genetic disease.