AAV-mediated CRISPR/Cas gene editing of retinal cellsin vivo
ABSTRACTPURPOSECRISPR/Cas has recently been adapted to enable efficient editing of the mammalian genome, opening novel avenues for therapeutic intervention of inherited diseases. In seeking to disrupt Yellow Fluorescent Protein (YFP) in a Thy1-YFP transgenic mouse, we assessed the feasibility of utilising the adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) to deliver CRISPR/Cas for gene modification of retinal cellsin vivo.METHODSsgRNA plasmids were designed to targetYFPand afterin vitrovalidation, selected guides were cloned into a dual AAV system. One AAV2 construct was used to deliver SpCas9 and the other delivered sgRNA againstYFPorLacZ(control) in the presence of mCherry. Five weeks after intravitreal injection, retinal function was determined using electroretinography and CRISPR/Casmediated gene modifications were quantified in retinal flat mounts.RESULTSAAV2-mediatedin vivodelivery of SpCas9 with sgRNA targetingYFP, significantly reduced the number of YFP fluorescent cells of the inner retina of our transgenic mouse model. Overall, we found an 84.0% (95% CI: 81.8-86.9) reduction of YFP-positive cells inYFP-sgRNA infected retinal cells compared to eyes treated withLacZ-sgRNA. Electroretinography profiling found no significant alteration in retinal function following AAV2-mediated delivery of CRISPR/Cas components compared to contralateral untreated eyes.CONCLUSIONSThy1-YFP transgenic mice were used as a rapid quantifiable means to assess the efficacy of CRISPR/Cas-based retinal gene modificationin vivo. We demonstrate that genomic modification of cells in the adult retina can be readily achieved by viral mediated delivery of CRISPR/Cas.