技术资料

Prime editing is a promising approach for correcting pathogenic variants,but its efficiency remains variable across genomic contexts. Here,we systematically evaluated 12 modifications of the PEmax system for correcting the CFTR F508del pathogenic variant that caused cystic fibrosis in patient-derived airway basal cells. We chose EXO1 and FEN1 nucleases to improve the original system. While all tested variants showed comparatively low efficiency in this AT-rich genomic region,4-FEN modification demonstrated significantly improved editing rates (up to 2.13 fold) compared to standard PEmax. Our results highlight two key findings: first,the persistent challenge of AT-rich target sequence correction even with optimized editors,and second,the performance of 4-FEN suggests its potential value for other genomic targets. View Publication

Fatty-acid-hydroxylase-associated neurodegeneration (FAHN) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by loss-of-function mutations in the FA2H gene,leading to impaired enzymatic activity and resulting in myelin sheath instability,demyelination,and axonal degeneration. In this study,we established a human in vitro model using neurons and oligodendrocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) of a FAHN patient. This coculture system enabled the investigation of myelination processes and myelin integrity in a disease-relevant context. Analyses using immunofluorescence and Western blot revealed impaired expression and localisation of key myelin proteins in oligodendrocytes and cocultures. FA2H-deficient cells showed reduced myelination,shortened internodes,and disrupted formation of the nodes of Ranvier. Additionally,we identified autophagy defects—a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases—including reduced p62 expression,elevated LC3B levels,and impaired fusion of autophagosomes with lysosomes. This study presents a robust hiPSC-based model to study FAHN,offering new insights into the molecular pathology of the disease. Our findings suggest that FA2H mutations compromise both the structural integrity of myelin and the efficiency of the autophagic machinery,highlighting potential targets for future therapeutic interventions. View Publication

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN) are malignancies of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) that lead to the overproduction of mature blood cells. These disorders include Essential Thrombocythemia (ET),Polycythemia Vera (PV),and Primary Myelofibrosis (PMF),primarily driven by somatic mutations such as JAK2 V617F . Research indicates that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) support fibrosis in PMF,though their role in ET and PV remains less clear. Furthermore,in vivo studies of ET/PV HSPCs remain a challenge due to low engraftment levels in xenograft models. We employed a 3D scaffold model to create an MPN humanized xenograft mouse model,enabling in vivo functional studies of primary MPN progenitor cells and the supportive role of human MSCs. Using this model,we first demonstrated robust hematopoietic support of healthy (HD) HSPCs by PV and ET MSCs. We then investigated the role of MSCs in sustaining JAK2 V617F mutant cells by using a CRISPR‐Cas9 editing model,along with primary PV and ET HSPCs. Our results showed consistent engraftment of CRISPR‐edited JAK2 V617F mutant HSPCs and PV and ET patient‐derived HSPCs in scaffolds seeded with HD,PV,and ET stroma,providing the first in vivo evidence that PV and ET MSCs can sustain both healthy and MPN‐associated hematopoiesis. Furthermore,HD MSCs were also capable of sustaining PV and ET HSPCs in vivo. Overall,we present the first humanized MPN xenograft model that offers valuable insights into how human BM MSCs interact with JAK2 V617F mutant clones. View Publication

Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a significant clinical challenge and poses a dramatic threat to the life quality of patients due to limited neural regeneration and detrimental post-injury alternations in tissue microenvironment. We developed a therapeutic approach by transplanting spinal neural progenitor cells (spNPGs),derived from human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-generated neuromesodermal progenitors,into a contusive SCI model in NOD-SCID mice. Single-cell RNA sequencing mapped the in vitro differentiation of iPSC-spNPGs,confirming their specification into spinal neuronal lineages. Single-nucleus transcriptomics at 1 week post-transplantation showed that the grafted cells differentiated in vivo into motor neurons and two interneuron subtypes (V2 and dI4). Additionally,spNPGs integrated into host neural circuits,enhancing synaptic connectivity,while simultaneously modulating the injury microenvironment by shifting microglia and astrocyte polarization toward anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective phenotypes. This dual mechanism promoted axonal regrowth,remyelination,and significant sensorimotor recovery,as evidenced by improved locomotor scores. Our findings highlight the therapeutic potential of human iPSC-spNPGs in reconstructing neural networks and mitigating secondary damage,providing compelling preclinical evidence for advancing stem cell-based SCI therapies. Subject terms: Stem-cell differentiation,Spinal cord injury View Publication

We have developed the HybriSeq method for single-cell RNA profiling,which utilizes in situ hybridization of multiple probes for targeted transcripts,followed by split-pool barcoding and sequencing analysis of the probes. We have shown that HybriSeq can achieve high sensitivity for RNA detection with multiple probes and profile entire transcripts without an end bias. The utility of HybriSeq is demonstrated in characterizing cell-to-cell heterogeneities of a panel of 196 genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and the detection of missed annotations of transcripts. Subject terms: Gene expression profiling,RNA sequencing View Publication

Cytolysin A (ClyA) is a pore‐forming protein from a strongly silenced gene in non‐pathogenic Escherichia coli,including typical commensal isolates in the intestinal microbiome of healthy mammalian hosts. Upon overproduction,ClyA‐expressing bacteria display a cytolytic phenotype. However,it remains unclear whether sublytic amounts of native ClyA play a role in commensal E. coli ‐host interactions in vivo. Here,we show that sublytic amounts of ClyA are released via outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) and affect host cells in a remarkable manner. OMVs isolated from ClyA + E. coli were internalised into cultured colon cancer cells. The OMV‐associated ClyA caused reduced levels of cancer‐activating proteins such as H3K27me3,CXCR4,STAT3 and MDM2 via the EZH2/H3K27me3/microRNA 622/CXCR4 signalling axis. Our results demonstrate that sublytic amounts of ClyA in OMVs from non‐pathogenic E. coli can influence the stability of the EZH2 protein,reducing its activity in epigenetic regulation,causing elevated level of the tumour suppressor protein p53. View Publication

The limited proliferative capacity of erythroid precursors is a major obstacle to generate sufficient in vitro-derived red blood cells for clinical purposes. While BMI1,a Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 member,is both necessary and sufficient to drive extensive proliferation of self-renewing erythroblasts,its mechanism of action remains poorly understood. Here we report that BMI1 overexpression leads to 10 billion-fold increase in self-renewal of human erythroblasts,which can terminally mature and agglutinate with typing reagent monoclonal antibodies. BMI1 and RING1B occupancy,along with repressive histone marks,are present at known BMI1 target genes,including the INK-ARF locus,consistent with altered cell cycle kinetics following BMI1 inhibition. Upregulation of BMI1 target genes with low repressive histone modifications,including key regulators of cholesterol homeostasis,along with functional studies,suggest that both cholesterol import and synthesis are essential for BMI1-associated self-renewal. We conclude that BMI1 regulates erythroid self-renewal not only through gene repression but also through gene activation and offer a strategy to expand immature erythroid precursors for eventual clinical uses. Subject terms: Self-renewal,Cell growth,Stem-cell research View Publication

Anti-obesity medications (AOMs) have become one of the most prescribed drugs in human medicine. While AOMs are known to impact adult neurogenesis in the hypothalamus,their effects on the functional maturation of hypothalamic neurons remain unexplored. Given that AOMs target neurons in the Medial Basal Hypothalamus (MBH),which play a crucial role in regulating energy homeostasis,we hypothesized that AOMs might influence the functional maturation of these neurons,potentially rewiring the MBH. To investigate this,we exposed hypothalamic neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to Semaglutide and lipidized prolactin-releasing peptide (LiPR),two anti-obesity compounds. Contrary to our expectations,treatment with Semaglutide or LiPR during neuronal maturation did not affect the proportion of anorexigenic,Pro-opiomelanocortin-expressing (POMC+) neurons. Additionally,LiPR did not alter the morphology of POMC+ neurons or the expression of selected genes critical for the metabolism or development of anorexigenic neurons. Furthermore,LiPR did not impact the proportion of adult-generated POMC+ neurons in the mouse MBH. Taken together,these results suggest that AOMs do not influence the functional maturation of anorexigenic hypothalamic neurons. View Publication

Viral transduction is a critical step in the manufacturing of genetically modified T cells for immunotherapies,yet conventional transduction methods suffer from low to medium efficiency,high vector consumption,and limited scalability. To address these challenges,we introduce the Transduction Boosting Device (TransB),an innovative,automated,and closed-system platform designed to enable efficient and scalable gene delivery and overcome the limitations of conventional transduction methods. TransB improves cell-virus interactions by facilitating proximity between target cells and viral vectors. TransB demonstrated up to 1-fold decrease in processing time,3-fold reduction in viral vector consumption,and 0.7-fold increase in transduction efficiency compared to 24—well plate method for donor T cell transduction in studies evaluating its impact on transduction process. Comparison studies transducing T cells from three different donors with Lenti-GFP vectors showed that TransB achieved an average 0.5-fold improvement in transduction efficiencies while maintaining comparable post-transduction cell recovery,viability,growth,and phenotype compared to 24—well plate. Furthermore,TransB delivered consistent performance across two different input cell numbers demonstrating scalability of the process. These findings suggest that TransB could significantly shorten the transduction time,reduce the transduction cost and improve the transduction efficiency for manufacturing genetically modified T cell therapies. It shows strong potential as a robust,efficient,and scalable platform to enhance T cell therapy manufacturing and help overcome current manufacturing challenges in the field. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12967-025-06836-1. View Publication

Transplantation of engineered B cells has demonstrated efficacy in HIV disease models. B cell engineering may also be utilized for the treatment of cancer. Recent studies have highlighted that B cell activity is associated with favorable clinical outcomes in oncology. In mice,polyclonal B cells have been shown to elicit anti-cancer responses. As a potential novel cell therapy,we demonstrate that engineering B cells to target a tumor-associated antigen enhances polyclonal anti-tumor responses. We observe that engineered B cells expressing an anti-HPV B cell receptor internalize the antigen,enabling subsequent activation of oncoantigen-specific T cells. Secreted antibodies from engineered B cells form immune complexes,which are taken up by antigen-presenting cells to further promote T cell activation. Engineered B cells hold promise as novel,multi-modal cell therapies and open new avenues in solid tumor targeting. View Publication