Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for the study and treatment of retinal degenerative diseases

Vision is the sense that we use to navigate the world around us. Thus it is not surprising that blindness is one of people's most feared maladies. Heritable diseases of the retina, such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, are the leading cause of blindness in the developed world, collectively affecting as many as one-third of all people over the age of 75, to some degree. For decades, scientists have dreamed of preventing vision loss or of restoring the vision of patients affected with retinal degeneration through drug therapy, gene augmentation or a cell-based transplantation approach. In this review we will discuss the use of the induced pluripotent stem cell technology to model and develop various treatment modalities for the treatment of inherited retinal degenerative disease. We will focus on the use of iPSCs for interrogation of disease pathophysiology, analysis of drug and gene therapeutics and as a source of autologous cells for cell transplantation and replacement.     

Primer-independent initiation of RNA synthesis by SeMV recombinant RNA-dependent RNA polymerase

Sesbania mosaic virus (SeMV), a single-strand positive-sense RNA plant virus, belongs to the genus Sobemoviruses. Mechanism of replication in Sobemoviruses is poorly understood. In the present study, SeMV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) was overexpressed and purified as a thioredoxin-tagged protein. The recombinant SeMV RdRp could synthesize RNA from genomic or subgenomic RNA templates, even in the absence of the protein primer, VPg. Analysis of the product indicated that it was double-stranded and that the mode of initiation was de novo. Mutational analysis of the 3′ UTR of subgenomic RNA revealed that a stem-loop structure at the 3′ end was important. Further, analysis of this stem-loop showed that the SeMV RdRp was capable of recognizing stem-loop structures of various lengths and forms. These results demonstrate that the SeMV RdRp is capable of primer-independent RNA synthesis in vitro.     

Screening of a heptamer-type sgRNA library for potential therapeutic agents against hematological malignancies

tRNase-Z^L-utilizing efficacious (TRUE) gene silencing is an RNA-mediated gene expression control technology that has therapeutic potential. This technology is based on the property of tRNase Z^L that it can cleave any target RNA at any desired site under the direction of an appropriate artificial small guide RNA (sgRNA). To search for novel potential therapeutic sgRNAs for hematological malignancies, we screened a library composed of 156 sgRNAs, and found that 20 sgRNAs can efficiently induce apoptosis in leukemia and/or myeloma cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that 4 of the 20 sgRNAs can reduce growth rates of HL60 cells in mouse xenograft models.     

应用CRISPR/Cas9技术制备Vasohibin-2基因敲除小鼠模型及验证

目的:利用Cas9/RNA system gene targeting技术高效构建Vash2基因敲除小鼠模型?方法:根据Vash2基因序列,设计2对Vsah2基因的单链向导RNA(single-guide RNA,sgRNA)引物序列并克隆进入pU57-T7-GDNA载体?利用T7 RNA聚合酶体外转录sgRNA和Cas9 mRNA?将体外转录的gRNA/Cas9 mRNA显微注射入小鼠受精卵,通过PCR和基因测序对Vash2移码突变进行检测和鉴定?繁育Vash2基因敲除小鼠并分析后代突变情况?结果:顺利构建表达sgRNA载体并体外转录,成功将有活性的sgRNA和Cas9 mRNA直接注射入受精卵?基因测序鉴定获得5只F0代初建鼠?选取5号鼠与野生型鼠回交,得到F1代鼠,再相互交配得到F2代鼠?PCR显示F2代鼠Vash2基因移码突变,成功建立Vash2基因敲除小鼠模型并传代繁育? 结论:通过Cas9/RNA systemgene targeting技术可以成功制备Vash2基因敲除鼠模型,是用于Vash2研究的有效工具?     

Subgenomic RNA as a riboregulator: negative regulation of RNA replication by Barley yellow dwarf virus subgenomic RNA 2

Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) generates three 3'-coterminal subgenomic RNAs (sgRNAs) in infected cells. Translation of BYDV genomic RNA (gRNA) and sgRNA1 is mediated by the BYDV cap-independent translation element (BTE) in the 3' untranslated region. sgRNAs 2 and 3 are unlikely to be mRNAs. We proposed that accumulation of sgRNA2, which contains the BTE in its 5' UTR, regulates BYDV replication by trans-inhibiting translation of the viral polymerase from genomic RNA (gRNA). Here, we tested this hypothesis and found that: (i) co-inoculation of the BTE or sgRNA2 with BYDV RNA inhibits BYDV RNA accumulation in protoplasts; (ii) Brome mosaic virus (BMV), engineered to contain the BTE, trans-inhibits BYDV replication; and (iii) sgRNA2 generated during BYDV infection trans-inhibits both GFP expression from BMV RNA and translation of a non-viral reporter mRNA. We conclude that sgRNA2, via its BTE, functions as a riboregulator to inhibit translation of gRNA. This may make gRNA available as a replicase template and for encapsidation. Thus, BYDV sgRNA2 joins a growing list of trans-acting regulatory RNAs.