Engineered U7 Small Nuclear RNA Restores Correct β-Globin Pre-mRNA Splicing in Mouse βIVS2-654-Thalassemic Erythroid Progenitor Cells.

Annette d'Arqom, Tiwaporn Nualkaew, Natee Jearawiriyapaisarn, Ryszard Kole, Saovaros Svasti

Human gene therapy 2021 May

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Restoration of correct splicing of βIVS2-654-globin pre-mRNA was previously accomplished in erythroid cells from β-thalassemia/HbE patients by an engineered U7 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) that carried a sequence targeted to the cryptic branch point and an exonic splicing enhancer, U7.BP+623 snRNA. In this study, this approach was tested in thalassemic mice carrying the βIVS2-654 mutation. While correction of βIVS2-654 pre-mRNA splicing was achieved in erythroid progenitors transduced with a lentiviral vector carrying the U7.BP+623 snRNA, a high level of truncated U7.BP+623 snRNA was also observed. The discrepancy of processing of the modified U7 snRNA in human and mouse constructs hamper the evaluation of pathologic improvement in mouse model.

Citation

Annette d'Arqom, Tiwaporn Nualkaew, Natee Jearawiriyapaisarn, Ryszard Kole, Saovaros Svasti. Engineered U7 Small Nuclear RNA Restores Correct β-Globin Pre-mRNA Splicing in Mouse βIVS2-654-Thalassemic Erythroid Progenitor Cells. Human gene therapy. 2021 May;32(9-10):473-480