Brainwide silencing of prion protein by AAV-mediated delivery of an engineered compact epigenetic editor.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
Authors
Abstract

Prion disease is caused by misfolding of the prion protein (PrP) into pathogenic self-propagating conformations, leading to rapid-onset dementia and death. However, elimination of endogenous PrP halts prion disease progression. In this study, we describe Coupled Histone tail for Autoinhibition Release of Methyltransferase (CHARM), a compact, enzyme-free epigenetic editor capable of silencing transcription through programmable DNA methylation. Using a histone H3 tail-Dnmt3l fusion, CHARM recruits and activates endogenous DNA methyltransferases, thereby reducing transgene size and cytotoxicity. When delivered to the mouse brain by systemic injection of adeno-associated virus (AAV), -targeted CHARM ablates PrP expression across the brain. Furthermore, we have temporally limited editor expression by implementing a kinetically tuned self-silencing approach. CHARM potentially represents a broadly applicable strategy to suppress pathogenic proteins, including those implicated in other neurodegenerative diseases.

Year of Publication
2024
Journal
Science (New York, N.Y.)
Volume
384
Issue
6703
Pages
ado7082
Date Published
06/2024
ISSN
1095-9203
DOI
10.1126/science.ado7082
PubMed ID
38935715
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