The FusX TALE Base Editor (FusXTBE) for Rapid Mitochondrial DNA Programming of Human Cells In Vitro and Zebrafish Disease Models In Vivo.

Functional analyses of mitochondria have been hampered by few effective approaches to manipulate mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and a lack of existing animal models. Recently a TALE-derived base editor was shown to induce C-to-T (or G-to-A) sequence changes in mtDNA. We report here the FusX TALE Base Editor (FusXTBE) to facilitate broad-based access to TALE mitochondrial base editing technology. TALE Writer is a de novo in silico design tool to map potential mtDNA base editing sites. FusXTBE was demonstrated to function with comparable activity to the initial base editor in human cells in vitro. Zebrafish embryos were used as a pioneering in vivo test system, with FusXTBE inducing 90+% editing efficiency in mtDNA loci as an example of near-complete induction of mtDNA heteroplasmy in vivo. Gene editing specificity as precise as a single nucleotide was observed for a protein-coding gene. Nondestructive genotyping enables single-animal mtDNA analyses for downstream biological functional genomic applications. FusXTBE is a new gene editing toolkit for exploring important questions in mitochondrial biology and genetics.

Novel zebrafish behavioral assay to identify modifiers of the rapid, nongenomic stress response.

When vertebrates face acute stressors, their bodies rapidly undergo a repertoire of physiological and behavioral adaptations, which is termed the stress response. Rapid changes in heart rate and blood glucose levels occur via the interaction of glucocorticoids and their cognate receptors following hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation. These physiological changes are observed within minutes of encountering a stressor and the rapid time domain rules out genomic responses that require gene expression changes. Although behavioral changes corresponding to physiological changes are commonly observed, it is not clearly understood to what extent hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation dictates adaptive behavior. We hypothesized that rapid locomotor response to acute stressors in zebrafish requires hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis activation. In teleost fish, interrenal cells are functionally homologous to the adrenocortical layer. We derived eight frameshift mutants in genes involved in HPI axis function: two mutants in exon 2 of mc2r (adrenocorticotropic hormone receptor), five in exon 2 or 5 of nr3c1 (glucocorticoid receptor [GR]) and two in exon 2 of nr3c2 (mineralocorticoid receptor [MR]). Exposing larval zebrafish to mild environmental stressors, acute changes in salinity or light illumination, results in a rapid locomotor response. We show that this locomotor response requires a functioning HPI axis via the action of mc2r and the canonical GR encoded by nr3c1 gene, but not MR (nr3c2). Our rapid behavioral assay paradigm based on HPI axis biology can be used to screen for genetic and environmental modifiers of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and to investigate the effects of corticosteroids and their cognate receptor interactions on behavior.

Mid-term outcomes of orbital atherectomy combined with drug-coated balloon angioplasty for treatment of femoropopliteal disease.

PURPOSE: To assess the intraprocedural and mid-term outcomes of orbital atherectomy (OA) combined with drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty for the treatment of calcified femoropopliteal disease. METHODS: In this single-center cohort, 89 patients (139 lesions) were treated with DCB angioplasty for claudication or critical limb ischemia (CLI). Angiographic characteristics and procedural outcomes were reviewed for patients treated with or without adjunctive OA. Lesion calcification was graded using two previously published scoring systems, the angiographic calcium score (ACS) and the peripheral artery calcification scoring system (PACSS). RESULTS: Among 139 lesions, 40 (29%) were treated with OA + DCB. Mean lesion length was 135 ± 100 mm for lesions treated with OA + DCB and 139 ± 100 mm for DCB alone (P = 0.9). Moderate to severe calcification was present in 83% of patients treated with OA, compared to 42% of patients treated with DCB alone (P < 0.001). Lesions treated with OA + DCB were less likely to require bailout stenting (18% vs. 39%, P =0.01). Rates of embolization (0% in OA + DCB vs. 2% in DCB only, P = 0.4), dissection (13% vs. 14%, P = 0.8), and perforation (0%) did not differ significantly between groups. The freedom from TLR at 1 year was 82% in both groups (P = 0.6) while primary patency was 81% in-patients treated with DCB alone and 77% in-patients treated with DCB with concomitant OA (P = 0.8). CONCLUSION: In this single-center analysis of patients undergoing DCB angioplasty for claudication or CLI, OA was most often used for the treatment of severely calcified lesions. These lesions were more likely to be treated with scoring balloons and less likely to require bailout stenting. At 1 year, target lesion revascularization and primary patency was similar in patients treated with and without adjunctive OA, despite the higher lesion complexity among those receiving the combination procedure. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.