Co-editing PINK1 and DJ-1 Genes Via Adeno-Associated Virus-Delivered CRISPR/Cas9 System in Adult Monkey Brain Elicits Classical Parkinsonian Phenotype
- Author:
Hao LI
1
;
Shihao WU
1
;
Xia MA
1
;
Jing WU
1
;
Wenchao WANG
1
;
Yingzhou HU
1
;
Xintian HU
1
;
Shihao WU
2
;
Xiao LI
2
;
Tianlin CHENG
2
;
Zhifang CHEN
2
;
Zilong QIU
2
;
Xia MA
3
;
Zilong QIU
4
;
Xintian HU
4
;
Longbao LV
5
;
Xintian HU
5
;
Ling LI
6
;
Liqi XU
7
;
Haisong JIANG
8
;
Yong YIN
9
;
Zilong QIU
10
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: Adeno-associated virus-delivered CRISPR/Cas9; DJ-1; Monkey; Parkinsonian phenotype; Parkinson’s disease; PINK1
- From: Neuroscience Bulletin 2021;37(9):1271-1288
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
- Abstract: Whether direct manipulation of Parkinson’s disease (PD) risk genes in the adult monkey brain can elicit a Parkinsonian phenotype remains an unsolved issue. Here, we used an adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9)-delivered CRISPR/Cas9 system to directly co-edit PINK1 and DJ-1 genes in the substantia nigras (SNs) of two monkey groups: an old group and a middle-aged group. After the operation, the old group exhibited all the classic PD symptoms, including bradykinesia, tremor, and postural instability, accompanied by key pathological hallmarks of PD, such as severe nigral dopaminergic neuron loss (>64%) and evident α-synuclein pathology in the gene-edited SN. In contrast, the phenotype of their middle-aged counterparts, which also showed clear PD symptoms and pathological hallmarks, were less severe. In addition to the higher final total PD scores and more severe pathological changes, the old group were also more susceptible to gene editing by showing a faster process of PD progression. These results suggested that both genetic and aging factors played important roles in the development of PD in the monkeys. Taken together, this system can effectively develop a large number of genetically-edited PD monkeys in a short time (6–10 months), and thus provides a practical transgenic monkey model for future PD studies.