June 2017
Volume 58, Issue 8
Open Access
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2017
KCNJ13 Gene Augmentation Therapy to Treat Blindness due to Kir7.1 Defects
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Pawan K Shahi
    Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
    McPherson Eye Research Institute, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
  • Sabrina Stulo
    Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
  • Dalton James Hermans
    Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
  • De-Ann M Pillers
    Pediatrics, Genetics, University of Wisconsin- Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
    McPherson Eye Research Institute, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
  • Bikash R Pattnaik
    Pediatrics, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin- Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
    McPherson Eye Research Institute, Madison, Wisconsin, United States
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships   Pawan Shahi, None; Sabrina Stulo, None; Dalton Hermans, None; De-Ann Pillers, None; Bikash Pattnaik, None
  • Footnotes
    Support  NH Grant EY024995, UW Foundation
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2017, Vol.58, 4091. doi:
  • Views
  • Share
  • Tools
    • Alerts
      ×
      This feature is available to authenticated users only.
      Sign In or Create an Account ×
    • Get Citation

      Pawan K Shahi, Sabrina Stulo, Dalton James Hermans, De-Ann M Pillers, Bikash R Pattnaik; KCNJ13 Gene Augmentation Therapy to Treat Blindness due to Kir7.1 Defects. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2017;58(8):4091.

      Download citation file:


      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

      ×
  • Supplements
Abstract

Purpose : Mutations in the KCNJ13 gene, encoding the inwardly rectifying potassium Kir7.1 ion-channel in the RPE, cause autosomal dominant snowflake vitreoretinal degeneration (SVD) and autosomal recessive Leber’s congenital amaurosis (LCA16). Molecular and biophysical analysis of the mutant protein revealed a non-functional protein product. With a goal of restoring retinal function via gene augmentation therapy, we tested the efficacy of Kir7.1 channel functional rescue using an in vitro model of CHO cells expressing disease – associated mutations.

Methods : We cloned human Kir7.1-WT (wild-type) and W53X (mutant) into Flip-In™ expression vector (ThermoFisher Scientific) and transfected them into Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells to express the protein products. Expression of Kir7.1 was verified through PCR and Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Whole-cell configuration of patch-clamp technology was used to measure Kir7.1 current. Protein expression was confirmed by Western Blotting. N-terminal GFP-fused Kir7.1 wildtype was cloned into an AAV serotype 2 gene expression vector, packaged, transduced to CHO cells expressing the W53X mutant channel with a MOI of 100 for 6 hrs and analyzed within 1-2 weeks.

Results : Sequencing and RFLP analysis confirmed stable integration human Kir7.1-WT and W53X into CHO-K1 lines. We measured 9.6 ± 0.94 fold (n=10) increase in inward current on replacing the extracellular K+ with Rb+ in Kir7.1-WT expressing cells. Higher Rb+ conductivity is a known feature of the Kir7.1 channel. The W53X stable cell line, in contrast, registered only 1.84 ± 0.04 fold increase (n=9, P=3.32E-07) in Rb+ conductance, due to the truncated Kir7.1 protein. When W53X CHO cells were transduced with the AAV carrying the GFP fused functional Kir7.1 gene, a distinct Kir7.1 inward current was observed as the current was amplified 9.64 ± 3.62 fold after Rb+ treatment (n=7, P= 3.37E-08).We observed a complete recovery of membrane potential from -35 mV to -54 mV. We also visualized GFP expression on the cell membrane by confocal microscopy and identified a 70 kDa Kir7.1 protein band through Western Blot analysis.

Conclusions : We showed successful functional restoration of the Kir7.1 channel in an in vitro CHO stable cell model expressing the W53X LCA16 mutant channel. This proof-of-principle approach shows the potential of augmenting a normal gene into cells with diseases caused by KCNJ13 mutations.

This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.

×
×

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

Sign in or purchase a subscription to access this content. ×

You must be signed into an individual account to use this feature.

×