Aging cellSep 3, 2026

Base Editing Partly Improves Bone Problems in a Mouse Model of Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria

CRISPR Gene Editing Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Sep 4, 2026

Abstract

A single intravenous dose of an adenine base editor achieved approximately 14% gene correction in the bone of HGPS mice by six months of age.

Most patients with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome have a specific genetic variant that leads to the production of a toxic protein.
In vitro treatment with a CRISPR-Cas9 adenine base editor resulted in nearly 40% gene correction in osteoblast cultures, reducing toxic protein levels.
Corrected osteoblasts showed improved ability to deposit and mineralize extracellular matrix compared to untreated ones.
In vivo treatment timing affected correction levels, with younger mice showing higher correction rates in bone tissue.
Partially rescued bone structural parameters were observed in mice treated at P14, along with normalization of gene transcription and signaling pathways related to bone remodeling.

Simplified

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a premature aging disorder affecting tissues of mesenchymal origin. Most patients harbor a c.1824C>T/p.G608= variant, commonly described as G608G, in exon 11 of LMNA that leads to aberrant splicing and production of the toxic progerin protein. In addition to cardiovascular, dermal, and adipose tissue deterioration, HGPS mouse models also develop progressive bone dysplasia that occurs in patients. Here we characterize the efficacy of in vivo mutation correction with an adenine base editor (ABE) to rescue structural and functional defects in HGPS transgenic murine bone tissue. Treatment of double-copy transgenic osteoblast cultures with a lentiviral-delivered CRISPR-Cas9 ABE achieved nearly 40% gene correction in vitro, resulting in significant reduction of progerin transcripts and protein, in the absence of selective agents. Furthermore, gene correction improved progeroid osteoblasts' capacity to deposit and mineralize extracellular matrix compared to untreated cultures. In vivo, a single intravenous dose of AAV9-delivered ABE corrected the mutation, achieving ~14%, ~22%, ~10% and < 1% correction in bone by six months of age when administered at P3, P14, 1 and 4 months of age, respectively. Partially rescued bone structural and physical parameters were observed in P14-treated mice with concomitant normalization of gene transcriptional programs and intracellular signaling pathways involved in bone remodeling. This work demonstrates in vivo delivery of a locus-specific DNA base editor to bone tissue, delineates the timing of treatment required for maximum efficacy, and suggests that this system might be tailored for application to other monogenic bone disorders.

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Base Editing Partly Improves Bone Problems in a Mouse Model of Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria

Abstract

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