Hanyong Peng | PubMed Health

PubMed2025

Cellular Inflammation-Induced Cleavage of Phosphorothioate DNA Locker Activates CRISPR/Cas9 Regulator for Gene Editing.

The CRISPR technology is a highly promising strategy for developing a versatile toolbox to engineer genetic circuits. However, achieving precise and specific control over the activity of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in response to intracellular processes remains a challenging endeavor. In this study, we present a cellular inflammation-induced activation of an engineered CRISPR/Cas9 regulator for gene regulation. A phosphorothioate (PS)-modified DNA sequence, referred as the "locker," is employed to deactivate single guide RNA (sgRNA), whose locker sequence complements the spacer region of sgRNA. In the presence of myeloperoxidase during cellular inflammation, a halogenation process is triggered, leading to the generation of HClO, specifically cleaving the PS site of locker and activating CRISPR/Cas9 for gene editing. The target GFP gene has been successfully edited, downregulating the GFP protein expression in HeLa cells. This study provides valuable insights into the CRISPR-based gene regulation through specific endogenous processes.

Humans↗

PubMed2024

Integrated multi-omics approaches reveal the neurotoxicity of triclocarban in mouse brain.

Triclocarban (TCC) is an antimicrobial ingredient that commonly incorporated in many household and personal care products, raising public concerns about its potential health risks. Previous research has showed that TCC could cross the blood-brain barrier, but to date our understanding of its potential neurotoxicity at human-relevant concentrations remains lacking. In this study, we observed anxiety-like behaviors in mice with continuous percutaneous exposure to TCC. Subsequently, we combined lipidomic, proteomic, and metabolic landscapes to investigate the underlying mechanisms of TCC-related neurotoxicity. The results showed that TCC exposure dysregulated the proteins involved in endocytosis and neurodegenerative disorders in mouse cerebrum. Brain energy homeostasis was also altered, as evidenced by the perturbation of pyruvate metabolism, TCA cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation, which in turn caused mitochondrial dysfunction. Meanwhile, the changing trends of sphingolipid signaling pathway and overproduction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) could enhance the neural apoptosis. The in vitro approach further demonstrated that TCC exposure promoted apoptosis, accompanied by the overproduction of mROS and alteration in the mitochondrial membrane potential in N2A cells. Together, dysregulated endocytosis, mROS-related mitochondrial dysfunction and neural cell apoptosis are considered to be crucial factors for TCC-induced neurotoxicity, which may contribute to the occurrence and development of neurodegenerative disorders. Our findings provide novel perspectives for the mechanisms of TCC-triggered neurotoxicity.

Animals↗