Multiplex epigenome editing of <i>MECP2</i> to rescue Rett syndrome neurons.

Abstract

Rett syndrome (RTT) is an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder caused by loss-of-function heterozygous mutations of methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (<i>MECP2</i>) on the X chromosome in young females. Reactivation of the silent wild-type <i>MECP2</i> allele from the inactive X chromosome (Xi) represents a promising therapeutic opportunity for female patients with RTT. Here, we applied a multiplex epigenome editing approach to reactivate MECP2 from Xi in RTT human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and derived neurons. Demethylation of the <i>MECP2</i> promoter by dCas9-Tet1 with target single-guide RNA reactivated MECP2 from Xi in RTT hESCs without detectable off-target effects at the transcriptional level. Neurons derived from methylation-edited RTT hESCs maintained MECP2 reactivation and reversed the smaller soma size and electrophysiological abnormalities, two hallmarks of RTT. In RTT neurons, insulation of the methylation-edited <i>MECP2</i> locus by dCpf1-CTCF (a catalytically dead Cpf1 fused with CCCTC-binding factor) with target CRISPR RNA enhanced MECP2 reactivation and rescued RTT-related neuronal defects, providing a proof-of-concept study for epigenome editing to treat RTT and potentially other dominant X-linked diseases.