Modulating Collagen I Expression in Fibroblasts by CRISPR-Cas9 Base Editing of the Collagen 1A1 Promoter.

International journal of molecular sciences
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

Fibrotic diseases, contributing to a significant portion of global mortality, highlight the need for innovative therapies. This study explores a novel approach to disrupt the expression of collagen by using adenine base editing to target Col1a1, a key gene driving both fibrosis and cancer metastasis. Editing Col1a1 in fibroblasts demonstrated 18% editing efficiency. An analysis of a specific clone harboring a CCAAT-to-CCGGA mutation in the Col1a1 promoter revealed reduced collagen production. Notably, when wild-type fibroblasts were cultured on the Col1a1-edited matrix, no compensatory collagen upregulation was detected, suggesting a lack of feedback mechanism in fibroblasts. Furthermore, the matrix derived from edited fibroblasts did not support the growth of MCF-7 cancer cells. These findings suggest that Col1a1 gene editing holds promise as a potential therapeutic strategy for fibrotic diseases. Further investigation is warranted to fully elucidate the implications of these findings for fibrosis and cancer.

Year of Publication
2025
Journal
International journal of molecular sciences
Volume
26
Issue
7
Date Published
03/2025
ISSN
1422-0067
DOI
10.3390/ijms26073041
PubMed ID
40243657
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