Modulating Collagen I Expression in Fibroblasts by CRISPR-Cas9 Base Editing of the Collagen 1A1 Promoter.
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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
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Journal | International journal of molecular sciences
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Volume | 26
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Issue | 7
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Date Published | 03/2025
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ISSN | 1422-0067
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DOI | 10.3390/ijms26073041
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PubMed ID | 40243657
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