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Karakaya T, Slaufova M, Di Filippo M, Hennig P, Fenini G, Kündig T, Beer HD. Efficient Generation of CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Knockout Human Primary Keratinocytes by Electroporation. Methods Mol Biol 2024. [PMID: 38407798 DOI: 10.1007/7651_2024_518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Due to their full differentiation capacity in vitro, the culture of human primary keratinocytes (HPKs) represents a physiological model for answering basic biological and dermatological research questions, including those related to skin diseases and the investigation of treatment options. When modified with the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing approach and cultivated in organotypic 3D epidermal equivalents (EEs), these human cells have the potential to replace established mouse models. However, even when cultivated on feeder cells, HPKs have only a low proliferation capacity in 2D culture, limiting their application potential. This is particularly true for CRISPR/Cas9-modified HPKs, whose generation commonly requires selection of targeted cells, negatively affecting their lifespan. Here, we describe a robust protocol for the rapid, simple, and efficient generation of single- and multi-gene CRISPR/Cas9 knockout HPKs by electroporation of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes, which comprise one or multiple guide RNAs (gRNAs) and Cas9 protein. Unlike DNA transfection or virus-based targeting strategies, electroporation of RNPs represents a targeting approach that minimizes immunological and toxic side effects. Using efficient gRNAs results in the generation of HPKs with a high yield of knockout cells, allowing for their immediate use in experiments without requiring the laborious process of selecting targeted cells or maintaining a feeder cell culture. Furthermore, the use of RNPs and their delivery via electroporation minimizes off-target and other unspecific effects, preventing unintended genomic alterations. Most importantly, CRISPR/Cas9 knockout HPKs generated with this protocol have the ability to form a fully differentiated epidermis in 3D, thus facilitating the understanding of specific protein functions in a highly physiological human skin model. Alternatively, this approach proves valuable for generating models of mono- or polygenic skin diseases via knockouts, providing insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms and facilitating the development of novel therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tugay Karakaya
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marta Slaufova
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michela Di Filippo
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Paulina Hennig
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gabriele Fenini
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Kündig
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hans-Dietmar Beer
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Fontana GA, MacArthur MR, Rotankova N, Di Filippo M, Beer HD, Gahlon HL. The mitochondrial DNA common deletion as a potential biomarker of cancer-associated fibroblasts from skin basal and squamous cell carcinomas. Sci Rep 2024; 14:553. [PMID: 38177205 PMCID: PMC10766618 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50213-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are components of the tumor microenvironment and represent appealing therapeutic targets for translational studies. Conventional protein-based biomarkers for CAFs have been reported to be limited in their specificity, rendering difficult the identification of CAFs from normal fibroblasts (NFs) in clinical samples and dampening the development of CAF-targeted therapies to treat cancer. In this study, we propose the mitochondrial RNA and the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) common deletion (CD) as novel indicators of CAF identity. We found that cancer-activation correlated with decreased levels of the mtDNA CD, a condition not due to altered mitochondria count or cellular redox state, but potentially linked to the generalized overexpression of mtDNA maintenance genes in CAFs. Decreased mtDNA CD content in CAFs was associated with moderate to strong overexpression of mtDNA-encoded genes and to slightly improved mitochondrial function. We identified similar patterns of upregulation of mtDNA-encoded genes in independent single-cell RNA seq data obtained from squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients. By using the identified nucleic acids-based indicators, identification of CAFs from NFs could be improved, leading to potential therapeutic benefits in advancing translational and clinical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele A Fontana
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
- Cellvie AG, Technoparkstrasse 1, CH-8005 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Michael R MacArthur
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nadezhda Rotankova
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michela Di Filippo
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, 8952, Schlieren, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hans-Dietmar Beer
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, 8952, Schlieren, Switzerland
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Zurich, 8032, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hailey L Gahlon
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
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High p62 expression suppresses the NLRP1 inflammasome and increases stress resistance in cutaneous SCC cells. Cell Death Dis 2022; 13:1077. [PMID: 36581625 PMCID: PMC9800582 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-022-05530-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
NLRP1 is the primary inflammasome sensor in human keratinocytes. Sensing of UVB radiation by NLRP1 is believed to underlie the induction of sunburn. Although constitutive NLRP1 activation causes skin inflammation and predisposes patients to the development of cutaneous SCCs, the NLRP1 pathway is suppressed in established SCCs. Here, we identified high levels of the autophagy receptor p62 in SCC cells lines and SCC tumors. Increased NF-κB activity in SCC cells causes p62 up-regulation. Suppression of p62 expression rescues UVB-induced NLRP1 inflammasome activation in early-stage SCC cells. p62 expression protects SCC cells from cytotoxic drugs, whereas NLRP1 sensitizes them. In summary, we identify p62 as a novel negative regulator of the NLRP1 inflammasome in human cutaneous SCC cells, in which suppression of NLRP1 by increased levels of p62 supports stress resistance of skin cancer cells.
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Smits JP, Meesters LD, Maste BG, Zhou H, Zeeuwen PL, van den Bogaard EH. CRISPR-Cas9 based genomic engineering in keratinocytes: from technology to application. JID INNOVATIONS 2021; 2:100082. [PMID: 35146483 PMCID: PMC8819031 DOI: 10.1016/j.xjidi.2021.100082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Revised: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jos P.H. Smits
- Department of Dermatology, Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Luca D. Meesters
- Department of Dermatology, Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Berber G.W. Maste
- Department of Dermatology, Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Huiqing Zhou
- Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud University, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Patrick L.J.M. Zeeuwen
- Department of Dermatology, Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Ellen H. van den Bogaard
- Department of Dermatology, Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Correspondence: Ellen H. van den Bogaard, Department of Dermatology, Radboud University Medical Center (Radboudumc), Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Rene Descartesdreef 1, Nijmegen 6525 GL, The Netherlands.
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Kurinna S, Seltmann K, Bachmann AL, Schwendimann A, Thiagarajan L, Hennig P, Beer HD, Mollo MR, Missero C, Werner S. Interaction of the NRF2 and p63 transcription factors promotes keratinocyte proliferation in the epidermis. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:3748-3763. [PMID: 33764436 PMCID: PMC8053124 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic regulation of cell and tissue function requires the coordinated action of transcription factors. However, their combinatorial activities during regeneration remain largely unexplored. Here, we discover an unexpected interaction between the cytoprotective transcription factor NRF2 and p63- a key player in epithelial morphogenesis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation combined with sequencing and reporter assays identifies enhancers and promoters that are simultaneously activated by NRF2 and p63 in human keratinocytes. Modeling of p63 and NRF2 binding to nucleosomal DNA suggests their chromatin-assisted interaction. Pharmacological and genetic activation of NRF2 increases NRF2–p63 binding to enhancers and promotes keratinocyte proliferation, which involves the common NRF2–p63 target cyclin-dependent kinase 12. These results unravel a collaborative function of NRF2 and p63 in the control of epidermal renewal and suggest their combined activation as a strategy to promote repair of human skin and other stratified epithelia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svitlana Kurinna
- Division of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, FBMH, University of Manchester, M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Kristin Seltmann
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas L Bachmann
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Andreas Schwendimann
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lalitha Thiagarajan
- Division of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, FBMH, University of Manchester, M13 9PT, United Kingdom
| | - Paulina Hennig
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hans-Dietmar Beer
- Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Zurich, 8006 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maria Rosaria Mollo
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Caterina Missero
- CEINGE Biotecnologie Avanzate, Naples, Italy, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Sabine Werner
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Health Sciences, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
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