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Updated: Apr 20, 2026
Establishment of Genome-edited Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines: From Targeting to Isolation
Published on: February 2, 2016
Targeted genome engineering in human induced pluripotent stem cells by penetrating TALENs
Renli Ru1, Yongchao Yao1, Songlin Yu1
1Laboratory of Pathogen Biology, State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, Center for Infection and Immunity, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530 China.
Background:
Zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) have been successfully used to knock out endogenous genes in stem cell research. However, the deficiencies of current gene-based delivery systems may hamper the clinical application of these nucleases. A new delivery method that can improve the utility of these nucleases is needed.
Results:
In this study, we utilized a cell-penetrating peptide-based system for ZFN and TALEN delivery. Functional TAT-ZFN and TAT-TALEN proteins were generated by fusing the cell-penetrating TAT peptide to ZFN and TALEN, respectively. However, TAT-ZFN was difficult to purify in quantities sufficient for analysis in cell culture. Purified TAT-TALEN was able to penetrate cells and disrupt the gene encoding endogenous human chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5 (CCR5, a co-receptor for HIV-1 entry into cells). Hypothermic treatment greatly enhanced the TAT-TALEN-mediated gene disruption efficiency. A 5% modification rate was observed in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) treated with TAT-TALEN as measured by the Surveyor assay.
Conclusions:
TAT-TALEN protein-mediated gene disruption was applicable in hiPSCs and represents a promising technique for gene knockout in stem cells. This new technique may advance the clinical application of TALEN technology.
