Genotoxicity profiling reveals distinct platform-and cell type-specific effects in therapeutic gene editing for genetic hyperinflammation

Authors:
Lei L, Kaufmann MM, Lao J, Thoulass G, Ammann S, Xiao H, Rhiel M, Dettmer-Monaco V, Grünewald J, Andrieux G, Alzubi J, Miller BR, Weißert K, Gräßel L, Schell C, Illert AL, Joung JK, Boerries M, Cornu TI, Ehl S, Erlacher M, Aichele P, Cathomen T
In:
Source: Cell Stem Cell
Publication Date: (2026)
Issue: 33(6): 930-944
Research Area:
Cancer Research/Cell Biology
Stem Cells
Gene Expression
Basic Research
Molecular Biology
Drug Discovery
Cells used in publication:
Hematopoietic stem cells, mouse
Species: mouse
Tissue Origin: bone marrow
Embryonic fibroblast, mouse (MEF)primary
Species: mouse
Tissue Origin: embryo
Platform:
4D-Nucleofector® X-Unit
Experiment

Transfer of mRNA

A total of 1 × 106 primary mouse CD8+ T cells or Lin- cells (HSCs), 5 × 105 mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), or 5 × 105 Jinx reporter cells were electroporated using a 4D-Nucleofector™ System (Lonza), with either 8 µg or 5 µg of BE/Cas9-encoding mRNA and 120 pmol of synthetic gRNA, using the P4 Primary Cell Kit S (Lonza, #V4XP-4032) and pulse code CM-137 for T cells and HSCs, or CZ-167 for MEFs, or the SF Cell Line Kit S (Lonza, #V4XC-2032) with pulse FF-120 for Jinx reporter cells. As a transfection control, 1 µg of PureBoost-EGFP mRNA (Cellerna, SKU:2001U) was used. For HSC nucleofection, 40 U of recombinant RNasin® Ribonuclease Inhibitor (Promega, #N2511) was co-delivered to protect RNA integrity, improving the efficiency and reproducibility of exogenous mRNA expression in HSCs.

Abstract

Base editors enable precise correction of point mutations without requiring DNA double-strand breaks, yet platform– and cell type–specific genotoxicities remain incompletely characterized. Here, we applied cytosine base editing (CBE) to disrupt a cryptic splice-site mutation in the Unc13d locus of Jinx mice, a model of familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis type 3 (FHL3). Efficient editing (62–89%) in fibroblasts, T cells, and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) restored Unc13d splicing, reconstituted cytotoxic T cell function, and protected mice from virus-triggered hyperinflammation after transplantation of edited HSCs. Comparative genotoxicity profiling revealed distinct platform- and cell type–specific patterns: hyperactive CBE induced broader off-target activity and more structural variants than CRISPR–Cas9. While off-target sequence edits persisted, the stability of CBE-induced chromosomal translocations differed between cell types. These findings establish therapeutic base editing for a genetically predisposed hyperinflammatory syndrome and underscore the importance of context-specific safety profiling to guide clinical translation of genome editors.