Ruhi Sayana

All Publications

• CNS Repopulation by Hematopoietic-Derived Microglia-Like Cells Corrects Progranulin deficiency. Research square Colella, P., Sayana, R., Suarez-Nieto, M. V., Sarno, J., Nyame, K., Xiong, J., Vera, L. N., Basurto, J. A., Corbo, M., Limaye, A., Davis, K. L., Abu-Remaileh, M., Gomez-Ospina, N. 2023

  Abstract

  Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can deliver therapeutic proteins to the CNS through donor-derived hematopoietic cells that become microglia-like cells. However, using standard conditioning approaches, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is currently limited by low and slow engraftment of microglia-like cells. We report an efficient conditioning regimen based on Busulfan and a six-day course of microglia depletion using the colony-stimulating factor receptor 1 inhibitor PLX3397. Combining Busulfan-myeloablation and transient microglia depletion results in robust, rapid, and persistent microglia replacement by bone marrow-derived microglia-like cells throughout the CNS. Adding PLX3397 does not affect neurobehavior or has adverse effects on hematopoietic reconstitution. Through single-cell RNA sequencing and high-dimensional CyTOF mass cytometry, we show that microglia-like cells are a heterogeneous population and describe six distinct subpopulations. Though most bone-marrow-derived microglia-like cells can be classified as homeostatic microglia, their gene signature is a hybrid of homeostatic/embryonic microglia and border associated-macrophages. Busulfan-myeloablation and transient microglia depletion induce specific cytokines in the brain, ultimately combining myeloid proliferative and chemo-attractive signals that act locally to repopulate microglia from outside the niche. Importantly, this conditioning approach demonstrates therapeutic efficacy in a mouse model of GRN deficiency. Transplanting wild-type bone marrow into Grn-/- mice conditioned with Busulfan plus PLX3397 results in high engraftment of microglia-like cells in the brain and retina, restoring GRN levels and normalizing lipid metabolism.

  View details for DOI 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3263412/v1

  View details for PubMedID 37790525

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10543302

• High-efficiency transgene integration by homology-directed repair in human primary cells using DNA-PKcs inhibition. Nature biotechnology Selvaraj, S., Feist, W. N., Viel, S., Vaidyanathan, S., Dudek, A. M., Gastou, M., Rockwood, S. J., Ekman, F. K., Oseghale, A. R., Xu, L., Pavel-Dinu, M., Luna, S. E., Cromer, M. K., Sayana, R., Gomez-Ospina, N., Porteus, M. H. 2023

  Abstract

  Therapeutic applications of nuclease-based genome editing would benefit from improved methods for transgene integration via homology-directed repair (HDR). To improve HDR efficiency, we screened six small-molecule inhibitors of DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs), a key protein in the alternative repair pathway of non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), which generates genomic insertions/deletions (INDELs). From this screen, we identified AZD7648 as the most potent compound. The use of AZD7648 significantly increased HDR (up to 50-fold) and concomitantly decreased INDELs across different genomic loci in various therapeutically relevant primary human cell types. In all cases, the ratio of HDR to INDELs markedly increased, and, in certain situations, INDEL-free high-frequency (>50%) targeted integration was achieved. This approach has the potential to improve the therapeutic efficacy of cell-based therapies and broaden the use of targeted integration as a research tool.

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41587-023-01888-4

  View details for PubMedID 37537500

  View details for PubMedCentralID 3694601