LAH5-mediated delivery of prime editor ribonucleoprotein complexes for genome editing

Abstract

Prime editing (PE) is a precise gene-editing technology with potential for treating genetic disorders, but efficient delivery systems remain a challenge. Viral vectors offer high efficiency but pose safety concerns related with their immunogenicity, while non-viral methods struggle with stability and scalability. Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) present a promising alternative due to their low immunogenicity. In this study, we explored LAH5, a histidine-rich CPP, for delivering PE ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) into PLN R14del mutant cell lines. We purified engineered SpGPEmax protein, evaluating its intracellular uptake and editing frequency in HEK293T.PLN R14del reporter cells and human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs). Our results demonstrate that LAH5 effectively delivers intracellularly SpGPEmax RNP components, resulting in correction of the R14del mutation, thereby offering a viable non-viral strategy for direct cellular precise genome editing.