Differential Transgene Silencing of Myeloid-Specific Promoters in the AAVS1 Safe Harbor Locus of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Myeloid Cells

Targeted integration into a genomic safe harbor, such as the AAVS1 locus on chromosome 19, promises predictable transgene expression and reduces the risk of insertional mutagenesis in the host genome. The application of gamma-retroviral long terminal repeat (LTR)-driven vectors, which semirandomly integrate into the genome, has previously caused severe adverse events in some clinical studies due to transactivation of neighboring proto-oncogenes. Consequently, the site-specific integration of a therapeutic transgene into a genomic safe harbor locus would allow stable genetic correction with a reduced risk of insertional mutagenesis. However, recent studies revealed that transgene silencing, especially in case of weaker cell type-specific promoters, can occur in the AAVS1 locus of human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and can impede transgene expression during differentiation. In this study, we aimed to correct p47(phox) deficiency, which is the second most common cause of chronic granulomatous disease, by insertion of a therapeutic p47(phox) transgene into the AAVS1 locus of human induced PSCs (iPSCs) using CRISPR-Cas9. We analyzed transgene expression and functional correction from three different myeloid-specific promoters (miR223, CatG/cFes, and myeloid-related protein 8 [MRP8]). Upon myeloid differentiation of corrected iPSC clones, we observed that the miR223 and CatG/cFes promoters achieved therapeutically relevant levels of p47(phox) expression and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activity, whereas the MRP8 promoter was less efficient. Analysis of the different promoters revealed high CpG methylation of the MRP8 promoter in differentiated cells, which correlated with the transgene expression data. In summary, we identified the miR223 and CatG/cFes promoters as cell type-specific promoters that allow stable transgene expression in the AAVS1 locus of iPSC-derived myeloid cells. Our findings further indicate that promoter silencing can occur in the AAVS1 safe harbor locus in differentiated hematopoietic cells and that a comparison of different promoters is necessary to achieve optimal transgene expression for therapeutic application of iPSC-derived cells.