A Tripartite AAV System with Engineered Lox Sites Enables Efficient Delivery of the EYS Gene for Retinal Gene Therapy

Abstract

Mutations in the Eyes Shut Homolog (EYS) gene are one of the leading causes of autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive retinal degenerative disease for which no effective treatment currently exists. However, the large size of the EYS coding sequence (∼9.4 kb) exceeds the packaging limit of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors, posing a major barrier to gene replacement therapy. To address this challenge, we developed a tripartite AAV vector system that enables delivery and reconstitution of the full-length EYS gene using a Cre-lox-based unidirectional DNA recombination strategy, Uni-directional and Site-specific Transgene Assembly by Recombination (Uni-STAR). The system consists of three AAV constructs carrying discrete EYS segments flanked by engineered, noncompatible lox sites that drive ordered and unidirectional recombination in target cells. We validated this system in vitro by demonstrating successful reconstitution and expression of full-length EYS protein in HEK293T cells. In vivo, subretinal co-injection of the three AAV vectors into mouse eyes led to precise reconstitution and expression of full-length EYS protein in the retina. These findings establish the feasibility of using a tripartite AAV system to deliver the complete EYS gene and provide a foundation for future therapeutic development targeting EYS-associated retinal degenerations.