CRISPR Correction of the GBA Mutation in Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Restores Normal Function to Gaucher Macrophages and Increases Their Susceptibility to Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Gaucher disease (GD) is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by mutations in the β-glucocerebrosidase (GCase) GBA gene, which result in macrophage dysfunction. CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) editing of the homozygous L444P (1448T→C) GBA mutation in type 2 GD (GBA^-/-) human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) yielded both heterozygous (GBA^+/-) and homozygous (GBA^+/+) isogenic lines. Macrophages derived from GBA^-/-, GBA^+/- and GBA^+/+ hiPSCs showed that GBA mutation correction restores normal macrophage functions: GCase activity, motility, and phagocytosis. Furthermore, infection of GBA^-/-, GBA^+/- and GBA^+/+ macrophages with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv strain showed that impaired mobility and phagocytic activity were correlated with reduced levels of bacterial engulfment and replication suggesting that GD may be protective against tuberculosis.