Targeting several CAG expansion diseases by a single antisense oligonucleotide

PLoS One. 2011;6(9):e24308. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024308. Epub 2011 Sep 1.

Abstract

To date there are 9 known diseases caused by an expanded polyglutamine repeat, with the most prevalent being Huntington's disease. Huntington's disease is a progressive autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder for which currently no therapy is available. It is caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the HTT gene, which results in an expansion of a glutamine stretch at the N-terminal end of the huntingtin protein. This polyglutamine expansion plays a central role in the disease and results in the accumulation of cytoplasmic and nuclear aggregates. Here, we make use of modified 2'-O-methyl phosphorothioate (CUG)n triplet-repeat antisense oligonucleotides to effectively reduce mutant huntingtin transcript and protein levels in patient-derived Huntington's disease fibroblasts and lymphoblasts. The most effective antisense oligonucleotide, (CUG)(7), also reduced mutant ataxin-1 and ataxin-3 mRNA levels in spinocerebellar ataxia 1 and 3, respectively, and atrophin-1 in dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy patient derived fibroblasts. This antisense oligonucleotide is not only a promising therapeutic tool to reduce mutant huntingtin levels in Huntington's disease but our results in spinocerebellar ataxia and dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy cells suggest that this could also be applicable to other polyglutamine expansion disorders as well.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Ataxin-1
  • Ataxin-3
  • Ataxins
  • Cell Line
  • Fibroblasts / drug effects
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism
  • Fibroblasts / pathology
  • Gene Expression Regulation / drug effects
  • Humans
  • Huntingtin Protein
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy*
  • Mutant Proteins / genetics
  • Mutant Proteins / metabolism
  • Myoclonic Epilepsies, Progressive / genetics
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / genetics
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases / genetics*
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases / therapy*
  • Nuclear Proteins / genetics
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense / pharmacology*
  • Peptides / metabolism
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism
  • Spinocerebellar Ataxias / genetics
  • Trinucleotide Repeat Expansion / genetics*

Substances

  • ATXN1 protein, human
  • Ataxin-1
  • Ataxins
  • HTT protein, human
  • Huntingtin Protein
  • Mutant Proteins
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense
  • Peptides
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Repressor Proteins
  • polyglutamine
  • ATXN3 protein, human
  • Ataxin-3