Allele-Selective Inhibition of Mutant Huntingtin by Peptide Nucleic Acid-Peptide Conjugates, Locked Nucleic Acid, and Small Interfering RNA

• Published in: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Vol. 1175; no. 1; pp. 24 - 31
• Main Authors: Hu, Jiaxin, Matsui, Masayuki, Corey, David R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.09.2009
• Subjects: allele selectivity; Alleles; CAG repeat; Conjugates; Deletion; Humans; huntingtin; Huntingtin Protein; Huntington Disease - therapy; Huntington's disease; Inhibition; LNA; locked nucleic acid; Nerve Tissue Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics; Nuclear Proteins - antagonists & inhibitors; Nuclear Proteins - genetics; Nucleic acids; Oligonucleotides - chemistry; Oligonucleotides - genetics; Oligonucleotides - therapeutic use; peptide nucleic acid; Peptide Nucleic Acids - chemistry; Peptide Nucleic Acids - genetics; Peptide Nucleic Acids - therapeutic use; Peptides; PNA; Proteins; Ribonucleic acids; RNA, Small Interfering - chemistry; RNA, Small Interfering - genetics; RNA, Small Interfering - therapeutic use; Selection, Genetic; siRNA; Strategy; trinucleotide repeat
• ISSN: 0077-8923; 1749-6632; 1749-6632
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04975.x

The ability to inhibit expression of a mutant allele while retaining expression of a wild‐type protein might provide a useful approach to treating Huntington's Disease (HD) and other inherited pathologies. The mutant form of huntingtin (HTT), the protein responsible for HD, is encoded by an mRNA containing an expanded CAG repeat. We demonstrate that peptide nucleic acid conjugates and locked nucleic acids complementary to the CAG repeat selectively block expression of mutant HTT. The selectivity of inhibition is at least as good as that shown by a small interfering RNA targeted to a deletion polymorphism. Our data suggest that antisense oligomers are promising subjects for further development as an anti‐HD therapeutic strategy.