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Ito K, Takakusa H, Kakuta M, Kanda A, Takagi N, Nagase H, Watanabe N, Asano D, Goda R, Masuda T, Nakamura A, Onishi Y, Onoda T, Koizumi M, Takeshima Y, Matsuo M, Takaishi K. Renadirsen, a Novel 2'OMeRNA/ENA ® Chimera Antisense Oligonucleotide, Induces Robust Exon 45 Skipping for Dystrophin In Vivo. Curr Issues Mol Biol 2021; 43:1267-1281. [PMID: 34698059 PMCID: PMC8928966 DOI: 10.3390/cimb43030090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive muscle-wasting disease caused by out-of-frame or nonsense mutation in the dystrophin gene. It begins with a loss of ambulation between 9 and 14 years of age, followed by various other symptoms including cardiac dysfunction. Exon skipping of patients’ DMD pre-mRNA induced by antisense oligonucleotides (AOs) is expected to produce shorter but partly functional dystrophin proteins, such as those possessed by patients with the less severe Becker muscular dystrophy. We are working on developing modified nucleotides, such as 2′-O,4′-C-ethylene-bridged nucleic acids (ENAs), possessing high nuclease resistance and high affinity for complementary RNA strands. Here, we demonstrate the preclinical characteristics (exon-skipping activity in vivo, stability in blood, pharmacokinetics, and tissue distribution) of renadirsen, a novel AO modified with 2′-O-methyl RNA/ENA chimera phosphorothioate designed for dystrophin exon 45 skipping and currently under clinical trials. Notably, systemic delivery of renadirsen sodium promoted dystrophin exon skipping in cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, and diaphragm, compared with AOs with the same sequence as renadirsen but conventionally modified by PMO and 2′OMePS. These findings suggest the promise of renadirsen sodium as a therapeutic agent that improves not only skeletal muscle symptoms but also other symptoms in DMD patients, such as cardiac dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro Ito
- Specialty Medicine Research Laboratories I, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa, Tokyo 1408710, Japan; (K.I.); (A.K.); (H.N.)
| | - Hideo Takakusa
- Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa, Tokyo 1408710, Japan; (H.T.); (N.W.); (D.A.); (R.G.)
| | - Masayo Kakuta
- Medical Information Department, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Chuo, Tokyo 1038426, Japan;
| | - Akira Kanda
- Specialty Medicine Research Laboratories I, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa, Tokyo 1408710, Japan; (K.I.); (A.K.); (H.N.)
| | - Nana Takagi
- Safety and Risk Management Department, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Chuo, Tokyo 1038426, Japan;
| | - Hiroyuki Nagase
- Specialty Medicine Research Laboratories I, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa, Tokyo 1408710, Japan; (K.I.); (A.K.); (H.N.)
| | - Nobuaki Watanabe
- Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa, Tokyo 1408710, Japan; (H.T.); (N.W.); (D.A.); (R.G.)
| | - Daigo Asano
- Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa, Tokyo 1408710, Japan; (H.T.); (N.W.); (D.A.); (R.G.)
| | - Ryoya Goda
- Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa, Tokyo 1408710, Japan; (H.T.); (N.W.); (D.A.); (R.G.)
| | - Takeshi Masuda
- Modality Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa, Tokyo 1409710, Japan; (T.M.); (A.N.); (Y.O.); (M.K.)
| | - Akifumi Nakamura
- Modality Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa, Tokyo 1409710, Japan; (T.M.); (A.N.); (Y.O.); (M.K.)
| | - Yoshiyuki Onishi
- Modality Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa, Tokyo 1409710, Japan; (T.M.); (A.N.); (Y.O.); (M.K.)
| | - Toshio Onoda
- Intellectual Property Department, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa, Tokyo 1409710, Japan;
| | - Makoto Koizumi
- Modality Research Laboratories, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa, Tokyo 1409710, Japan; (T.M.); (A.N.); (Y.O.); (M.K.)
| | - Yasuhiro Takeshima
- Department of Pediatrics, Hyogo College of Medicine, Nishinomiya 6638501, Japan;
| | - Masafumi Matsuo
- Research Center for Locomotion Biology, Kobe Gakuin University, Nishi, Kobe 6512180, Japan;
| | - Kiyosumi Takaishi
- Specialty Medicine Research Laboratories I, Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Shinagawa, Tokyo 1408710, Japan; (K.I.); (A.K.); (H.N.)
- Correspondence:
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Altrichter Y, Schöller J, Seitz O. Toward conditional control of Smac mimetic activity by RNA-templated reduction of azidopeptides on PNA or 2'-OMe-RNA. Biopolymers 2021; 112:e23466. [PMID: 34287823 DOI: 10.1002/bip.23466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Oligonucleotide templated reactions can be used to control the activity of functional molecules based on the presence of a specific trigger sequence. We report an RNA-controlled reaction system to conditionally restore the N-terminal amino group and thus binding affinity of azide-modified Smac mimetic compounds (SMCs) for their target protein X-linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (XIAP). Two templated reactions were compared: Staudinger reduction with phosphines and a photocatalytic reaction with Ru(bpy)2 (mcbpy). The latter proved faster and more efficient, especially for the activation of a bivalent SMC, which requires two consecutive reduction steps. The templated reaction proceeds with turnover when 2'-OMe-RNA probes are used, but is significantly more efficient with PNA, catalyzing a reaction in the presence of low, substoichiometric amounts (1%-3%, 10 nM) of target RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannic Altrichter
- Department of Chemistry, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Justus Schöller
- Department of Chemistry, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Oliver Seitz
- Department of Chemistry, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Aung-Htut MT, Ham KA, Tchan M, Johnsen R, Schnell FJ, Fletcher S, Wilton SD. Splice modulating antisense oligonucleotides restore some acid-alpha-glucosidase activity in cells derived from patients with late-onset Pompe disease. Sci Rep 2020; 10:6702. [PMID: 32317649 PMCID: PMC7174337 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-63461-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Pompe disease is caused by mutations in the GAA gene, resulting in deficient lysosomal acid-α-glucosidase activity in patients, and a progressive decline in mobility and respiratory function. Enzyme replacement therapy is one therapeutic option, but since not all patients respond to this treatment, alternative interventions should be considered. One GAA mutation, c.-32-13T > G, impacts upon normal exon 2 splicing and is found in two-thirds of late-onset cases. We and others have explored a therapeutic strategy using splice modulating phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers to enhance GAA exon 2 inclusion in the mature mRNA of patients with one c.-32-13T > G allele. We designed 20 oligomers and treated fibroblasts derived from five patients to identify an oligomer sequence that maximally increased enzyme activity in all fibroblasts. The most effective splice correcting oligomer was chosen to treat forced-myogenic cells, derived from fibroblasts from nine patients carrying the c.-32-13T > G mutation. After transfection, we show increased levels of the full-length GAA transcript, acid-α-glucosidase protein, and enzyme activity in all patients’ myogenic cells, regardless of the nature of the mutation in the other allele. This data encourages the initiation of clinical trials to assess the therapeutic efficacy of this oligomer for those patients carrying the c.-32-13T > G mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- May Thandar Aung-Htut
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University, Murdoch, 6150, Australia.,Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science and Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders, The University of Western Australia, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Kristin A Ham
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University, Murdoch, 6150, Australia.,Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science and Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders, The University of Western Australia, Perth, 6009, Australia
| | - Michel Tchan
- Genetic Medicine, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, 2145, Australia.,Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, 2006, Australia
| | - Russell Johnsen
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University, Murdoch, 6150, Australia
| | | | - Sue Fletcher
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University, Murdoch, 6150, Australia. .,Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science and Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders, The University of Western Australia, Perth, 6009, Australia.
| | - Steve D Wilton
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Innovative Therapeutics, Murdoch University, Murdoch, 6150, Australia. .,Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science and Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders, The University of Western Australia, Perth, 6009, Australia.
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Peptide Nucleic Acid Promotes Systemic Dystrophin Expression and Functional Rescue in Dystrophin-deficient mdx Mice. MOLECULAR THERAPY-NUCLEIC ACIDS 2015; 4:e255. [PMID: 26440599 PMCID: PMC4881755 DOI: 10.1038/mtna.2015.27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2015] [Accepted: 08/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotide (AO)-mediated exon-skipping therapeutics shows great promise for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients. However, recent failure with drisapersen, an AO candidate drug in phase 3 trial, highlights the importance of exploring other effective AO chemistries for DMD. Previously, we demonstrated the appreciable biological activity of peptide nucleic acid (PNA) AOs in restoring dystrophin expression in dystrophin-deficient mdx mice intramuscularly. Here, we further explore the systemic potential and feasibility of PNA AOs in mediating exon skipping in mdx mice as a comprehensive systemic evaluation remains lacking. Systemic delivery of PNA AOs resulted in therapeutic level of dystrophin expression in body-wide peripheral muscles and improved dystrophic pathology in mdx mice without any detectable toxicity. Up to 40% of dystrophin restoration was achieved in gastrocnemius, to a less extent with other skeletal muscles, with no dystrophin in heart. Notably, comparable systemic activity was obtained between PNA AOs and phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer, a DMD AO chemistry in phase 3 clinical trial, under an identical dosing regimen. Overall, our data demonstrate that PNA is viable for DMD exon-skipping therapeutics with 20 mer showing the best combination of activity, solubility, and safety and further modifications to increase PNA aqueous solubility can enable longer, more effective therapeutics without the associated toxicity.
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