Skip to main content

Antisense Oligonucleotides for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
  • 2038 Accesses

Abstract

Antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) are short DNA-like chemicals that bind to RNA by Watson–Crick base pairing and modulate function of the RNA. These chemicals do not cross the blood brain barrier, but may be delivered directly to the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) to achieve widespread distribution throughout the brain and spinal cord. ASO have been used to target genes associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), such as SOD1 and C9orf72 as well as miRNAs. A Phase I trial for SOD1-targeting ASO showed excellent safety and important pharmacodynamics. ASO are a promising therapeutic approach for ALS.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   189.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Kiernan MC, Vucic S, Cheah BC, Turner MR, Eisen A, Hardiman O, Burrell JR, Zoing MC. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Lancet. 2011;377:942–55.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Miller RG, Mitchell JD, Moore DH. Riluzole for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)/motor neuron disease (MND). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012;14:CD001447.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Miller TM, Pestronk A, David W, Rothstein J, Simpson E, Appel SH, Andres PL, Mahoney K, Allred P, Alexander K, et al. An antisense oligonucleotide against SOD1 delivered intrathecally for patients with SOD1 familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a phase 1, randomised, first-in-man study. Lancet Neurol. 2013;12:435–42.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. DeVos SL, Miller TM. Antisense oligonucleotides: treating neurodegeneration at the level of RNA. Neurotherapeutics. 2013;10:486–97.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. McCord JM, Fridovich I. Superoxide dismutase. An enzymic function for erythrocuprein (hemocuprein). J Biol Chem. 1969;244:6049–55.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Rosen DR, Siddique T, Patterson D, Figlewicz DA, Sapp P, Hentati A, Donaldson D, Goto J, O’Regan JP, Deng HX, et al. Mutations in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase gene are associated with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nature. 1993;362:59–62.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Johnston JA. Formation of high molecular weight complexes of mutant Cu, Zn-superoxide dismutase in a mouse model for familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2000;97:12571–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Ilieva H, Polymenidou M, Cleveland DW. Non-cell autonomous toxicity in neurodegenerative disorders: ALS and beyond. J Cell Biol. 2009;187:761–72.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Reaume AG, Elliott JL, Hoffman EK, Kowall NW, Ferrante RJ, Siwek DF, Wilcox HM, Flood DG, Beal MF, Brown Jr RH, et al. Motor neurons in Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase-deficient mice develop normally but exhibit enhanced cell death after axonal injury. Nat Genet. 1996;13:43–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Smith RA, Miller TM, Yamanaka K, Monia BP, Condon TP, Hung G, Lobsiger CS, Ward CM, McAlonis-Downes M, Wei H, et al. Antisense oligonucleotide therapy for neurodegenerative disease. J Clin Invest. 2006;116:2290–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Kordasiewicz HB, Stanek LM, Wancewicz EV, Mazur C, McAlonis MM, Pytel KA, Artates JW, Weiss A, Cheng SH, Shihabuddin LS, et al. Sustained therapeutic reversal of Huntington’s disease by transient repression of huntingtin synthesis. Neuron. 2012;74:1031–44.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  12. DeVos SL, Goncharoff DK, Chen G, Kebodeaux CS, Yamada K, Stewart FR, Schuler DR, Maloney SE, Wozniak DF, Rigo F, et al. Antisense reduction of tau in adult mice protects against seizures. J Neurosci. 2013;33:12887–97.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Waters JS, Webb A, Cunningham D, Clarke PA, Raynaud F, di Stefano F, Cotter FE. Phase I clinical and pharmacokinetic study of bcl-2 antisense oligonucleotide therapy in patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. J Clin Oncol. 2000;18:1812–23.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. DeJesus-Hernandez M, Mackenzie IR, Boeve BF, Boxer AL, Baker M, Rutherford NJ, Nicholson AM, Finch NA, Flynn H, Adamson J, et al. Expanded GGGGCC hexanucleotide repeat in noncoding region of C9ORF72 causes chromosome 9p-linked FTD and ALS. Neuron. 2011;72:245–56.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Renton AE, Majounie E, Waite A, Simon-Sanchez J, Rollinson S, Gibbs JR, Schymick JC, Laaksovirta H, van Swieten JC, Myllykangas L, et al. A hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9ORF72 is the cause of chromosome 9p21-linked ALS-FTD. Neuron. 2011;72:257–68.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  16. Majounie E, Renton AE, Mok K, Dopper EG, Waite A, Rollinson S, Chio A, Restagno G, Nicolaou N, Simon-Sanchez J, et al. Frequency of the C9orf72 hexanucleotide repeat expansion in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia: a cross-sectional study. Lancet Neurol. 2012;11:323–30.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  17. Harms MB, Cady J, Zaidman C, Cooper P, Bali T, Allred P, Cruchaga C, Baughn M, Libby RT, Pestronk A, et al. Lack of C9ORF72 coding mutations supports a gain of function for repeat expansions in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurobiol Aging. 2013;34:16.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Ash PE, Bieniek KF, Gendron TF, Caulfield T, Lin WL, Dejesus-Hernandez M, van Blitterswijk MM, Jansen-West K, Paul III JW, Rademakers R, et al. Unconventional translation of C9ORF72 GGGGCC expansion generates insoluble polypeptides specific to c9FTD/ALS. Neuron. 2013;77:639–46.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Mori K, Weng SM, Arzberger T, May S, Rentzsch K, Kremmer E, Schmid B, Kretzschmar HA, Cruts M, Van Broeckhoven C, et al. The C9orf72 GGGGCC repeat is translated into aggregating dipeptide-repeat proteins in FTLD/ALS. Science. 2013;339:1335–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Kwon I, Xiang S, Kato M, Wu L, Theodoropoulos P, Wang T, Kim J, Yun J, Xie Y, McKnight SL. Poly-dipeptides encoded by the C9orf72 repeats bind nucleoli, impede RNA biogenesis, and kill cells. Science. 2014;345:1139–45.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Mizielinska S, Gronke S, Niccoli T, Ridler CE, Clayton EL, Devoy A, Moens T, Norona FE, Woollacott IO, Pietrzyk J, et al. C9orf72 repeat expansions cause neurodegeneration in Drosophila through arginine-rich proteins. Science. 2014;345:1192–4.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Wen X, Tan W, Westergard T, Krishnamurthy K, Markandaiah SS, Shi Y, Lin S, Shneider NA, Monaghan J, Pandey UB, et al. Antisense proline-arginine RAN dipeptides linked to C9ORF72-ALS/FTD form toxic nuclear aggregates that initiate in vitro and in vivo neuronal death. Neuron. 2014;84:1213–25.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Lagier-Tourenne C, Baughn M, Rigo F, Sun S, Liu P, Li HR, Jiang J, Watt AT, Chun S, Katz M, et al. Targeted degradation of sense and antisense C9orf72 RNA foci as therapy for ALS and frontotemporal degeneration. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013;110:29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Donnelly CJ, Zhang PW, Pham JT, Haeusler AR, Mistry NA, Vidensky S, Daley EL, Poth EM, Hoover B, Fines DM, et al. RNA toxicity from the ALS/FTD C9ORF72 expansion is mitigated by antisense intervention. Neuron. 2013;80:415–28.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Sareen D, O’Rourke JG, Meera P, Muhammad AK, Grant S, Simpkinson M, Bell S, Carmona S, Ornelas L, Sahabian A, et al. Targeting RNA foci in iPSC-derived motor neurons from ALS patients with a C9ORF72 repeat expansion. Sci Transl Med. 2013;5:3007529.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Zu T, Liu Y, Bañez-Coronel M, Reid T, Pletnikova O, Lewis J, Miller TM, Harms MB, Falchook AE, Subramony SH, et al. RAN proteins and RNA foci from antisense transcripts in C9ORF72 ALS and frontotemporal dementia. Proc Natl Acad Sci. 2013;110:E4968–77.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Freischmidt A, Muller K, Zondler L, Weydt P, Volk AE, Bozic AL, Walter M, Bonin M, Mayer B, von Arnim CA, et al. Serum microRNAs in patients with genetic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and pre-manifest mutation carriers. Brain. 2014;137:2938–50.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Janssen HL, Reesink HW, Lawitz EJ, Zeuzem S, Rodriguez-Torres M, Patel K, van der Meer AJ, Patick AK, Chen A, Zhou Y, et al. Treatment of HCV infection by targeting microRNA. N Engl J Med. 2013;368:1685–94.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Koval ED, Shaner C, Zhang P, du Maine X, Fischer K, Tay J, Chau BN, Wu GF, Miller TM. Method for widespread microRNA-155 inhibition prolongs survival in ALS-model mice. Hum Mol Genet. 2013;22:4127–35.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  30. Butovsky O, Jedrychowski MP, Cialic R, Krasemann S, Murugaiyan G, Fanek Z, Greco DJ, Wu PM, Doykan CE, Kiner O, et al. Targeting miR-155 restores abnormal microglia and attenuates disease in SOD1 mice. Ann Neurol. 2015;77:75–99.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  31. Winer L, Srinivasan D, Chun S, Lacomis D, Jaffa M, Fagan A, Holtzman DM, Wancewicz E, Bennett CF, Bowser R, et al. SOD1 in cerebral spinal fluid as a pharmacodynamic marker for antisense oligonucleotide therapy. JAMA Neurol. 2013;70:201–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Su Z, Zhang Y, Gendron TF, Bauer PO, Chew J, Yang WY, Fostvedt E, Jansen-West K, Belzil VV, Desaro P, et al. Discovery of a biomarker and lead small molecules to target r(GGGGCC)-associated defects in c9FTD/ALS. Neuron. 2014;83:1043–50.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Burgos, KL, Javaherian A, Bomprezzi R, Ghaffari L, Rhodes S, Courtright A, Tembe W, Kim S, Metpally R, Van Keuren-Jensen, K. Identification of extracellular miRNA in human cerebrospinal fluid by next-generation sequencing. RNA 2013; 19:712–722.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Bateman RJ, Munsell LY, Morris JC, Swarm R, Yarasheski KE, Holtzman DM. Human amyloid-beta synthesis and clearance rates as measured in cerebrospinal fluid in vivo. Nat Med. 2006;12:856–61.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  35. Mawuenyega KG, Sigurdson W, Ovod V, Munsell L, Kasten T, Morris JC, Yarasheski KE, Bateman RJ. Decreased clearance of CNS beta-amyloid in Alzheimer’s disease. Science. 2010;330:1774.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Timothy M. Miller MD, PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Self, W.K., Miller, T.M. (2016). Antisense Oligonucleotides for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. In: Tuszynski, M. (eds) Translational Neuroscience. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7654-3_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics