Inhibition of DUX4 expression with antisense LNA gapmers as a therapy for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
7-14-2020
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume
117
Issue
28
DOI
10.1073/pnas.1909649117
Keywords
Antisense therapy; DUX4; Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy; FLExDUX4 mouse model; LNA gapmers
Abstract
Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), characterized by progressive muscle weakness and deterioration, is genetically linked to aberrant expression of DUX4 in muscle. DUX4, in its full-length form, is cytotoxic in nongermline tissues. Here, we designed locked nucleic acid (LNA) gapmer antisense oligonucleotides (AOs) to knock down DUX4 in immortalized FSHD myoblasts and the FLExDUX4 FSHD mouse model. Using a screening method capable of reliably evaluating the knockdown efficiency of LNA gapmers against endogenous DUX4 messenger RNA in vitro, we demonstrate that several designed LNA gapmers selectively and effectively reduced DUX4 expression with nearly complete knockdown. We also found potential functional benefits of AOs on muscle fusion and structure in vitro. Finally, we show that one of the LNA gapmers was taken up and induced effective silencing of DUX4 upon local treatment in vivo. The LNA gapmers developed here will help facilitate the development of FSHD therapies.
APA Citation
Lim, K., Maruyama, R., Echigoya, Y., Nguyen, Q., Zhang, A., Khawaja, H., Chandra, S., Jones, T., Jones, P., Chen, Y., & Yokota, T. (2020). Inhibition of DUX4 expression with antisense LNA gapmers as a therapy for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117 (28). http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1909649117