Antisense oligonucleotide therapeutics for iron-sulphur cluster deficiency myopathy

Neuromuscul Disord. 2009 Dec;19(12):833-6. doi: 10.1016/j.nmd.2009.09.011. Epub 2009 Oct 20.

Abstract

Iron-sulphur cluster deficiency myopathy is caused by a deep intronic mutation in ISCU resulting in inclusion of a cryptic exon in the mature mRNA. ISCU encodes the iron-sulphur cluster assembly protein IscU. Iron-sulphur clusters are essential for most basic redox transformations including the respiratory-chain function. Most patients are homozygous for the mutation with a phenotype characterized by a non-progressive myopathy with childhood onset of early fatigue, dyspnoea and palpitation on trivial exercise. A more severe phenotype with early onset of a slowly progressive severe muscle weakness, severe exercise intolerance and cardiomyopathy is caused by a missense mutation in compound with the intronic mutation. Treatment of cultured fibroblasts derived from three homozygous patients with an antisense phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligonucleotide for 48 h resulted in 100% restoration of the normal splicing pattern. The restoration was stable and after 21 days the correctly spliced mRNA still was the dominating RNA species.

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Fibroblasts / physiology
  • Humans
  • Iron-Sulfur Proteins / deficiency*
  • Iron-Sulfur Proteins / genetics*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Morpholines / therapeutic use
  • Morpholinos
  • Muscular Diseases / genetics*
  • Muscular Diseases / physiopathology
  • Muscular Diseases / therapy*
  • Mutation
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense / therapeutic use*
  • RNA Splicing / physiology
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Skin / cytology
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • ISCU protein, human
  • Iron-Sulfur Proteins
  • Morpholines
  • Morpholinos
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense
  • RNA, Messenger