Exon skipping induced by gene mutations is a common mechanism responsible for many genetic diseases. A practical approach to correct the aberrant splicing of defective genes is to use antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs). The recognition of splice sites and the regulation of splicing involve multiple positive or negative cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors. Base-pairing of ASOs to a negative element in a targeted pre-mRNA blocks the binding of splicing repressors to this cis-element and/or disrupts an unfavorable secondary structure; as a result, the ASO restores exon inclusion. For example, we have recently shown that appropriate 2’-O-(2-methoxyethyl) (MOE) phosphorothioate-modified ASOs can efficiently correct survival motor neuron 2 (SMN2) exon 7 splicing in a cell-free splicing assay, in cultured human cells—including patient fibroblasts—and in both peripheral tissues and the CNS of SMA mouse models. These ASOs are promising drug leads for SMA therapy.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a fatal disease that lacks an effective therapy. Notch signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the angiogenesis and vascular remodeling. However, its roles in vascular remodeling in PH have not been well studied. In the current study, using hypoxia-induced PH model in rat, we examined the expression of Notch and its downstream factors. Then, we used vessel strip culture system and γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT, a Notch signaling inhibitor to determine the effect of Notch signaling in vascular remodeling and its potential therapeutic value. Our results indicated that Notch 1–4 were detected in the lung tissue with variable levels in different cell types such as smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells of pulmonary artery, bronchia, and alveoli. In addition, following the PH induction, all of Notch1, Notch3, Notch4 receptor, and downstream factor, HERP1 in pulmonary arteries, mRNA expressions were increased with a peak at 1–2 weeks. Furthermore, the vessel wall thickness from rats with hypoxia treatment increased after cultured for 8 days, which could be decreased approximately 30% by DAPT, accompanied with significant increase of expression level of apoptotic factors (caspase-3 and Bax) and transformation of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) phenotype from synthetic towards contractile. In conclusion, the current study suggested Notch pathway plays an important role in pulmonary vascular remodeling in PH and targeting Notch signaling pathway could be a valuable approach to design new therapy for PH.

Background

Intrauterine balloon aortic valvuloplasty (IUBAV) has been used for critical aortic stenosis. However, it is necessary to determine the fetal impairments such as preterm birth after this approach and to find a way to prevent or reduce them.

Methods

In the present study, we evaluated the therapeutic value of indomethacin (IDM) and dexamethasone (DXS) on reducing the preterm birth rate in experimental goats after IUBAV.

Results

Our results indicated that the administration of IDM/DXS significantly reduced the rate of premature birth. IDM/DXS treatment led to preservation of myocardial ultrastructure with less damage, and amelioration of the fetal and placental circulation. Furthermore, we found that norepinephrine (NE) level was positively associated with the degree of myocardial damage. IDM/DXS administration led to a significant decrease of operation-induced increase of NE levels, which may be associated with the protective effects of IDM/DXS. Lastly, we found that the administration of IDM/DXS did not induce the risk of ductus arteriosus closure or slow down fetal growth.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that IDM/DXS promotes a better gestational outcome at least partially by reducing stress response during and after the operation of IUBAV in the goat model. IDM/DXS may be a useful application in human patients during IUBAV intervention.

Pressure-driven remobilization without an applied electric field is shown to be possible with capillary isoelectric focusing by using packed capillaries. The capillary dimensions are 100 μm i.d. and 2 cm in length, and the packing is made of 0.9 μm nonporous silica particles that are chemically modified with a brush layer of polyacrylamide. Both reversible and irreversible adsorption are shown to be negligible. The packed capillaries eliminate the problem of unwanted hydrodynamic flow between reservoirs. Three proteins are focused: trypsin inhibitor, carbonic anhydrase II and myoglobin. The time required for focusing in the packed capillaries is increased by only a factor of two compared to the open capillary, giving complete focusing in less than 15 min at 200 V/cm. The packed capillaries allow the use of higher electric fields, with resolution continually increasing up to at least 1500 V/cm. The packing obstructs diffusional broadening after the field is turned off: for trypsin inhibitor, D=6.1(±0.3)×10-8 cm2/s for the packed capillary vs. D=28.8(±0.3)×10-8 cm2/s for the open capillary. The broadening contributed by the packing during remobilization is from eddy diffusion, and it is described by its plate height, H, which is the variance per unit length: H=σ2/L=0.64 μm. This limits the resolution to 0.1 pH unit for the 2-cm capillary having a pH range of 3-10, giving a theoretical peak capacity of 47.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a common cardiac disorder in humans. Despite many advances in the understanding of CHD and the identification of many associated genes, the fundamental etiology for the majority of cases remains unclear. The planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathway, responsible for tissue polarity in Drosophila and gastrulation movements and cardiogenesis in vertebrates, has been shown to play multiple roles during cardiac differentiation and development. The disrupted function of PCP signaling is connected to some CHDs. Here, we summarize our current understanding of how PCP factors affect the pathogenesis of CHD.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive neuromuscular disorder caused by mutations in the SMN1 gene that result in a deficiency of SMN protein. One approach to treat SMA is to use antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to redirect the splicing of a paralogous gene, SMN2, to boost production of functional SMN. Injection of a 2′-O-2-methoxyethyl–modified ASO (ASO-10-27) into the cerebral lateral ventricles of mice with a severe form of SMA resulted in splice-mediated increases in SMN protein and in the number of motor neurons in the spinal cord, which led to improvements in muscle physiology, motor function and survival. Intrathecal infusion of ASO-10-27 into cynomolgus monkeys delivered putative therapeutic levels of the oligonucleotide to all regions of the spinal cord. These data demonstrate that central nervous system–directed ASO therapy is efficacious and that intrathecal infusion may represent a practical route for delivering this therapeutic in the clinic.

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are the second most common birth defect in humans. Despite many advances in the understanding of NTDs and the identification of many genes related to NTDs, the fundamental etiology for the majority of cases of NTDs remains unclear. Planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathway, which is important for polarized cell movement (such as cell migration) and organ morphogenesis through the activation of cytoskeletal pathways, has been shown to play multiple roles during neural tube closure. The disrupted function of PCP pathway is connected with some NTDs. Here, we summarize our current understanding of how PCP factors affect the pathogenesis of NTDs.

Several strategies have been pursued to increase the extent of exon 7 inclusion during splicing of SMN2 (survival of motor neuron 2) transcripts, for eventual therapeutic use in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic neuromuscular disease. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that target an exon or its flanking splice sites usually promote exon skipping. Here we systematically tested a large number of ASOs with a 2′-O-methoxy-ethyl ribose (MOE) backbone that hybridize to different positions of SMN2 exon 7, and identified several that promote greater exon inclusion, others that promote exon skipping, and still others with complex effects on the accumulation of the two alternatively spliced products. This approach provides positional information about presumptive exonic elements or secondary structures with positive or negative effects on exon inclusion. The ASOs are effective not only in cell-free splicing assays, but also when transfected into cultured cells, where they affect splicing of endogenous SMN transcripts. The ASOs that promote exon 7 inclusion increase full-length SMN protein levels, demonstrating that they do not interfere with mRNA export or translation, despite hybridizing to an exon. Some of the ASOs we identified are sufficiently active to proceed with experiments in SMA mouse models.

Author Summary

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a severe genetic disease that causes motor-neuron degeneration. SMA patients lack a functional SMN1 (survival of motor neuron 1) gene, but they possess an intact SMN2 gene, which though nearly identical to SMN1, is only partially functional. The defect in SMN2 gene expression is at the level of pre-mRNA splicing (skipping of exon 7), and the presence of this gene in all SMA patients makes it an attractive target for potential therapy. Here we have surveyed a large number of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that are complementary to different regions of exon 7 in the SMN2 mRNA. A few of these ASOs are able to correct the pre-mRNA splicing defect, presumably because they bind to regions of exon 7 that form RNA structures, or provide protein-binding sites, that normally weaken the recognition of this exon by the splicing machinery in the cell nucleus. We describe optimal ASOs that promote correct expression of SMN2 mRNA and, therefore, normal SMN protein, in cultured cells from SMA patients. These ASOs can now be tested in mouse models of SMA, and may be useful for SMA therapy.

Mutations inSMN1 cause spinal muscular atrophy; a nearly identical gene is not functional, but becomes functional in vitro and in vivo after addition of antisense oligos.