isolation-adeno-associated-viral-vectors-through-single-step-semi

Isolation of Adeno-Associated Viral Vectors Through a Single-Step and Semi-Automated Heparin Affinity Chromatography Protocol

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) has become an increasingly valuable vector for in vivo gene delivery and is currently undergoing human clinical trials. ...

University of Coimbra

Polyglutamine (polyQ) disorders are a group of nine neurodegenerative diseases that share a common genetic cause, which is an expansion of CAG repeats in the coding region of the causative genes that are otherwise unrelated. The trinucleotide expansion encodes for an expanded polyQ tract in the respective proteins, resulting in toxic gain-of-function and eventually in neurodegeneration. Currently, no disease-modifying therapies are available for this group of disorders. Nevertheless, given their monogenic nature, polyQ disorders are ideal candidates for therapies that target specifically the gene transcripts. Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) have been under intense investigation over recent years as gene silencing tools. ASOs are small synthetic single-stranded chains of nucleic acids that target specific RNA transcripts through several mechanisms. ASOs can reduce the levels of mutant proteins by breaking down the targeted transcript, inhibit mRNA translation or alter the maturation of the pre-mRNA via splicing correction. Over the years, chemical optimization of ASO molecules has allowed significant improvement of their pharmacological properties, which has in turn made this class of therapeutics a very promising strategy to treat a variety of neurodegenerative diseases. Indeed, preclinical and clinical strategies have been developed in recent years for some polyQ disorders using ASO therapeutics. The success of ASOs in several animal models, as well as encouraging results in the clinic for Huntington's disease, points towards a promising future regarding the application of ASO-based therapies for polyQ disorders in humans, offering new opportunities to address unmet medical needs for this class of disorders. This review aims to present a brief overview of key chemical modifications, mechanisms of action and routes of administration that have been described for ASO-based therapies. Moreover, it presents a review of the most recent and relevant preclinical and clinical trials that have tested ASO therapeutics in polyQ disorders.

Antisense oligonucleotide therapeutics in neurodegenerative diseases: the case of polyglutamine disorders.

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of a CAG repeat in the  gene. This mutation leads to a toxic gain of function of the ataxin-3 protein, resulting in neuronal dysfunction and atrophy of specific brain regions over time. As ataxin-3 is a dispensable protein in rodents, ataxin-3 knockdown by gene therapy may be a powerful approach for the treatment of SCA3. In this study, we tested the feasibility of an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector carrying a previously described artificial microRNA against  in a striatal mouse model of SCA3. Striatal injection of the AAV resulted in good distribution throughout the striatum, with strong dose-dependent ataxin-3 knockdown. The hallmark intracellular ataxin-3 inclusions were almost completely alleviated by the microRNA-induced  knockdown. In addition, the striatal lesion of dopamine- and cAMP-regulated neuronal phosphoprotein (DARPP-32) in the SCA3 mice was rescued by  knockdown, indicating functional rescue of neuronal signaling and health upon AAV treatment. Together, these data suggest that microRNA-induced ataxin-3 knockdown is a promising therapeutic strategy in the treatment of SCA3.

miRNA-Mediated Knockdown of ATXN3 Alleviates Molecular Disease Hallmarks in a Mouse Model for Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3.

Polyglutamine disorders are a complex group of incurable neurodegenerative disorders caused by an abnormal expansion in the trinucleotide cytosine-adenine-guanine tract of the affected gene. To better understand these disorders, our dependence on animal models persists, primarily relying on transgenic models. In an effort to complement and deepen our knowledge, researchers have also developed animal models of polyglutamine disorders employing viral vectors. Viral vectors have been extensively used to deliver genes to the brain, not only for therapeutic purposes but also for the development of animal models, given their remarkable flexibility. In a time- and cost-effective manner, it is possible to use different transgenes, at varying doses, in diverse targeted tissues, at different ages, and in different species, to recreate polyglutamine pathology. This paper aims to showcase the utility of viral vectors in disease modelling, share essential considerations for developing animal models with viral vectors, and provide a comprehensive review of existing viral-based animal models for polyglutamine disorders.

Article	Year
Antisense oligonucleotide therapeutics in neurodegenerative diseases: the case of polyglutamine disorders. Brain : a journal of neurology\| PubMed ID: 31738395	2020
miRNA-Mediated Knockdown of ATXN3 Alleviates Molecular Disease Hallmarks in a Mouse Model for Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3. Nucleic acid therapeutics\| PubMed ID: 34878314	2022
Viral-based animal models in polyglutamine disorders. Brain : a journal of neurology\| PubMed ID: 38284949	2024

Diana D. Lobo

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