title: Antisense-induced messenger depletion corrects a COL6A2 dominant mutation in Ullrich myopathy.
abstract: Collagen VI gene mutations cause Ullrich and Bethlem muscular dystrophies. Pathogenic mutations frequently have a dominant negative effect, with defects in collagen VI chain secretion and assembly. It is agreed that, conversely, collagen VI haploinsufficiency has no pathological consequences. Thus, RNA-targeting approaches aimed at preferentially inactivating the mutated COL6 messenger may represent a promising therapeutic strategy. By in vitro studies we obtained the preferential depletion of the mutated COL6A2 messenger, by targeting a common single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), cistronic with a dominant COL6A2 mutation. We used a 2'-O-methyl phosphorothioate (2'OMePS) antisense oligonucleotide covering the SNP within exon 3, which is out of frame. Exon 3 skipping has the effect of depleting the mutated transcript via RNA nonsense-mediated decay, recovering the correct collagen VI secretion and restoring the ability to form an interconnected microfilament network into the extracellular matrix. This novel RNA modulation approach to correcting dominant mutations may represent a therapeutic strategy potentially applicable to a great variety of mutations and diseases.
authors.affiliation: Section of Medical Genetics, Department of Medical Science, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy. gdf@unife.it
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gualandi
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Manzati
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sabatelli
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Passarelli
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bovolenta
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pellegrini
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Perrone
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Squarzoni
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pegoraro
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bonaldo
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferlini
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D024142:Collagen Type VI / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005091:Exons; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D006801:Humans; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D059365:Nonsense Mediated mRNA Decay; D020320:Oligoribonucleotides, Antisense / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
chemical_list: C504344:COL6A2 protein, human; D024142:Collagen Type VI; D020320:Oligoribonucleotides, Antisense