Allele-Selective Inhibition of Mutant Huntingtin by Peptide Nucleic Acid-Peptide Conjugates, Locked Nucleic Acid, and Small Interfering RNA

The ability to inhibit expression of a mutant allele while retaining expression of a wildtype protein might provide a useful approach to treating Huntington's Disease (HD) and other inherited pathologies. The mutant form of huntingtin (HTT), the protein responsible for HD, is encoded by an mRNA containing an expanded CAG repeat. We demonstrate that peptide nucleic acid conjugates and locked nucleic acids complementary to the CAG repeat selectively block expression of mutant HTT. The selectivity of inhibition is at least as good as that shown by a small interfering RNA targeted to a deletion polymorphism. Our data suggest that antisense oligomers are promising subjects for further development as an anti-HD therapeutic strategy.