93 results about "Precursor mRNA" patented technology

The molecules and methods of the present invention provide a means for in vivo production of a trans-spliced molecule in a selected subset of cells. The pre-trans-splicing molecules of the invention are substrates for a trans-splicing reaction between the pre-trans-splicing molecules and a pre-mRNA which is uniquely expressed in the specific target cells. The in vivo trans-splicing reaction provides a novel mRNA which is functional as mRNA or encodes a protein to be expressed in the target cells. The expression product of the mRNA is a protein of therapeutic value to the cell or host organism a toxin which causes killing of the specific cells or a novel protein not normally present in such cells. The invention further provides PTMs that have been genetically engineered for the identification of exon / intron boundaries of pre-mRNA molecules using an exon tagging method. The PTMs of the invention can also be designed to result in the production of chimeric RNA encoding for peptide affinity purification tags which can be used to purify and identify proteins expressed in a specific cell type.

Molecules are provided for inducing or facilitating exon skipping in forming spliced mRNA products from pre-mRNA molecules in cells. The molecules may be provided directly as oligonucleotides or expression products of vectors that are administered to a subject. High rates of skipping can be achieved. High rates of skipping reduce the severity of a disease like Duchene Muscular Dystrophy so that the disease is more like Becker Muscular Dystrophy. This is a severe reduction in symptom severity and mortality.

The invention provides a method for generating an oligonucleotide with which an exon may be skipped in a pre-mRNA and thus excluded from a produced mRNA thereof. Further provided are methods for altering the secondary structure of an mRNA to interfere with splicing processes and uses of the oligonucleotides and methods in the treatment of disease. Further provided are pharmaceutical compositions and methods and means for inducing skipping of several exons in a pre-mRNA.

The present invention provides a method for at least in part decreasing the production of an aberrant protein in a cell, the cell comprising pre-mRNA comprising exons coding for the protein, by inducing so-called exon skipping in the cell. Exon-skipping results in mature mRNA that does not contain the skipped exon, which leads to an altered product of the exon codes for amino acids. Exon skipping is performed by providing a cell with an agent capable of specifically inhibiting an exon inclusion signal, for instance, an exon recognition sequence, of the exon. The exon inclusion signal can be interfered with by a nucleic acid comprising complementarity to a part of the exon. The nucleic acid, which is also herewith provided, can be used for the preparation of a medicament, for instance, for the treatment of an inherited disease.

Methods for affecting mRNA expression or translation through the modification of pre-mRNA or mRNA transcripts are described. In one embodiment of the methods of the present invention, the branch point adenosine of a pre-mRNA transcript is 2′-O-methylated to block splicing and subsequent expression of the protein encoded by the transcript. In another embodiment, a uridine residue in a nonsense stop codon may be modified to pseudouridine, causing the translation machinery to read through the nonsense stop codon and translate a full length protein.

The invention relates to a method for inducing or promoting skipping of exon 45 of DMD pre-mRNA in a Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patient, preferably in an isolated (muscle) cell, the method comprising providing said cell with a molecule that binds to a continuous stretch of at least 21 nucleotides within said exon. The invention further relates to such molecule used in said method.

The present invention is directed to methods and compositions for blocking the effect of the intronic inhibitory splicing region of intron 7 of the SMN2 gene. The compositions and methods of the instant invention include short oligonucleotide reagents (e.g., oligoribonucleotides) that effectively target sites in the SMN2 pre-mRNA, thereby modulating the splicing of SMN2 pre-mRNA to include exon 7 in the processed transcript. The short target regions are 8-mers and 5-mers and also include the identification of a single nucleotide base that is essential for initiating a long distance stearic inhibitory interactions as well as novel targets distant from intron 7 which block the intronic inhibitory splicing of the same. These short target regions and concomitant inhibitory blocking oligonucleotides are less expensive and easier to manufacture and are small enough to cross the blood brain barrier.

The invention provides human protein complexes with endonuclease activity. In particular, the invention provides human protein complexes with tRNA splicing endonuclease activity and / or 3′ end pre-mRNA endonuclease activity. The invention also provides a splice variant of human Sen2, namely human Sen2deltaEx8, and human protein complexes comprising human Sen2deltaEx8. The human Sen2deltaEx8 complexes have pre-tRNA cleavage activity and / or 3′ end pre-mRNA endonuclease activity. The invention also provides human protein complexes with pre-ribosomal RNA cleavage activity. The invention also provides antibodies that immunospecifically bind to a complex described herein or a component thereof, and methods of diagnosing, preventing, treating, managing or ameliorating a disorder utilizing such antibodies. The present invention also provides methods utilizing the complexes described herein, inter alia, in screening, diagnosis, and therapy. The invention further provides methods of preparing and purifying the complexes. The present invention further provides methods of identifying a compound that modulates the expression of a component of a complex described herein, the formation of a complex described herein or the activity of a complex described herein, and methods of preventing, treating, managing or ameliorating a disorder, such as a proliferative disorder, or a symptom thereof utilizing a compound identified in accordance with the methods.

The present invention is directed to hybrid oligomers comprising a cyclic AMP response element (CRE) sequence and a sequence that hybridizes to a bcl-2 pre-mRNA or mRNA, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising such hybrids. The present invention is also directed to the use of CRE decoy oligomers, comprising a CRE consensus sequence, and bcl-2 antisense oligomers in combination therapies, and the use of bcl-2 / CRE hybrid oligomers, to treat or prevent cell-proliferative related disorders, including hyperplasias, cancers, tumors and carcinomas. In one embodiment, the invention relates to therapeutic protocols comprising the administration of a CRE decoy oligomer and a bcl-2 antisense oligomer for the treatment of cell-proliferative related disorders. In another embodiment, the invention relates to therapeutic protocols comprising the administration of a bcl-2 antisense / CRE decoy (bcl-2 / CRE) hybrid oligomer for the treatment of cell-proliferative related disorders.

The present invention provides methods and compositions for rapid high capacity functional screening to identify optimal pre-trans-splicing molecules (PTMs). The compositions of the invention include PTM expression libraries capable of encoding candidate PTMs designed to interact with a target precursor messenger RNA molecule (target pre-mRNA) and mediate a trans-splicing reaction resulting in the generation of a novel chimeric RNA molecule (chimeric RNA). The candidate PTMs of the invention encode a portion of a first reporter molecule and may encode one or more other reporter molecules, which can be used to select for cells expressing optimal PTMs (efficient and specific). The compositions of the invention also include cells that express a target pre-mRNA encoding the remaining portion of the first reporter molecule. The screening methods of the invention encompass (i) contacting a PTM expression library with cells expressing a target pre-mRNA under conditions in which a trans-splicing reaction will occur in the presence of an optimal PTM (expressed by the library vector) resulting in the formation of a chimeric repaired RNA molecule capable of encoding at least one reporter molecule; (ii) selecting for cells expressing the repaired reporter molecule wherein expression of the reporter molecule indicates the presence of an optimal PTM in the selected cell; and (iii) identifying the optimal PTM expressed in the selected cell(s). The additional reporter molecule(s) can be used to assess both specific and non-specific trans-splicing, as well direct PTM expression.

The present invention is directed to hybrid oligomers comprising a cyclic AMP response element (CRE) sequence and a sequence that hybridizes to a bcl-2 pre-mRNA or mRNA, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising such hybrids. The present invention is also directed to the use of CRE decoy oligomers, comprising a CRE consensus sequence, and bcl-2 antisense oligomers in combination therapies, and the use of bcl-2 / CRE hybrid oligomers, to treat or prevent cell-proliferative related disorders, including hyperplasias, cancers, tumors and carcinomas. In one embodiment, the invention relates to therapeutic protocols comprising the administration of a CRE decoy oligomer and a bcl-2 antisense oligomer for the treatment of cell-proliferative related disorders. In another embodiment, the invention relates to therapeutic protocols comprising the administration of a bcl-2 antisense / CRE decoy (bcl-2 / CRE) hybrid oligomer for the treatment of cell-proliferative related disorders.

Described are methods for removing a proteolytic cleavage site, the HCHWA-D mutation or the amino acids encoded by a trinucleotide repeat expansion from a protein comprising providing a cell that expresses pre-mRNA encoding the protein with an anti-sense oligonucleotide that induces skipping of the exonic sequence that comprises the proteolytic cleavage site, HCHWA-D mutation or trinucleotide repeat expansion, respectively, the method further comprising allowing translation of mRNA produced from the pre-mRNA.

The present invention relates to a method of modulating splice site selection, splicing and alternative, the method comprising the step of hybridizing an oligonucleotide-protein conjugate to a target pre-mRNA molecule in a cell or cell extract, wherein the oligonucleotide-protein conjugate comprises an oligonucleotide moiety which comprises at least two distinct sequence elements: (i) a nucleic acid sequence that is complementary to a specific region upstream of the splice site in the target pre-mRNA molecule; and (ii) an extension containing a protein binding site sequence element for covalently binding a protein; wherein the protein moiety comprises a protein capable of modulating splicing of the splice site upon binding with the protein binding site.

This invention relates, e.g., to a method for enhancing exon skipping in a pre-mRNA of interest, comprising contacting the pre-mRNA with an effective amount of a compound such as, for example, Perphenazine, Flupentixol DiHCl, Zuclopenthixol or Corynanthine HCl, or a compound which shares a similar 2-D structure and activity level with one of these compounds, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrate, solvate, or isomer of the compound, and, optionally, with an antisense oligonucleotide that is specific for a splicing sequence in the pre-mRNA Methods for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are disclosed.

The present invention relates to specific and markedly improved pre-mRNA trans-splicing molecule (RTM) molecules which are designed to correct specific genes expressed within cells to be targeted, and which are associated with epidermolysis bullosa, cystic fibrosis, pachyonychia congenital, and psoriasis or neurodermitis, as well as cancers of the skin. In particular, the RTMs of the present invention are genetically engineered to interact with a specific target pre-mRNA expressed in cells to be targeted so as to result in correction of genetic defects or reprogramming of gene expression responsible for a variety of different skin disorders.

The present invention provides methods and compositions for conferring selective death on cells expressing a specific target precursor messenger RNA (selective target pre-mRNA). The compositions of the invention include pre-trans-splicing molecules (PTMs) designed to interact with a target precursor messenger RNA molecule (target pre-mRNA) expressed within a cell and mediate a trans-splicing reaction resulting in the generation of a novel chimeric mRNA molecule (chimeric mRNA) capable of encoding a light producing protein or enzyme. Cell death is further mediated by the presence of a photosensitizer which upon photoactivation produces cytotoxicity.