Methods and compositions for controlling efficacy of RNA silencing

• US 7,772,203 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2008
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University Of Massachusetts
• Original Assignee: University Of Massachusetts
• Inventors: Zamore, Phillip D., Tang, Guiliang
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHNIZER, RICHARD A
• Application Number:
  US12/172,938
• Publication Number:
  US 20080318896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 514/44.00R
• CPC Class Codes: A61P 43/00 Drugs for specific purposes, not provided for in groups A61P1/00-A61P41/00
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/111 General methods applicable to biologically active non-coding nucleic acids
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/113 Non-coding nucleic acids modulating the expression of genes, e.g. antisense oligonucleotides; Antisense DNA or RNA; Triplex- forming oligonucleotides; Catalytic nucleic acids, e.g. ribozymes; Nucleic acids used in co-suppression or gene silencing when used in plants C12N15/8218
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8218 Antisense, co-suppression, viral induced gene silencing [VIGS], post-transcriptional induced gene silencing [PTGS]
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 15/8261 with agronomic (input) traits, e.g. crop yield
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2310/14 interfering N.A.
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2310/335 Modified T or U
• CPC Class Codes: C12N 2320/50 Methods for regulating/modulating their activity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/146 Genetically Modified [GMO] plants, e.g. transgenic plants

Abstract

Based at least in part on an understanding of the mechanisms by which small RNAs (e.g., naturally-occurring miRNAs) mediate RNA silencing in plants, rules have been established for determining, for example, the degree of complementarity required between an RNAi-mediating agent and its target, i.e., whether mismatches are tolerated, the number of mismatches tolerated, the effect of the position of the mismatches, etc. Such rules are useful, in particular, in the design of improved RNAi-mediating agents which allow for more exact control of the efficacy of RNA silencing.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing RNA silencing of a target mRNA, the method comprising:

(a) selecting a target sequence in an mRNA expressed in a mammalian cell or plant cell; and

(b) contacting the mammalian cell or the plant cell with an RNAi agent, the RNAi agent comprising an antisense strand that is complementary to the target sequence, wherein at least one nucleotide within 5 or fewer nucleotides from the 3′

end of the antisense strand is substituted with a nucleotide that forms a G;

U wobble base pair when the antisense strand is base paired with the target sequence, wherein the mammalian cell or plant cell is contacted under conditions such that RNA silencing of the target mRNA is enhanced, and wherein the RNAi agent is chemically or enzymatically synthesized.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one substitution is an A→

G substitution, the G forming the G;

U wobble base pair with a U in the target mRNA sequence.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one substitution is a C→

U substitution, the U forming the G;

U wobble base pair with a G in the target mRNA sequence.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two nucleotides within 5 or fewer nucleotides from the 3′

end of the antisense strand are substituted.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the RNAi agent is a small interfering RNA (siRNA).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the RNAi agent is a microRNA (miRNA).

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the RNAi agent is a plant miRNA.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the RNAi agent is an animal miRNA.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the RNAi agent is chemically synthesized.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the RNAi agent is enzymatically synthesized.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the RNAi agent is formulated to facilitate entry of the agent into the cell.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the RNAi agent is derived from an engineered precursor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the engineered precursor is a miRNA precursor (pre-miRNA).

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the pre-miRNA is encoded by a vector.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the engineered precursor is a primary miRNA transcript (pri-miRNA).

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the pri-miRNA is encoded by a vector.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the engineered precursor is a small hairpin RNA (shRNA) comprising a stem portion comprising the antisense strand.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the shRNA is encoded by a vector.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the cell is a mammalian cell.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the cell is a human cell.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the cell is a plant cell.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of a cellular protein.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of an extracellular protein.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of a pathogen-associated protein.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the pathogen-associated protein is a viral protein.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the pathogen-associated protein is expressed by a host of a pathogen.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of an endogenous protein.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of a heterologous protein expressed in a recombinant cell or a genetically altered organism.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of a protein encoded by a transgene.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of a protein encoded by a pathogen genome which is capable of infecting a cell or an organism from which the cell is derived.

33. The method of claim 11, wherein the RNAi agent is produced by enzymatic transcription from a synthetic DNA template or a plasmid.

5. A method of enhancing RNA silencing of a target mRNA, the method comprising:

(a) selecting a target sequence in an mRNA expressed in a mammalian cell or plant cell; and

(b) contacting the mammalian cell or the plant cell with an RNAi agent, the RNAi agent comprising an antisense strand that is complementary to the target sequence, wherein three, four or five nucleotides within 5 or fewer nucleotides from the 3′

end of the antisense strand are substituted with a nucleotide which does not form a Watson-Crick base pair when the antisense strand is base paired with the target sequence, wherein the mammalian cell or plant cell is contacted under conditions such that silencing of the target mRNA is enhanced.

34. The method of claim 5, wherein the substituted nucleotide forms a G:

U wobble base pair when the antisense strand is base paired with the target sequence.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the at least one substitution is an A→

G substitution, the G forming the G;

U wobble base pair with a U in the target mRNA sequence.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the at least one substitution is a C→

U substitution, the U forming the G;

U wobble base pair with a G in the target mRNA sequence.

37. The method of claim 5, wherein the RNAi agent is a small interfering RNA (siRNA).

38. The method of claim 5, wherein the RNAi agent is a microRNA (miRNA).

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the RNAi agent is a plant miRNA.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein the RNAi agent is an animal miRNA.

41. The method of claim 5, wherein the RNAi agent is chemically synthesized.

42. The method of claim 5, wherein the RNAi agent is enzymatically synthesized.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the RNAi agent is produced by enzymatic transcription from a synthetic DNA template or a plasmid.

44. The method of claim 5, wherein the RNAi agent is formulated to facilitate entry of the agent into the cell.

45. The method of claim 5, wherein the RNAi agent is derived from an engineered precursor.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the engineered precursor is a miRNA precursor (pre-miRNA).

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the pre-miRNA is encoded by a vector.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein the engineered precursor is a primary miRNA transcript (pri-miRNA).

49. The method of claim 48, wherein the pri-miRNA is encoded by a vector.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein the engineered precursor is a small hairpin RNA (shRNA) comprising a stem portion comprising the antisense strand.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the shRNA is encoded by a vector.

52. The method of claim 5, wherein the cell is a mammalian cell.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the cell is a human cell.

54. The method of claim 5, wherein the cell is a plant cell.

55. The method of claim 5, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of a cellular protein.

56. The method of claim 5, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of an extracellular protein.

57. The method of claim 5, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of a pathogen-associated protein.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the pathogen-associated protein is a viral protein.

59. The method of claim 57, wherein the pathogen-associated protein is expressed by a host of a pathogen.

60. The method of claim 5, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of an endogenous protein.

61. The method of claim 5, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of a heterologous protein expressed in a recombinant cell or a genetically altered organism.

62. The method of claim 5, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of a protein encoded by a transgene.

63. The method of claim 5, wherein the mRNA specifies the amino acid sequence of a protein encoded by a pathogen genome which is capable of infecting a cell or an organism from which the cell is derived.

32. A method of enhancing RNA silencing of a target mRNA in a mammalian subject, comprising administering to the subject a pharmaceutical composition comprising an RNAi agent, the RNAi agent comprising an antisense strand that is complementary to a target sequence selected from an mRNA expressed in the subject, wherein at least one nucleotide within 5 or fewer nucleotides from the 3′

end of the antisense strand is substituted with a nucleotide which forms a G;

U wobble base pair when the antisense strand is base paired with the target sequence, wherein the pharmaceutical composition is administered such that silencing of the target mRNA is enhanced.

64. A method of enhancing RNA silencing of a target mRNA in a mammalian subject, comprising administering to the subject a pharmaceutical composition comprising an RNAi agent, the RNAi agent comprising an antisense strand that is complementary to a target sequence selected from an mRNA expressed in the subject, wherein three, four or five nucleotides within 5 or fewer nucleotides from the 3′

end of the antisense strand is substituted with a nucleotide that forms a G;

U wobble base pair when the antisense strand is base paired with the target sequence, wherein the pharmaceutical composition is administered such that silencing of the target mRNA is enhanced.