In vivo proof-of-concept of removal of the huntingtin caspase cleavage motif-encoding exon 12 approach in the YAC128 mouse model of Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive autosomal dominant disease, caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the HTT gene, resulting in an expanded polyglutamine stretch at the N-terminal of the huntingtin protein. An important event in HD pathogenesis appears to be the proteolysis of the mutant protein, which forms N-terminal huntingtin fragments. These fragments form insoluble aggregates and are found in nuclei and cytoplasm of affected neurons where they interfere with normal cell functioning. Important cleavage sites are encoded by exon 12 of HTT. A novel approach is Htt protein modification through exon skipping, which has recently been proven effective both in vitro and in vivo. Here we report proof-of-concept of AON 12.1 in vivo using the YAC128 mouse model of HD. Our results support and encourage future longitudinal studies exploring the therapeutic effects of sustained infusions in the YAC128 mouse model.