Allele-specific silencing of Alzheimer's disease genes

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia in humans. A pathological hallmark in the brain of an AD patient is extracellular amyloid plaques formed by accumulated β-amyloid protein (Aβ), a metabolic product of amyloid precursor protein (APP). Studies have revealed a strong genetic linkage in the early-onset familial form (< 60 years old) of AD. For example, some mutant APPs are transmitted dominantly and are segregated with inheritance of early onset AD. These mutants facilitate Aβ production. The “Swedish” mutations (APPSW) and the “London” mutation (APPLON) are examples of these mutants. Selective silencing of these mutant alleles holds therapeutic promise for AD. Here we show that the expression of the mutant APPs was selectively inhibited by RNA interference. The best selectivity was obtained when the mismatches were centrally placed in the antisense strand of small interfering RNAs. Introducing an additional mismatch in the antisense strand may improve the selectivity. The addition of a G at 5′ end of the antisense strand may enhance the efficacy of gene silencing by RNA interference. Our results illustrate the guiding principles for selection of targeted sequences to achieve allele-specific silencing. The sequences that are effective to silence APPSW and APPLON as identified in this study may be useful in both in vivo and in vitro studies to investigate the pathophysiological role of APPSW and APPLON in AD development.