Restoration of SMN function: delivery of a trans-splicing RNA re-directs SMN2 pre-mRNA splicing

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by loss of survival motor neuron-1 (SMN1). A nearly identical copy gene called SMN2 is present in all SMA patients; however SMN2 produces low levels of functional protein due to alternative splicing. Recently a therapeutic approach has been developed referred to as trans-splicing. Conceptually, this strategy relies upon pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) splicing occurring between two separate molecules: (i) the endogenous target RNA and (ii) the therapeutic RNA that provides the correct RNA sequence via a trans-splicing event. SMN trans-splicing RNAs were initially examined and expressed from a plasmid-backbone and shown to re-direct splicing from a SMN2 mini-gene as well as from endogenous transcripts. Subsequently, recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors were developed that expressed and delivered trans-splicing RNAs to SMA patient fibroblasts. In the severe SMA patient fibroblasts, SMN2 splicing was redirected via trans-splicing to produce increased levels of full-length SMN mRNA and total SMN protein levels. Finally, small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) assembly, a critical function of SMN, was restored to SMN-deficient SMA fibroblasts following treatment with the trans-splicing vector. Together these results demonstrate that the alternatively spliced SMN2 exon 7 is a tractable target for replacement by trans-splicing.