TY - JOUR T1 - Testing of the therapeutic efficacy and safety of AMPA receptor RNA aptamers in an ALS mouse model JF - Life Science Alliance JO - Life Sci. Alliance DO - 10.26508/lsa.202101193 VL - 5 IS - 4 SP - e202101193 AU - Megumi Akamatsu AU - Takenari Yamashita AU - Sayaka Teramoto AU - Zhen Huang AU - Janet Lynch AU - Tatsushi Toda AU - Li Niu AU - Shin Kwak Y1 - 2022/04/01 UR - https://www.life-science-alliance.org/content/5/4/e202101193.abstract N2 - In motor neurons of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients, the RNA editing at the glutamine/arginine site of the GluA2 subunit of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors is defective or incomplete. As a result, AMPA receptors containing the abnormally expressed, unedited isoform of GluA2 are highly Ca2+-permeable, and are responsible for mediating abnormal Ca2+ influx, thereby triggering motor neuron degeneration and cell death. Thus, blocking the AMPA receptor–mediated, abnormal Ca2+ influx is a potential therapeutic strategy for treatment of sporadic ALS. Here, we report a study of the efficacy and safety of two RNA aptamers targeting AMPA receptors on the ALS phenotype of AR2 mice. A 12-wk continuous, intracerebroventricular infusion of aptamers to AR2 mice reduced the progression of motor dysfunction, normalized TDP-43 mislocalization, and prevented death of motor neurons. Our results demonstrate that the use of AMPA receptor aptamers as a novel class of AMPA receptor antagonists is a promising strategy for developing an ALS treatment approach. ER -