This disclosure relates to mRNA therapy for the treatment of methylmalonic acidemia (MMA). mRNAs for use in the invention, when administered in vivo, encode methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MUT). mRNA therapies of the disclosure increase and/or restore deficient levels of MUT expression and/or activity in subjects.

An engineered microorganism(s) with novel pathways for the conversion of short-chain hydrocarbons to fuels and chemicals (e.g. carboxylic acids, alcohols, hydrocarbons, and their alpha-, beta-, and omega-functionalized derivatives) is described. Key to this approach is the use of hydrocarbon activation enzymes able to overcome the high stability and low reactivity of hydrocarbon compounds through the cleavage of an inert CH bond. Oxygen-dependent or oxygen-independent activation enzymes can be exploited for this purpose, which when combined with appropriate pathways for the conversion of activated hydrocarbons to key metabolic intermediates, enables the generation of product precursors that can subsequently be converted to desired compounds through established pathways. These novel engineered microorganism(s) provide a route for the production of fuels and chemicals from short chain hydrocarbons such as methane, ethane, propane, butane, and pentane.

The invention provides an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector comprising a capsid comprising the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 4 or SEQ ID NO: 9, wherein the AAV vector further comprises a heterologous nucleic acid sequence, and wherein the heterologous nucleic acid sequence can encode the NGF-PTH fusion polypeptide or methylmalonyl CoA mutase enzyme. The invention also provides a polypeptide comprising nerve growth factor (NGF) signal peptide and parathyroid hormone (PTH), wherein the polypeptide can comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of the amino acid sequences of SEQ ID NO: 1 and SEQ ID NO: 2. The invention provides a nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide, a vector comprising the nucleic acid, and a composition comprising the polypeptide, nucleic acid, or vector, as well as treatment methods comprising the polypeptide, nucleic acid, vector, or composition. The invention further provides a method of treating methylmalonic acidaemia (MMA) in a mammal comprising administering an AAV vector comprising a heterologous nucleic acid sequence encoding methylmalonyl CoA mutase enzyme to the mammal.

The disclosure relates to polynucleotides comprising an open reading frame of linked nucleosides encoding human methylmalonyl-CoA mutase precursor, human methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MCM) mature form, or functional fragments thereof. In some embodiments, the disclosure includes methods of treating methylmalonic acidemia in a subject in need thereof comprising administering an mRNA encoding an MCM polypeptide.

The disclosure relates to polynucleotides comprising an open reading frame of linked nucleosides encoding human methylmalonyl-CoA mutase precursor, human methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MCM) mature form, or functional fragments thereof. In some embodiments, the disclosure includes methods of treating methylmalonic acidemia in a subject in need thereof comprising administering an mRNA encoding an MCM polypeptide.

An engineered microorganism(s) with novel pathways for the conversion of short-chain hydrocarbons to fuels and chemicals (e.g. carboxylic acids, alcohols, hydrocarbons, and their alpha-, beta-, and omega-functionalized derivatives) is described. Key to this approach is the use of hydrocarbon activation enzymes able to overcome the high stability and low reactivity of hydrocarbon compounds through the cleavage of an inert CH bond. Oxygen-dependent or oxygen-independent activation enzymes can be exploited for this purpose, which when combined with appropriate pathways for the conversion of activated hydrocarbons to key metabolic intermediates, enables the generation of product precursors that can subsequently be converted to desired compounds through established pathways. These novel engineered microorganism(s) provide a route for the production of fuels and chemicals from short chain hydrocarbons such as methane, ethane, propane, butane, and pentane.

The invention provides a non-naturally occurring microbial organism having a 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid, 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid or methacrylic acid pathway. The microbial organism contains at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding an enzyme in a 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid, 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid or methacrylic acid pathway. The invention additionally provides a method for producing 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid, 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid or methacrylic acid. The method can include culturing a 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid, 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid or methacrylic acid producing microbial organism expressing at least one exogenous nucleic acid encoding a 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid, 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid or methacrylic acid pathway enzyme in a sufficient amount and culturing under conditions and for a sufficient period of time to produce 2-hydroxyisobutyric acid, 3-hydroxyisobutyric acid or methacrylic acid.

Synthetic polynucleotides encoding human methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (synMUT) and exhibiting augmented expression in cell culture and/or in a subject are described herein. An adeno-associated viral (AAV) gene therapy vector encoding synMUT under the control of a liver-specific promoter (AAV2/8-HCR-hAAT-synMUT-RBG) successfully rescued the neonatal lethal phenotype displayed by methylmalonyl-CoA mutase-deficient mice, lowered circulating methylmalonic acid levels in the treated animals, and resulted in prolonged hepatic expression of the product of synMUT transgene in vivo, human methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MUT).

Disclosed are polynucleotides, polypeptides, and gene therapy vectors relating to biologically active methylmalonyl-CoA mutase enzymes, internally tagged with an immunoaffinity and detection epitope, which has been designed and tested in mouse models of methylmalonic acidemia (MMA). The polypeptides and polynucleotides of the present invention contain a mitochondrial leader sequence fused to tag, such as an HA, 3xFLAG, or V5 tag placed in a region of the methylmalonyl-CoA mutase enzyme that maintains mitochondrial localization and function, e.g., the 5 end of a methylmalonyl-CoA mutase polynucleotide is replaced with an engineered nucleotide sequence that encodes the endogenous mitochondrial importation sequence, a mitochondrial protease cleavage site, and a tag. The polynucleotides and polypeptides of the invention are useful to treat conditions such as MMA, and to assay both activity and biodistribution after gene therapy in varied models of MMA.

Synthetic polynucleotides encoding human methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (synMUT) and exhibiting augmented expression in cell culture and/or in a subject are described herein. An adeno-associated viral (AAV) gene therapy vector encoding synMUT under the control of a liver-specific promoter (AAV2/8-HCR-hAAT-synMUT-RBG) successfully rescued the neonatal lethal phenotype displayed by methylmalonyl-CoA mutase-deficient mice, lowered circulating methylmalonic acid levels in the treated animals, and resulted in prolonged hepatic expression of the product of synMUT transgene in vivo, human methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MUT).