Antisense oligonucleotide therapy mitigates autosomal dominant progressive hearing loss in a murine model of human DFNA2

Abstract

Hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder, with a substantial proportion caused by genetic mutations. KCNQ4, a voltage-gated potassium channel highly expressed in cochlear outer hair cells, is a common genetic etiology implicated in autosomal dominant progressive hearing loss (DFNA2). The dominant-negative KCNQ4 p.W276S (c.827G>C) mutation represents a mutational hotspot in DFNA2, yet no effective treatments exist. Here, we developed allele-preferential antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) targeting this dominant-negative KCNQ4 mutation. In a systemic in vitro screen, ASO-123 demonstrated a knockdown of mutant Kcnq4 while preserving wild-type transcripts. In a Kcnq4 p.W277S knockin mouse model mimicking DFNA2, ASO-123 preferentially suppressed mutant transcripts, attenuated progressive hearing loss, and improved outer hair cell survival while enhancing their electrophysiologic function. Comprehensive transcriptomic analyses further validated the efficacy of ASO-123. Thus, our findings establish ASO-based therapy as a promising strategy for treating hereditary hearing loss caused by dominant-negative KCNQ4 mutations.