Aptamer Neutralization of Beta1-Adrenoceptor Autoantibodies Isolated From Patients With Cardiomyopathies

Rationale: Autoantibodies directed against the beta1-adrenoceptor (beta1-AABs) have been proposed to drive the pathogenesis of idiopathic dilated cardiomyoparthy (DCM), Chagas' cardiomyopathy, and peripartum cardiomyopathy. For disease treatment, aptamers that bind and neutralize beta1-AABs could be significant. Objective: We determined whether oligonucleotide-aptamers, selected to target human beta1-AABs directed against the second extracellular loop of the beta1-AAB, can neutralize these AABs and modulate their function in vitro. Methods and Results: Using Monolex technology, we identified an ssDNA aptamer that targets human beta1-AABs. The neutralization potential of this aptamer against beta1-AABs isolated from patients with DCM, Chagas' cardiomyopathy, and peripartum cardiomyopathy was analyzed using cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes by monitoring beta1-AAB induced cell toxicity and chronotropic cell responses. Aptamer addition reduced beta1-AAB induced cell toxicity and neutralized chonotropic beta1-AAB function in a dose-dependent manner. In the presence of aptamer neutralized beta1-AABs, cells remained fully responsive to agonists and antagonists, such as isoprenaline and bisoprolol. Both aptamer pretreated with a complementary (antisense) aptamer and a control scrambled-sequence aptamer were ineffective at beta1-AAB neutralization. Beta1-AABs directed against the first extracellular loop of the beta1-receptor and AABs directed against other G-protein coupled receptors were not affected by the selected aptamer. Conclusions: A specific aptamer that can neutralize cardiomyopathy associated human beta1-AABs in vitro has been identified and characterized, providing a framework for future in vivo testing of this treatment option in animal experiments. (Circ Res. 2011;109:986-992.)