Methods for treating motor neuron disease

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an agent effective for the treatment and/or prevention of motor neuron disease such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The present invention provides a therapeutic and/or preventive agent for motor neuron disease comprising the following oligopeptide shown in any of (a) to (c) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof as an active ingredient: (a) an oligopeptide consisting of the amino acid sequence represented by Ser-Ala-Leu-Leu-Arg-Ser-Ile-Pro-Ala (SEQ ID NO: 1); (b) an oligopeptide consisting of an amino acid sequence having a deletion, substitution, insertion, or addition of one or several amino acids in Ser-Ala-Leu-Leu-Arg-Ser-Ile-Pro-Ala (SEQ ID NO: 1), and having an activity that inhibits neuronal cell death caused by a mutant superoxide dismutase-1 gene; and (c) a modified oligopeptide from the oligopeptide (a) or (b).

1 . A method for treating or preventing motor neuron disease comprising:
 administering to a mammal an effective amount of (a) an oligopeptide consisting of the amino acid sequence represented by Ser-Ala-Leu-Leu-Arg-Ser-Ile-Pro-Ala (SEQ ID NO. 1); (b) an oligopeptide consisting of an amino acid sequence represented by Ala-Leu-Leu-Arg-Ser-Ile-Pro-Ala (SEQ ID NO: 2); or (c) a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the motor neuron disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein (a) the oligopeptide consisting of the amino acid sequence represented by Ser-Ala-Leu-Leu-Arg-Ser-Ile-Pro-Ala (SEQ ID NO. 1); (b) the oligopeptide consisting of an amino acid sequence represented by Ala-Leu-Leu-Arg-Ser-Ile-Pro-Ala (SEQ ID NO: 2); or (c) the pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof is capable of delaying the onset of the motor neuron disease and/or ameliorating negative effects of the motor neuron disease on motor function of the mammal to which it is administered. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the oligopeptide is fused with a signal peptide for extracellular secretion and/or a tag peptide for purification and/or detection. 
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the mammal is a human.