The present invention relates to compounds, compositions, and methods for
the study, diagnosis, and treatment of traits, diseases and conditions
that respond to the modulation of cyclic nucleotide type 4
phosphodiesterase (PDE4B) gene expression and/or activity, including
PDE4B1, PDE4B2, and PDE4B3 gene expression and/or activity. The present
invention is also directed to compounds, compositions, and methods
relating to traits, diseases and conditions that respond to the
modulation of expression and/or activity of genes involved in cyclic
nucleotide type 4 phosphodiesterase (PDE4B) gene expression pathways or
other cellular processes that mediate the maintenance or development of
such traits, diseases and conditions, including but not limited to IL-6,
IL-7, IL-8, IL-15, TNF-alpha and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), such
as MMP-I, MMP-2, MMP-3, MMP-9 and MMP-12. Specifically, the invention
relates to double stranded nucleic acid molecules including small nucleic
acid molecules, such as short interfering nucleic acid (siNA), short
interfering RNA (siRNA), double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), micro-RNA (miRNA),
and short hairpin RNA (shRNA), and multifunctional siNA molecules capable
of mediating RNA interference (RNAi) against cyclic nucleotide type 4
phosphodiesterase (PDE4B) gene expression, including cocktails of such
small nucleic acid molecules and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations of
such small nucleic acid molecules. The present invention also relates to
small nucleic acid molecules, such as siNA, siRNA, antisense and others
that can inhibit the function of endogenous RNA molecules or RNAi pathway
components (RNAi inhibitors), such as endogenous micro-RNA (miRNA) (e.g,
miRNA inhibitors) or endogenous short interfering RNA (siRNA), (e.g.,
siRNA inhibitors) or that can inhibit the function of RISC (e.g., RISC
inhibitors), to modulate PDE4B gene expression by interfering with the
regulatory function of such endogenous RNAs or proteins associated with
such endogenous RNAs (e.g., RISC) including cocktails of such small
nucleic acid molecules and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulations of such
small nucleic acid molecules. Such small nucleic acid molecules are
useful, for example, in providing compositions to prevent, inhibit, or
reduce inflammatory, respiratory, and autoimmune diseases, traits, and
conditions, and/or other disease states associated with PDE4B gene
expression or activity in a subject or organism.