Treatment of interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) related diseases by inhibition of natural antisense transcript to IRF8

1. A method of upregulating a function of and/or the expression of a Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) polynucleotide in patient cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro comprising:

contacting said cells or tissues with at least one modified antisense oligonucleotide 12 to 30 nucleotides in length wherein said at least one oligonucleotide is specific for and targets a natural antisense polynucleotide of the IRF8 gene and has identity to a reverse complement of a polynucleotide comprising 12 to 30 consecutive nucleotides within nucleotides 1 to 312 of SEQ ID NO: 2 thereby upregulating a function of and/or the expression of the Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) polynucleotide in patient cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro.

2. A method of upregulating a function of and/or the expression of a Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) polynucleotide in patient cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro comprising:

contacting said cells or tissues with at least one single stranded modified antisense oligonucleotide of 12 to 30 nucleotides in length that specifically targets a complementary region of a natural antisense polynucleotide of the Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) polynucleotide selected from SEQ ID NO 2; thereby upregulating a function of and/or the expression of the Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) polynucleotide in patient cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein a function of and/or the expression of the Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) is increased in vivo or in vitro with respect to a control.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one antisense oligonucleotide targets a natural antisense polynucleotide antisense to coding nucleic acid sequences of a Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) polynucleotide.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one antisense oligonucleotide targets a natural antisense polynucleotide having overlapping sequences with a Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) polynucleotide.

6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the at least one antisense oligonucleotide comprises one or more modifications selected from: at least one modified sugar moiety, at least one modified internucleoside linkage, at least one modified nucleotide, and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the one or more modifications comprise at least one modified sugar moiety selected from: a 2′-O-methoxyethyl modified sugar moiety, a 2′-methoxy modified sugar moiety, a 2′-O-alkyl modified sugar moiety, a bicyclic sugar moiety, and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the one or more modifications comprise at least one modified internucleoside linkage selected from: a phosphorothioate, alkylphosphonate, phosphorodithioate, alkylphosphonothioate, phosphoramidate, carbamate, carbonate, phosphate triester, acetamidate, carboxymethyl ester, and combinations thereof.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the one or more modifications comprise at least one modified nucleotide selected from: a peptide nucleic acid (PNA), a locked nucleic acid (LNA), an arabino-nucleic acid (FANA), an analogue, a derivative, and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one oligonucleotide comprises at least one oligonucleotide sequences set forth as SEQ ID NOS: 3 to 6.

11. A method of upregulating a function of and/or the expression of Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) in mammalian cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro comprising:

contacting said cells or tissues with at least one modified antisense oligonucleotide of about 12 to 30 nucleotides in length specific for noncoding sequences of a natural antisense strand of a Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) polynucleotide wherein said at least one antisense oligonucleotide has sequence identity to at least one nucleic acid sequence set forth as SEQ ID NOS: 1 or an RNA polynucleotide encoded by the IRF8 gene; and, upregulating the function and/or expression of the Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) in mammalian cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro.

12. A method of treating a disease associated with at least one Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) polynucleotide and/or at least one encoded product thereof, comprising:

administering to a patient a therapeutically effective dose of at least one modified antisense oligonucleotide of 12 to 30 nucleotides in length that specifically binds to a natural antisense sequence of said at least one Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) polynucleotide and upregulates expression of said at least one Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) polynucleotide; thereby treating the disease associated with the at least one Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) polynucleotide and/or at least one encoded product thereof.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein a disease associated with the at least one Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8) polynucleotide is selected from a disease or disorder associated with abnormal function and/or expression of IRF8, cancer, a myeloproliferative disorder, Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), multiple myeloma, a bone development/metabolic disease or disorder, periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, an immunological disease or disorder, an autoimmune disease or disorder, an immunodeficiency disease or disorder, AIDS, a disease or disorder involving defective innate immunity and a disease associated with apoptosis, aging and senescence.