Compositions and methods for inhibiting expression of a gene from the Ebola virus

1. A double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) for inhibiting the expression of a gene in the Ebola virus in a cell, wherein said dsRNA comprises at least two sequences that are complementary to each other and wherein a sense strand and an antisense strand form a duplex structure less than 30 nucleotides in length, and wherein the sense strand is complementary to SEQ ID NO: 579.

2. The dsRNA of claim 1 , wherein said dsRNA comprises at least one modified nucleotide.

3. The dsRNA of claim 2 wherein said modified nucleotide is selected from the group consisting of: a 2′-O-methyl modified nucleotide, a nucleotide comprising a 5′-phosphorothioate group, and a terminal nucleotide linked to a cholesteryl derivative or dodecanoic acid bisdecylamide group.

4. The dsRNA of claim 2 , wherein said modified nucleotide is selected from the group consisting of: a 2′-deoxy-2′-fluoro modified nucleotide, a 2′-deoxy-modified nucleotide, a locked nucleotide, an abasic nucleotide, 2′-amino-modified nucleotide, 2′-alkyl-modified nucleotide, morpholino nucleotide, a phosphoramidate, and a non-natural base comprising nucleotide.

5. A cell comprising the dsRNA of claim 1 .

6. A pharmaceutical composition for inhibiting the expression of a gene from an Ebola virus in an organism, comprising a dsRNA of claim 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

7. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 6 , wherein said sense strand of said dsRNA consists of the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 579, and said antisense strand consists of the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 580.

8. A method for inhibiting the expression of a gene from an Ebola virus in a cell, the method comprising:

(a) introducing into the cell a double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) of claim 1 ; and

(b) maintaining the cell produced in step (a) for a time sufficient to obtain degradation of the mRNA transcript of a gene from the Ebola virus, thereby inhibiting expression of a gene from the Ebola virus in the cell.

9. A method of treating a pathological process mediated by Ebola expression comprising administering to a patient a therapeutically effective amount of the dsRNA of claim 1 .

10. A vector comprising a regulatory sequence operably linked to a nucleotide sequence that encodes the dsRNA of claim 1 .

11. A cell comprising the vector of claim 10 .

12. The dsRNA of claim 1 , wherein the dsRNA has a sense strand consisting of the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 579, and antisense strand consisting of the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 580.

13. The dsRNA of claim 1 , wherein said dsRNA, upon contact with a cell infected with Ebola virus, inhibits expression of a gene from the virus by at least 40%.

14. The dsRNA of claim 1 , wherein said duplex structure is 15-30 nucleotides in length.

15. The dsRNA of claim 1 , wherein the dsRNA has a sense strand comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO:579, and an antisense strand comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO:580.

16. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 6 , wherein the dsRNA has a sense strand comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO:579, and an antisense strand comprising the sequence of SEQ ID NO:580.

17. The dsRNA of claim 1 , wherein said duplex structure is 19-21 nucleotides in length.