Treatment of hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) related diseases by inhibition of natural antisense transcript to HBF/HBG

1. A method of modulating a function of and/or the expression of a Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide in patient cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro comprising:

contacting said cells or tissues with at least one single stranded oligonucleotide 5 to 30 nucleotides in length wherein said at least one oligonucleotide has at least 50% sequence identity to a reverse complement of a Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide comprising 5 to 30 consecutive nucleotides within nucleotides 1 to 570 of SEQ ID NO: 3; thereby modulating a function of and/or the expression of the Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide in patient cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one oligonucleotide comprises at least one oligonucleotide sequence set forth as SEQ ID NOS: 4-13.

3. A method of upregulating the expression of a Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide in patient cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro comprising:

contacting said cells or tissues with at least one single stranded oligonucleotide 5 to 30 nucleotides in length wherein said at least one oligonucleotide has at least 50% sequence identity to a reverse complement of a natural antisense of the Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide; thereby upregulating the expression of the Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide in patient cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro.

4. A method of upregulating the expression of a Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide in patient cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro comprising:

Contacting said cells or tissues with at least one single stranded oligonucleotide 5 to 30 nucleotides in length wherein said oligonucleotide has at least 50% sequence identity to an antisense oligonucleotide to the Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide; thereby upregulating the expression of the Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide in patient cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro.

5. The method according to claim 1 , 3 or 4 wherein the Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide comprises SEQ ID NO: 1 or 2 or a variant, allele, homolog, mutant, derivative or fragment thereof.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the at least one oligonucleotide comprises oligonucleotide sequences set forth as SEQ ID NOS: 4-13.

7. A method of upregulating the expression of a Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide in patient cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro comprising:

contacting said cells or tissues with at least one single stranded oligonucleotide of 5 to 30 nucleotides in length that targets a region of a natural antisense oligonucleotide of the Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide; thereby upregulating the expression of the Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide in patient cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein a function of and/or the expression of the Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) is increased in vivo or in vitro with respect to a control.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one oligonucleotide targets a coding or non-coding region of the natural antisense sequence of said Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one oligonucleotide targets a non-coding sequence of the natural antisense sequence of said Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one oligonucleotide targets overlapping and/or non-overlapping sequences of the natural antisense sequence of said Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide.

12. The method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one oligonucleotide comprises one or more modification selected from: at least one modified sugar moiety, at least one modified internucleoside linkage, at least one modified nucleotide, and combinations thereof.

13. The method of claim 12 , 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.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the one or more modifications comprises at least one modified internucleoside linkage selected from: a phosphorothioate, 2′-Omethoxyethyl (MOE), 2′-fluoro, alkylphosphonate, phosphorodithioate, alkylphosphonothioate, phosphoramidate, carbamate, carbonate, phosphate trimester, acetamidate, carboxymethyl ester, and combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the one or more modifications comprises 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.

16. The method according to claim 7 wherein the natural antisense sequence comprises SEQ ID NO: 3.

17. A method of modulating a function of and/or the expression of a Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) gene in mammalian cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro comprising:

contacting said cells or tissues with at least one short interfering RNA (siRNA) oligonucleotide 19 to 30 nucleotides in length, said at least one siRNA oligonucleotide being specific for an antisense polynucleotide of a Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide comprising SEQ ID NO: 3, and, modulating a function of and/or expression of Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) in mammalian cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro.

18. A method of upregulating the expression of Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) in mammalian cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro comprising:

contacting said cells or tissues with at least one oligonucleotide of about 5 to 30 nucleotides in length specific for noncoding and/or coding sequences of a sense and/or natural antisense strand of a Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide wherein said at least one oligonucleotide has at least 50% sequence identity to at least one nucleic acid sequence set forth as SEQ ID NOS: 1, 3; and, upregulating the expression of the Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) in mammalian cells or tissues in vivo or in vitro.

19. A method of treating a disease associated with at least one Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide and/or at least one encoded product thereof, comprising:

administering to a patient a therapeutically effective dose of at least one oligonucleotide that binds to a natural antisense sequence of said at least one Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide and modulates expression of said at least one Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide; thereby treating the disease associated with the at least one Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide and/or at least one encoded product thereof.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein a disease associated with the at least one Hemoglobin (HBF/HBG) polynucleotide is selected from: a hematological disease or disorder, a red blood cell disease or disorder, a hematopoietic blood disease or disorder, anemia, Fanconi's anemia, thalassemia, beta-thalassemia, sickle cell disease, leukemia, cellular dyscrasia, dyserythropoiesis, anisocytosis and poikilocytosis.