scholarly journals Loss of nuclear UBE3A activity is the predominant cause of Angelman syndrome in individuals carrying UBE3A missense mutations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stijn N V Bossuyt ◽  
A Mattijs Punt ◽  
Ilona J de Graaf ◽  
Janny van den Burg ◽  
Mark G Williams ◽  
...  

Abstract Angelman syndrome (AS) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder caused by deletion (~75%) or mutation (~10%) of the UBE3A gene, which encodes a HECT type E3 ubiquitin protein ligase. Although the critical substrates of UBE3A are unknown, previous studies have suggested a critical role of nuclear UBE3A in AS pathophysiology. Here we investigated to what extent UBE3A missense mutations disrupt UBE3A subcellular localization as well as catalytic activity, stability and protein folding. Our functional screen of 31 UBE3A missense mutants revealed that UBE3A mislocalization is the predominant cause of UBE3A dysfunction, accounting for 55% of the UBE3A mutations tested. The second major cause (29%) is a loss of E3-ubiquitin ligase activity, as assessed in an E. coli in vivo ubiquitination assay. Mutations affecting catalytic activity are found not only in the catalytic HECT domain, but also in the N-terminal half of UBE3A, suggesting an important contribution of this N-terminal region to its catalytic potential. Together, our results show that loss of nuclear UBE3A E3 ligase activity is the predominant cause of UBE3A-linked Angelman syndrome. Moreover, our functional analysis screen allows rapid assessment of the pathogenicity of novel UBE3A missense variants which will be of particular importance when treatments for AS become available.

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (25) ◽  
pp. 12500-12505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Wang ◽  
Sen-Sen Lou ◽  
Tingting Wang ◽  
Rong-Jie Wu ◽  
Guangying Li ◽  
...  

Deficiency in the E3 ubiquitin ligase UBE3A leads to the neurodevelopmental disorder Angelman syndrome (AS), while additional dosage of UBE3A is linked to autism spectrum disorder. The mechanisms underlying the downstream effects of UBE3A gain or loss of function in these neurodevelopmental disorders are still not well understood, and effective treatments are lacking. Here, using stable-isotope labeling of amino acids in mammals and ubiquitination assays, we identify PTPA, an activator of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), as a bona fide ubiquitin ligase substrate of UBE3A. Maternal loss of Ube3a (Ube3am−/p+) increased PTPA level, promoted PP2A holoenzyme assembly, and elevated PP2A activity, while maternal 15q11–13 duplication containing Ube3a down-regulated PTPA level and lowered PP2A activity. Reducing PTPA level in vivo restored the defects in dendritic spine maturation in Ube3am−/p+ mice. Moreover, pharmacological inhibition of PP2A activity with the small molecule LB-100 alleviated both reduction in excitatory synaptic transmission and motor impairment in Ube3am−/p+ mice. Together, our results implicate a critical role of UBE3A-PTPA-PP2A signaling in the pathogenesis of UBE3A-related disorders and suggest that PP2A-based drugs could be potential therapeutic candidates for treatment of UBE3A-related disorders.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1573 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilach Simchi ◽  
Julia Panov ◽  
Olla Morsy ◽  
Yonatan Feuermann ◽  
Hanoch Kaphzan

The UBE3A gene codes for a protein with two known functions, a ubiquitin E3-ligase which catalyzes ubiquitin binding to substrate proteins and a steroid hormone receptor coactivator. UBE3A is most famous for its critical role in neuronal functioning. Lack of UBE3A protein expression leads to Angelman syndrome (AS), while its overexpression is associated with autism. In spite of extensive research, our understanding of UBE3A roles is still limited. We investigated the cellular and molecular effects of Ube3a deletion in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and Angelman syndrome (AS) mouse model hippocampi. Cell cultures of MEFs exhibited enhanced proliferation together with reduced apoptosis when Ube3a was deleted. These findings were supported by transcriptome and proteome analyses. Furthermore, transcriptome analyses revealed alterations in mitochondria-related genes. Moreover, an analysis of adult AS model mice hippocampi also found alterations in the expression of apoptosis- and proliferation-associated genes. Our findings emphasize the role UBE3A plays in regulating proliferation and apoptosis and sheds light into the possible effects UBE3A has on mitochondrial involvement in governing this balance.


2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1947-1960 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Hansen ◽  
Michael Ohh ◽  
Javid Moslehi ◽  
Keiichi Kondo ◽  
William G. Kaelin ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We examined the biogenesis of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor protein (pVHL) in vitro and in vivo. pVHL formed a complex with the cytosolic chaperonin containing TCP-1 (CCT or TRiC) en route to assembly with elongin B/C and the subsequent formation of the VCB-Cul2 ubiquitin ligase. Blocking the interaction of pVHL with elongin B/C resulted in accumulation of pVHL within the CCT complex. pVHL present in purified VHL-CCT complexes, when added to rabbit reticulocyte lysate, proceeded to form VCB and VCB-Cul2. Thus, CCT likely functions, at least in part, by retaining VHL chains pending the availability of elongin B/C for final folding and/or assembly. Tumor-associated mutations within exon II of the VHL syndrome had diverse effects upon the stability and/or function of pVHL-containing complexes. First, a pVHL mutant lacking the entire region encoded by exon II did not bind to CCT and yet could still assemble into complexes with elongin B/C and elongin B/C-Cul2. Second, a number of tumor-derived missense mutations in exon II did not decrease CCT binding, and most had no detectable effect upon VCB-Cul2 assembly. Many exon II mutants, however, were found to be defective in the binding to and subsequent ubiquitination of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), a substrate of the VCB-Cul2 ubiquitin ligase. We conclude that the selection pressure to mutate VHL exon II during tumorigenesis does not relate to loss of CCT binding but may reflect quantitative or qualitative defects in HIF binding and/or in pVHL-dependent ubiquitin ligase activity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Berg ◽  
Stela Petkova ◽  
Heather A Born ◽  
Anna Adhikari ◽  
Anne E Anderson ◽  
...  

Background: Angelman Syndrome (AS) is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder for which there is currently no cure or effective therapeutic. Since the genetic cause of AS is known to be dysfunctional expression of the maternal allele of ubiquitin protein ligase E3A (UBE3A), several genetic animal models of AS have been developed. Both the Ube3a maternal deletion mouse and rat models of AS reliably demonstrate behavioral phenotypes of relevance to AS and therefore offer suitable in vivo systems in which to test potential therapeutics. One promising candidate treatment is insulin-like growth factor-2 (IGF-2), which has recently been shown to ameliorate behavioral deficits in the mouse model of AS and improve cognitive abilities across model systems. Methods: We used both the Ube3a maternal deletion mouse and rat models of AS to evaluate the ability of IGF-2 to improve electrophysiological and behavioral outcomes. Results: Acute systemic administration of IGF-2 had an effect on electrophysiological activity in the brain and on a metric of motor ability, however the effects were not enduring or extensive. Additional metrics of motor behavior, learning, ambulation, and coordination were unaffected and IGF-2 did not improve social communication, seizure threshold, or cognition. Limitations: The generalizability of these results to humans is difficult to predict and it remains possible that dosing schemes (i.e., chronic or subchronic dosing), routes, and/or post-treatment intervals other than that used herein may show more efficacy. Conclusions: Despite a few observed effects of IGF-2, our results taken together indicate that IGF-2 treatment does not profoundly improve behavioral deficits in mice or rat models of AS. These findings shed cautionary light on the potential utility of acute systemic IGF-2 administration in the treatment of AS.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salomón Huancahuire-Vega ◽  
Daniel H. A. Corrêa ◽  
Luciana M. Hollanda ◽  
Marcelo Lancellotti ◽  
Carlos H. I. Ramos ◽  
...  

We recently described the isolation of a basic PLA2(PhTX-I) fromPorthidium hyoprorasnake venom. This toxin exhibits high catalytic activity, inducesin vivomyotoxicity, moderates footpad edema, and causesin vitroneuromuscular blockade. Here, we describe the chemical modifications of specific amino acid residues (His, Tyr, Lys, and Trp), performed in PhTX-I, to study their effects on the structural, enzymatic, and pharmacological properties of this myotoxin. After chemical treatment, a single His, 4 Tyr, 7 Lys, and one Trp residues were modified. The secondary structure of the protein remained unchanged as measured by circular dichroism; however other results indicated the critical role played by Lys and Tyr residues in myotoxic, neurotoxic activities and mainly in the cytotoxicity displayed by PhTX-I. His residue and therefore catalytic activity of PhTX-I are relevant for edematogenic, neurotoxic, and myotoxic effects, but not for its cytotoxic activity. This dissociation observed between enzymatic activity and some pharmacological effects suggests that other molecular regions distinct from the catalytic site may also play a role in the toxic activities exerted by this myotoxin. Our observations supported the hypothesis that both the catalytic sites as the hypothetical pharmacological sites are relevant to the pharmacological profile of PhTX-I.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 8099-8099
Author(s):  
Jing Fu ◽  
Shirong Li ◽  
Rentian Feng ◽  
Mei Hua Jin ◽  
Farideh Sabeh ◽  
...  

8099 Background: MM cells produce OCL-activating factors that induce excessive bone resorption resulting in lytic lesions. The role of MMPs in invasion/progression of solid tumors is well-known, but its function in MM has not been well elucidated. Our group has shown that MMP13 is highly expressed in primary MM cells and in sera of MM patients. Levels of MMP13 significantly correlate with the extent of bone disease. MMP13 is induced by IL-6 via AP-1 activation in MM cells and enhances fusion of OCL precursors resulting in excessive bone resorption. OCL formation using MNCs of mmp-13-/- mice resulted in a fusion defect, significantly decreased OCL size and activity, which could be reversed by exogenous MMP13 (ASH 2009, IMW 2011). Methods: Methods will be presented in the Results section. Results: RT-PCR and western blotting revealed that IL-6 treatment of MM cells induced MMP13 transcription (30-fold) and secretion (>1000-fold). Protein expression of the AP-1 members c-Jun and c-Fos was induced by IL-6, which correlated with MMP13 upregulation. Our data further indicate that the catalytic activity of MMP13 is not required to enhance OCL formation and bone resorption. To prove this, we generated the MMP13 activity-dead mutation MMP13-E223A construct by site-directed mutagenesis PCR-based cloning. The mutated protein was overexpressed in HEK293 cells and purified from the supernatant to confirm whether loss of catalytic activity blocks MMP13 function. To further investigate the in vivo role of MMP13 in MM bone disease, MMP13 expression was knocked down (KD) in murine 5TGM1-MM cells by pKLO. 1 puro lentiviral infection containing sh-RNA targeting mouse MMP13 sequence. MMP13-KD 5TGM1-MM cells or WT-5TGM1-MM cells were intratibially injected into RAG2-/- mice. Development of lytic bone lesions are monitored by micro-QCT and data will be available at the time of presentation. Conclusions: Our data suggest that MMP13, secreted by MM cells, plays a critical role in the development of lytic lesions. Targeting MMP13 represents a promising approach to treat or to prevent bone disease in MM.


Blood ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 138 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1147-1147
Author(s):  
Nhu Nguyen ◽  
Kristbjorn Orri Gudmundsson ◽  
Anthony R. Soltis ◽  
Kevin Oakley ◽  
Yufen Han ◽  
...  

Abstract Abnormal activation of SETBP1 due to overexpression or missense mutations occurs frequently in various myeloid neoplasms and associates with poor prognosis. Direct activation of Hoxa9/Hoxa10/Myb transcription by SETBP1 and its missense mutants is essential for their transforming capability; however, the underlying mechanisms for such activation remain elusive. We found that knockdown of Mll1 in mouse myeloid progenitors immortalized by SETBP1 or its missense mutant SETBP1(D/N) caused significant reduction in the mRNA levels of Hoxa9/Hoxa10/Myb, suggesting that Mll1 is critical for their transcriptional activation induced by SETBP1 and its missense mutants. Physical association of MLL1 with SETBP1/SETBP1(D/N) was readily detected by co-immunoprecipitation in nuclear extracts of these cells, further suggesting that they may form a complex in myeloid cells to activate transcription. This complex formation is likely mediated by direct interactions between SETBP1/SETBP1(D/N) and MLL1 as both SETBP1 and SETBP1(D/N) are capable of interacting with multiple regions of MLL1 in binding assays using proteins synthesized by in vitro transcription and translation. To better understand the extent of SETBP1/SETBP1(D/N)-MLL1 interaction in regulating gene transcription, we carried out both ChIP-seq and RNA-seq analysis in mouse Lin -Sca-1 +c-Kit + (LSK) cells transduced by pMYs retrovirus expressing SETBP1 or SETBP1(D/N) or empty pMYs virus. These analyses revealed extensive overlap in genomic occupancy for MLL1 and SETBP1/SETBP1(D/N) and their cooperation in activating many oncogenic transcription factor genes in addition to Hoxa9/Hoxa10/Myb, including additional HoxA genes (Hoxa1, Hoxa3, Hoxa5, Hoxa6, and Hoxa7), Myc, Eya1, Mef2c, Meis1, Sox4, Mecom, and Lmo2. A large group of ribosomal protein genes were also found to be directly activated by MLL1 and SETBP1/SETBP1(D/N), identifying ribosomal biogenesis as another significant pathway induced by their cooperation. To further assess the requirement for MLL1 in SETBP1-induced transformation using a genetic approach, we also generated SETBP1/SETBP1(D/N)-induced immortalized myeloid progenitors and AMLs using LSK cells from Mll1 conditional knockout mice. Mll1 deletion in immortalized progenitors significantly decreased SETBP1/SETBP1(D/N)-induced transcriptional activation and their colony-forming potential. More importantly, Mll1 deletion significantly extended the survival of mice transplanted with SETBP1/SETBP1(D/N)-induced AMLs, indicating that Mll1 is essential for the maintenance of such leukemias in vivo. We further found that pharmacological inhibition of MLL1 complex using a WDR5 inhibitor OICR-9429 efficiently abrogated SETBP1/SETBP1(D/N)-induced transcriptional activation and transformation. Thus, MLL1 complex plays a critical role in Setbp1-induced transcriptional activation and transformation and represents a promising target for treating myeloid neoplasms with SETBP1 activation. Disclosures Maciejewski: Novartis: Consultancy; Regeneron: Consultancy; Alexion: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb/Celgene: Consultancy.


2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 1056-1068 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikael S. Lindström ◽  
Aiwen Jin ◽  
Chad Deisenroth ◽  
Gabrielle White Wolf ◽  
Yanping Zhang

ABSTRACT The p53-inhibitory function of the oncoprotein MDM2 is regulated by a number of MDM2-binding proteins, including ARF and ribosomal proteins L5, L11, and L23, which bind the central acidic domain of MDM2 and inhibit its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. Various human cancer-associated MDM2 alterations targeting the central acidic domain have been reported, yet the functional significance of these mutations in tumor development has remained unclear. Here, we show that cancer-associated missense mutations targeting MDM2's central zinc finger disrupt the interaction of MDM2 with L5 and L11. We found that the zinc finger mutant MDM2 is impaired in undergoing nuclear export and proteasomal degradation as well as in promoting p53 degradation, yet retains the function of suppressing p53 transcriptional activity. Unlike the wild-type MDM2, whose p53-suppressive activity can be inhibited by L11, the MDM2 zinc finger mutant escapes L11 inhibition. Hence, the MDM2 central zinc finger plays a critical role in mediating MDM2's interaction with ribosomal proteins and its ability to degrade p53, and these roles are disrupted by human cancer-associated MDM2 mutations.


2017 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 634-646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Wallace ◽  
Geeske M. van Woerden ◽  
Ype Elgersma ◽  
Spencer L. Smith ◽  
Benjamin D. Philpot

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by loss of the maternally inherited allele of UBE3A. Ube3aSTOP/p+ mice recapitulate major features of AS in humans and allow conditional reinstatement of maternal Ube3a with the expression of Cre recombinase. We have recently shown that AS model mice exhibit reduced inhibitory drive onto layer (L)2/3 pyramidal neurons of visual cortex, which contributes to a synaptic excitatory/inhibitory imbalance. However, it remains unclear how this loss of inhibitory drive affects neural circuits in vivo. Here we examined visual cortical response properties in individual neurons to explore the consequences of Ube3a loss on intact cortical circuits and processing. Using in vivo patch-clamp electrophysiology, we measured the visually evoked responses to square-wave drifting gratings in L2/3 regular-spiking (RS) neurons in control mice, Ube3a-deficient mice, and mice in which Ube3a was conditionally reinstated in GABAergic neurons. We found that Ube3a-deficient mice exhibited enhanced pyramidal neuron excitability in vivo as well as weaker orientation tuning. These observations are the first to show alterations in cortical computation in an AS model, and they suggest a basis for cortical dysfunction in AS. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Angelman syndrome (AS) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder caused by the loss of the gene UBE3A. Using electrophysiological recording in vivo, we describe visual cortical dysfunctions in a mouse model of AS. Aberrant cellular properties in AS model mice could be improved by reinstating Ube3a in inhibitory neurons. These findings suggest that inhibitory neurons play a substantial role in the pathogenesis of AS.


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