Deep intronic mutations are often ignored as possible causes of human diseases. A deep intronic mutation in the MTRR gene, c.903+469T>C, is the most frequent mutation causing the cblE type of homocystinuria. It is well known to be associated with pre-mRNA mis-splicing, resulting in pseudoexon inclusion; however, the pathological mechanism remains unknown. We used minigenes to demonstrate that this mutation is the direct cause of MTRR pseudoexon inclusion, and that the pseudoexon is normally not recognized due to a suboptimal 5' splice site. Within the pseudoexon we identified an exonic splicing enhancer (ESE), which is activated by the mutation. Cotransfection and siRNA experiments showed that pseudoexon inclusion depends on the cellular amounts of SF2/ASF and in vitro RNA-binding assays showed dramatically increased SF2/ASF binding to the mutant MTRR ESE. The mutant MTRR ESE sequence is identical to an ESE of the alternatively spliced MST1R proto-oncogene, which suggests that this ESE could be frequently involved in splicing regulation. Our study conclusively demonstrates that an intronic single nucleotide change is sufficient to cause pseudoexon activation via creation of a functional ESE, which binds a specific splicing factor. We suggest that this mechanism may cause genetic disease much more frequently than previously reported.
- MeSH
- Cercopithecus aethiops MeSH
- COS buňky MeSH
- exony genetika MeSH
- ferredoxin-NADP-reduktasa genetika MeSH
- homocystinurie klasifikace enzymologie genetika MeSH
- introny genetika MeSH
- jaderné proteiny metabolismus MeSH
- messenger RNA genetika metabolismus MeSH
- místa sestřihu RNA genetika MeSH
- molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
- mutace genetika MeSH
- mutantní proteiny genetika MeSH
- proteiny vázající RNA metabolismus MeSH
- protoonkogen Mas MeSH
- sekvence nukleotidů MeSH
- serin-arginin sestřihové faktory MeSH
- sestřih RNA genetika MeSH
- vazba proteinů MeSH
- vitamin B 12 metabolismus MeSH
- výpočetní biologie MeSH
- zesilovače transkripce genetika MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Názvy látek
- ferredoxin-NADP-reduktasa MeSH
- jaderné proteiny MeSH
- MAS1 protein, human MeSH Prohlížeč
- messenger RNA MeSH
- methionine synthase reductase MeSH Prohlížeč
- místa sestřihu RNA MeSH
- mutantní proteiny MeSH
- proteiny vázající RNA MeSH
- protoonkogen Mas MeSH
- serin-arginin sestřihové faktory MeSH
- vitamin B 12 MeSH
The cblE type of homocystinuria is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by impaired reductive activation of methionine synthase. Although earlier biochemical studies proposed that the methionine synthase enzyme might be activated by two different reducing systems, mutations were reported in only the methionine synthase reductase gene (MTRR) in cblE patients. The pathogenicity of MTRR mutations, however, has not yet been tested functionally. We report on nine patients of European origin affected by the cblE type of homocystinuria. They presented between 2 weeks and 3 years of age (median age 4 weeks) with anemia, which was macrocytic in only three patients, and with neurological involvement in all but two cases. Bone marrow examination performed in seven patients showed megaloblastic changes in all but one of them. All patients exhibited moderate to severe hyperhomocysteinemia (median plasma total homocysteine [Hcy] 92 mumol/L, range 44-169), while clearly reduced methionine was observed only in four cases. Pathogenic mutations were identified in both parental alleles of the MTRR gene in all patients. Five known (c.903+469T>C, c.1361C>T, c.1459G>A, c.1557-4_1557+3del7, and c.1622_1623dupTA) and three novel mutations (c.7A>T, c.1573C>T, and c.1953-6_1953-2del5) were detected. Importantly, transfection of fibroblasts of cblE patients with a wild-type MTRR minigene expression construct resulted in a significant approximately four-fold increase of methionine synthesis, indicating correction of the enzyme defect. Our study shows a link between a milder predominantly hematological presentation and homozygosity for the c.1361C>T mutation, but no other obvious genotype-phenotype correlation. The identification of mutations in the MTRR gene, together with restoration of methionine synthesis following MTRR minigene expression in cblE cells confirms that this disease is caused by defects in the MTRR gene.
- MeSH
- 5-methyltetrahydrofoláthomocystein-S-methyltransferasa nedostatek MeSH
- běloši genetika MeSH
- betain terapeutické užití MeSH
- bodová mutace MeSH
- ferredoxin-NADP-reduktasa nedostatek genetika MeSH
- fibroblasty enzymologie patologie MeSH
- genetická terapie * MeSH
- haplotypy genetika MeSH
- homocystein krev MeSH
- homocystinurie krev klasifikace farmakoterapie enzymologie genetika patologie terapie MeSH
- hydroxokobalamin terapeutické užití MeSH
- kyselina listová terapeutické užití MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- missense mutace MeSH
- mozek patologie MeSH
- mutační analýza DNA MeSH
- nesmyslný kodon MeSH
- polymerázová řetězová reakce MeSH
- polymorfismus délky restrikčních fragmentů MeSH
- polymorfismus genetický MeSH
- rekombinantní fúzní proteiny fyziologie MeSH
- sekvenční delece MeSH
- substituce aminokyselin MeSH
- syntetické geny MeSH
- testy genetické komplementace MeSH
- transfekce MeSH
- transformované buněčné linie enzymologie patologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Názvy látek
- 5-methyltetrahydrofoláthomocystein-S-methyltransferasa MeSH
- betain MeSH
- ferredoxin-NADP-reduktasa MeSH
- homocystein MeSH
- hydroxokobalamin MeSH
- kyselina listová MeSH
- methionine synthase reductase MeSH Prohlížeč
- nesmyslný kodon MeSH
- rekombinantní fúzní proteiny MeSH