PUBLICATION

Overexpression of Human Mutant PANK2 Proteins Affects Development and Motor Behavior of Zebrafish Embryos

Authors
Khatri, D., Zizioli, D., Trivedi, A., Borsani, G., Monti, E., Finazzi, D.
ID
ZDB-PUB-180825-5
Date
2018
Source
NeuroMolecular Medicine   21(2): 120-131 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Borsani, Giuseppe
Keywords
Coenzyme A, Neurodegeneration, Pantothenate Kinase 2 (PANK2), Pantothenate Kinase-Associated Neurodegeneration (PKAN), Zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Coenzyme A/biosynthesis
  • Coenzyme A/pharmacology
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/physiology
  • Embryonic Development/physiology*
  • Humans
  • Loss of Function Mutation
  • Motor Activity/physiology*
  • Mutation, Missense
  • Pantothenic Acid/biosynthesis
  • Pantothenic Acid/pharmacology
  • Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor)/biosynthesis
  • Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor)/genetics
  • Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor)/physiology*
  • RNA, Messenger/administration & dosage
  • RNA, Messenger/genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins/metabolism
  • Transgenes
  • Up-Regulation
  • Zebrafish/embryology
  • Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism
PubMed
30141000 Full text @ Neuromolecular Med.
Abstract
Pantothenate Kinase-Associated Neurodegeneration (PKAN) is a genetic and early-onset neurodegenerative disorder characterized by iron accumulation in the basal ganglia. It is due to mutations in Pantothenate Kinase 2 (PANK2), an enzyme that catalyzes the phosphorylation of vitamin B5, first and essential step in coenzyme A (CoA) biosynthesis. Most likely, an unbalance of the neuronal levels of this important cofactor represents the initial trigger of the neurodegenerative process, yet a complete understanding of the connection between PANK2 malfunctioning and neuronal death is lacking. Most PKAN patients carry mutations in both alleles and a loss of function mechanism is proposed to explain the pathology. When PANK2 mutants were analyzed for stability, dimerization capacity, and enzymatic activity in vitro, many of them showed properties like the wild-type form. To further explore this aspect, we overexpressed the wild-type protein, two mutant forms with reduced kinase activity and two retaining the catalytic activity in zebrafish embryos and analyzed the morpho-functional consequences. While the wild-type protein had no effects, all mutant proteins generated phenotypes that partially resembled those observed in pank2 and coasy morphants and were rescued by CoA and vitamin B5 supplementation. The overexpression of PANK2 mutant forms appears to be associated with perturbation in CoA availability, irrespective of their catalytic activity.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping