PUBLICATION

In vivo severity ranking of Ras pathway mutations associated with developmental disorders

Authors
Jindal, G.A., Goyal, Y., Yamaya, K., Futran, A.S., Kountouridis, I., Balgobin, C.A., Schüpbach, T., Burdine, R.D., Shvartsman, S.Y.
ID
ZDB-PUB-170105-4
Date
2017
Source
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America   114(3): 510-515 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Burdine, Rebecca
Keywords
Drosophila, MEK inhibitor, MEK1, RASopathies, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Developmental Disabilities/drug therapy
  • Developmental Disabilities/genetics*
  • Developmental Disabilities/metabolism
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drosophila Proteins/genetics
  • Drosophila melanogaster/embryology
  • Drosophila melanogaster/genetics
  • Humans
  • MAP Kinase Kinase 1/antagonists & inhibitors
  • MAP Kinase Kinase 1/genetics
  • MAP Kinase Kinase 1/metabolism
  • MAP Kinase Signaling System/drug effects
  • MAP Kinase Signaling System/genetics
  • Mutation
  • Phenotype
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors/administration & dosage
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology
  • Zebrafish/embryology
  • Zebrafish/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism
  • ras Proteins/genetics*
PubMed
28049852 Full text @ Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
Abstract
Germ-line mutations in components of the Ras/MAPK pathway result in developmental disorders called RASopathies, affecting about 1/1,000 human births. Rapid advances in genome sequencing make it possible to identify multiple disease-related mutations, but there is currently no systematic framework for translating this information into patient-specific predictions of disease progression. As a first step toward addressing this issue, we developed a quantitative, inexpensive, and rapid framework that relies on the early zebrafish embryo to assess mutational effects on a common scale. Using this assay, we assessed 16 mutations reported in MEK1, a MAPK kinase, and provide a robust ranking of these mutations. We find that mutations found in cancer are more severe than those found in both RASopathies and cancer, which, in turn, are generally more severe than those found only in RASopathies. Moreover, this rank is conserved in other zebrafish embryonic assays and Drosophila-specific embryonic and adult assays, suggesting that our ranking reflects the intrinsic property of the mutant molecule. Furthermore, this rank is predictive of the drug dose needed to correct the defects. This assay can be readily used to test the strengths of existing and newly found mutations in MEK1 and other pathway components, providing the first step in the development of rational guidelines for patient-specific diagnostics and treatment of RASopathies.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping