RESUMO
Neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) are synapses that transmit impulses from motor neurons to skeletal muscle fibers leading to muscle contraction. Study of hereditary disorders of neuromuscular transmission, termed congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS), has helped elucidate fundamental processes influencing development and function of the nerve-muscle synapse. Using genetic linkage, we find 18 different biallelic mutations in the gene encoding glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate transaminase 1 (GFPT1) in 13 unrelated families with an autosomal recessive CMS. Consistent with these data, downregulation of the GFPT1 ortholog gfpt1 in zebrafish embryos altered muscle fiber morphology and impaired neuromuscular junction development. GFPT1 is the key enzyme of the hexosamine pathway yielding the amino sugar UDP-N-acetylglucosamine, an essential substrate for protein glycosylation. Our findings provide further impetus to study the glycobiology of NMJ and synapses in general.
Assuntos
Glutamina-Frutose-6-Fosfato Transaminase (Isomerizante)/genética , Hexosaminas/metabolismo , Mutação/genética , Síndromes Miastênicas Congênitas/genética , Transdução de Sinais , Animais , Western Blotting , Estudos de Casos e Controles , Células Cultivadas , Embrião não Mamífero/citologia , Embrião não Mamífero/metabolismo , Feminino , Imunofluorescência , Regulação da Expressão Gênica no Desenvolvimento , Ligação Genética , Glicosilação , Humanos , Técnicas Imunoenzimáticas , Hibridização in Situ Fluorescente , Masculino , Síndromes Miastênicas Congênitas/patologia , Junção Neuromuscular/fisiologia , Linhagem , RNA Mensageiro/genética , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase Via Transcriptase Reversa , Transmissão Sináptica/fisiologia , Peixe-Zebra , Proteínas de Peixe-Zebra/genética , Proteínas de Peixe-Zebra/metabolismoRESUMO
Congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of inherited disorders of the neuromuscular junction. A difficult to diagnose subgroup of CMS is characterised by proximal muscle weakness and fatigue while ocular and facial involvement is only minimal. DOK7 mutations have been identified as causing the disorder in about half of the cases. More recently, using classical positional cloning, we have identified mutations in a previously unrecognised CMS gene, GFPT1, in a series of DOK7-negative cases. However, detailed description of clinical features of GFPT1 patients has not been reported yet. Here we describe the clinical picture of 24 limb-girdle CMS (LG-CMS) patients and pathological findings of 18 of them, all carrying GFPT1 mutations. Additional patients with CMS, but without tubular aggregates, and patients with non-fatigable weakness with tubular aggregates were also screened. In most patients with GFPT1 mutations, onset of the disease occurs in the first decade of life with characteristic limb-girdle weakness and fatigue. A common feature was beneficial and sustained response to acetylcholinesterase inhibitor treatment. Most of the patients who had a muscle biopsy showed tubular aggregates in myofibers. Analysis of endplate morphology in one of the patients revealed unspecific abnormalities. Our study delineates the phenotype of CMS associated with GFPT1 mutations and expands the understanding of neuromuscular junction disorders. As tubular aggregates in context of a neuromuscular transmission defect appear to be highly indicative, we suggest calling this condition congenital myasthenic syndrome with tubular aggregates (CMS-TA).