RESUMO
Transportin-2 (TNPO2) mediates multiple pathways including non-classical nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of >60 cargoes, such as developmental and neuronal proteins. We identified 15 individuals carrying de novo coding variants in TNPO2 who presented with global developmental delay (GDD), dysmorphic features, ophthalmologic abnormalities, and neurological features. To assess the nature of these variants, functional studies were performed in Drosophila. We found that fly dTnpo (orthologous to TNPO2) is expressed in a subset of neurons. dTnpo is critical for neuronal maintenance and function as downregulating dTnpo in mature neurons using RNAi disrupts neuronal activity and survival. Altering the activity and expression of dTnpo using mutant alleles or RNAi causes developmental defects, including eye and wing deformities and lethality. These effects are dosage dependent as more severe phenotypes are associated with stronger dTnpo loss. Interestingly, similar phenotypes are observed with dTnpo upregulation and ectopic expression of TNPO2, showing that loss and gain of Transportin activity causes developmental defects. Further, proband-associated variants can cause more or less severe developmental abnormalities compared to wild-type TNPO2 when ectopically expressed. The impact of the variants tested seems to correlate with their position within the protein. Specifically, those that fall within the RAN binding domain cause more severe toxicity and those in the acidic loop are less toxic. Variants within the cargo binding domain show tissue-dependent effects. In summary, dTnpo is an essential gene in flies during development and in neurons. Further, proband-associated de novo variants within TNPO2 disrupt the function of the encoded protein. Hence, TNPO2 variants are causative for neurodevelopmental abnormalities.
Assuntos
Deficiências do Desenvolvimento/genética , Proteínas de Drosophila/genética , Oftalmopatias Hereditárias/genética , Deficiência Intelectual/genética , Carioferinas/genética , Anormalidades Musculoesqueléticas/genética , beta Carioferinas/genética , Proteína ran de Ligação ao GTP/genética , Alelos , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Deficiências do Desenvolvimento/metabolismo , Deficiências do Desenvolvimento/patologia , Proteínas de Drosophila/antagonistas & inibidores , Proteínas de Drosophila/metabolismo , Drosophila melanogaster/genética , Drosophila melanogaster/crescimento & desenvolvimento , Drosophila melanogaster/metabolismo , Oftalmopatias Hereditárias/metabolismo , Oftalmopatias Hereditárias/patologia , Feminino , Dosagem de Genes , Regulação da Expressão Gênica no Desenvolvimento , Genoma Humano , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Deficiência Intelectual/metabolismo , Deficiência Intelectual/patologia , Carioferinas/antagonistas & inibidores , Carioferinas/metabolismo , Masculino , Anormalidades Musculoesqueléticas/metabolismo , Anormalidades Musculoesqueléticas/patologia , Mutação , Neurônios/metabolismo , Neurônios/patologia , RNA Interferente Pequeno/genética , RNA Interferente Pequeno/metabolismo , Alinhamento de Sequência , Homologia de Sequência de Aminoácidos , Sequenciamento Completo do Genoma , beta Carioferinas/metabolismo , Proteína ran de Ligação ao GTP/metabolismoRESUMO
Haploinsufficiency of FOXP2 causes FOXP2-related speech and language disorder. We report a 9.8 Mb deletion downstream of FOXP2 in a girl with speech and language impairment, developmental delay, and other features. We propose involvement of FOXP2 in pathogenesis of these phenotypes, likely due to positional effects on the gene.