ABSTRACT
Solute carrier family 1, member 1 (SLC1A1; also known as EAAT3 and EAAC1) is the major epithelial transporter of glutamate and aspartate in the kidneys and intestines of rodents. Within the brain, SLC1A1 serves as the predominant neuronal glutamate transporter and buffers the synaptic release of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate within the interneuronal synaptic cleft. Recent studies have also revealed that polymorphisms in SLC1A1 are associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in early-onset patient cohorts. Here we report that SLC1A1 mutations leading to substitution of arginine to tryptophan at position 445 (R445W) and deletion of isoleucine at position 395 (I395del) cause human dicarboxylic aminoaciduria, an autosomal recessive disorder of urinary glutamate and aspartate transport that can be associated with mental retardation. These mutations of conserved residues impeded or abrogated glutamate and cysteine transport by SLC1A1 and led to near-absent surface expression in a canine kidney cell line. These findings provide evidence that SLC1A1 is the major renal transporter of glutamate and aspartate in humans and implicate SLC1A1 in the pathogenesis of some neurological disorders.
Subject(s)
Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 3/genetics , Mutation , Amino Acid Sequence , Amino Acid Substitution , Animals , Cell Line , DNA Mutational Analysis , Dogs , Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 3/chemistry , Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 3/metabolism , Female , Genes, Recessive , Humans , In Vitro Techniques , Intellectual Disability/genetics , Intellectual Disability/metabolism , Kidney/metabolism , Male , Models, Biological , Models, Molecular , Molecular Sequence Data , Mutant Proteins/chemistry , Mutant Proteins/genetics , Mutant Proteins/metabolism , Mutation, Missense , Oocytes/metabolism , Pedigree , Recombinant Proteins/chemistry , Recombinant Proteins/genetics , Recombinant Proteins/metabolism , Renal Aminoacidurias/genetics , Renal Aminoacidurias/metabolism , Sequence Deletion , Sequence Homology, Amino Acid , Xenopus laevisABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: FUS gene mutations were recently identified in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The present studies sought to define the clinical, post-mortem and neurophysiological phenotypes in ALS families with FUS mutations and to determine the frequency of FUS mutations in familial and sporadic ALS. METHODS: FUS was screened for mutations in familial and sporadic ALS cases. Clinical, post-mortem and neurophysiological features of large families with FUS mutations are described. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: FUS mutations were evident in 3.2% (4/124) of familial ALS, representing the second most common gene abnormality to be described in familial ALS after SOD1. No mutations were present in 247 sporadic ALS cases. The clinical presentation in 49 affected patients was consistent with a predominantly lower motor neuron disorder, supported by post-mortem findings. Upper motor neuron involvement varied, with Wallerian degeneration of corticospinal tracts present in one post-mortem case but absent in a second case from the same family. Features of cortical hyperexcitability demonstrated upper motor neuron involvement consistent with other forms of familial and sporadic ALS. One case presented with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) indicating that this may be a rare presenting feature in families with FUS mutation. Ubiquitin-positive cytoplasmic skein-like inclusions were present in lower motor neurons, but in contrast to sporadic ALS, no TDP-43 pathology was evident. Mutation-specific clinical features were identified. Patients with a R521C mutation were significantly more likely to develop disease at a younger age, and dropped-head syndrome was a frequent feature. Reduced disease penetrance was evident among most affected families.
