DPAGT1-CDG: Functional analysis of disease-causing pathogenic mutations and role of endoplasmic reticulum stress

PLoS One. 2017 Jun 29;12(6):e0179456. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179456. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Pathogenic mutations in DPAGT1 are manifested as two possible phenotypes: congenital disorder of glycosylation DPAGT1-CDG (also known as CDG-Ij), and limb-girdle congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS) with tubular aggregates. UDP-N-acetylglucosamine-dolichyl-phosphate N-acetylglucosamine phosphotransferase (GPT), the protein encoded by DPAGT1, is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-resident protein involved in an initial step in the N-glycosylation pathway. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of six variants in DPAGT1 detected in patients with DPAGT1-CDG, and the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress, as part of the search for therapeutic strategies to use against DPAGT1-CDG. The effect of the six mutations, i.e., c.358C>A (p.Leu120Met), c.791T>G (p.Val264Gly), c.901C>T (p.Arg301Cys), c.902G>A (p.Arg301His), c.1154T>G (p.Leu385Arg), and of the novel mutation c.329T>C (p.Phe110Ser), were examined via the analysis of DPAGT1 transcriptional profiles and GTP levels in patient-derived fibroblasts. In addition, the transient expression of different mutations was analysed in COS-7 cells. The results obtained, together with those of bioinformatic studies, revealed these mutations to affect the splicing process, the stability of GTP, or the ability of this protein to correctly localise in the ER membrane. The unfolded protein response (UPR; the response to ER stress) was found not to be active in patient-derived fibroblasts, unlike that seen in cells from patients with PMM2-CDG or DPM1-CDG. Even so, the fibroblasts of patients with DPAGT1-CDG seemed to be more sensitive to the stressor tunicamycin. The present work improves our knowledge of DPAGT1-CDG and provides bases for developing tailored splicing and folding therapies.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • COS Cells
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation / genetics*
  • Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress*
  • Humans
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Mutation*
  • N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases / genetics
  • N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases / physiology*
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Transcription, Genetic

Substances

  • N-Acetylglucosaminyltransferases
  • dolichyl-phosphate alpha-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase

Supplementary concepts

  • Congenital disorder of glycosylation type 1J

Grants and funding

This work was funded by grant PI16/00573 (www.isciii.es/ISCIII/es) and Fundación Isabel Gemio (www.fundacionisabelgemio.com).