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Han J, Chear S, Talbot J, Swier V, Booth C, Reuben-Thomas C, Dalvi S, Weimer JM, Hewitt AW, Cook AL, Singh R. Genetic and cellular basis of impaired phagocytosis and photoreceptor degeneration in CLN3 disease. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.09.597388. [PMID: 38895469 PMCID: PMC11185776 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.09.597388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
Purpose CLN3 Batten disease (also known as Juvenile Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis; JNCL) is a lysosomal storage disorder that typically initiates with retinal degeneration but is followed by seizure onset, motor decline and premature death. Patient-derived CLN3 disease iPSC-RPE cells show defective phagocytosis of photoreceptor outer segments (POSs). Because modifier genes are implicated in CLN3 disease, our goal here was to investigate a direct link between CLN3 mutation and POS phagocytosis defect. Methods Isogenic control and CLN3 mutant stem cell lines were generated by CRISPR-Cas9-mediated biallelic deletion of exons 7 and 8. A transgenic CLN3 Δ 7-8/ Δ 7-8 ( CLN3 ) Yucatan miniswine was also used to study the impact of CLN3 Δ 7-8/ Δ 7-8 mutation on POS phagocytosis. POS phagocytosis by cultured RPE cells was analyzed by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Electroretinogram, optical coherence tomography and histological analysis of CLN3 Δ 7/8 and wild-type miniswine eyes were carried out at 6-, 36-, or 48-month age. Results CLN3 Δ 7-8/ Δ 7-8 RPE ( CLN3 RPE) displayed reduced POS binding and consequently decreased uptake of POS compared to isogenic control RPE cells. Furthermore, wild-type miniswine RPE cells phagocytosed CLN3 Δ 7-8/ Δ 7-8 POS less efficiently than wild-type POS. Consistent with decreased POS phagocytosis, lipofuscin/autofluorescence was decreased in CLN3 miniswine RPE at 36 months-of-age and was followed by almost complete loss of photoreceptors at 48 months of age. Conclusions CLN3 Δ 7-8/ Δ 7-8 mutation (that affects up to 85% patients) affects both RPE and POSs and leads to photoreceptor cell loss in CLN3 disease. Furthermore, both primary RPE dysfunction and mutant POS independently contribute to impaired POS phagocytosis in CLN3 disease.
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Xu M, Neelands T, Powers AS, Liu Y, Miller SD, Pintilie GD, Bois JD, Dror RO, Chiu W, Maduke M. CryoEM structures of the human CLC-2 voltage-gated chloride channel reveal a ball-and-chain gating mechanism. eLife 2024; 12:RP90648. [PMID: 38345841 PMCID: PMC10942593 DOI: 10.7554/elife.90648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
CLC-2 is a voltage-gated chloride channel that contributes to electrical excitability and ion homeostasis in many different tissues. Among the nine mammalian CLC homologs, CLC-2 is uniquely activated by hyperpolarization, rather than depolarization, of the plasma membrane. The molecular basis for the divergence in polarity of voltage gating among closely related homologs has been a long-standing mystery, in part because few CLC channel structures are available. Here, we report cryoEM structures of human CLC-2 at 2.46 - 2.76 Å, in the presence and absence of the selective inhibitor AK-42. AK-42 binds within the extracellular entryway of the Cl--permeation pathway, occupying a pocket previously proposed through computational docking studies. In the apo structure, we observed two distinct conformations involving rotation of one of the cytoplasmic C-terminal domains (CTDs). In the absence of CTD rotation, an intracellular N-terminal 15-residue hairpin peptide nestles against the TM domain to physically occlude the Cl--permeation pathway. This peptide is highly conserved among species variants of CLC-2 but is not present in other CLC homologs. Previous studies suggested that the N-terminal domain of CLC-2 influences channel properties via a "ball-and-chain" gating mechanism, but conflicting data cast doubt on such a mechanism, and thus the structure of the N-terminal domain and its interaction with the channel has been uncertain. Through electrophysiological studies of an N-terminal deletion mutant lacking the 15-residue hairpin peptide, we support a model in which the N-terminal hairpin of CLC-2 stabilizes a closed state of the channel by blocking the cytoplasmic Cl--permeation pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyuan Xu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Torben Neelands
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Alexander S Powers
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Yan Liu
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Steven D Miller
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Grigore D Pintilie
- Department of Bioengineering and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - J Du Bois
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Ron O Dror
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Wah Chiu
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
- Department of Bioengineering and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
| | - Merritt Maduke
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford UniversityStanfordUnited States
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Xu M, Neelands T, Powers AS, Liu Y, Miller SD, Pintilie G, Bois JD, Dror RO, Chiu W, Maduke M. CryoEM structures of the human CLC-2 voltage gated chloride channel reveal a ball and chain gating mechanism. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.13.553136. [PMID: 37645939 PMCID: PMC10462068 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.13.553136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
CLC-2 is a voltage-gated chloride channel that contributes to electrical excitability and ion homeostasis in many different mammalian tissues and cell types. Among the nine mammalian CLC homologs, CLC-2 is uniquely activated by hyperpolarization, rather than depolarization, of the plasma membrane. The molecular basis for the divergence in polarity of voltage gating mechanisms among closely related CLC homologs has been a long-standing mystery, in part because few CLC channel structures are available, and those that exist exhibit high conformational similarity. Here, we report cryoEM structures of human CLC-2 at 2.46 - 2.76 Å, in the presence and absence of the potent and selective inhibitor AK-42. AK-42 binds within the extracellular entryway of the Cl--permeation pathway, occupying a pocket previously proposed through computational docking studies. In the apo structure, we observed two distinct apo conformations of CLC-2 involving rotation of one of the cytoplasmic C-terminal domains (CTDs). In the absence of CTD rotation, an intracellular N-terminal 15-residue hairpin peptide nestles against the TM domain to physically occlude the Cl--permeation pathway from the intracellular side. This peptide is highly conserved among species variants of CLC-2 but is not present in any other CLC homologs. Previous studies suggested that the N-terminal domain of CLC-2 influences channel properties via a "ball-and-chain" gating mechanism, but conflicting data cast doubt on such a mechanism, and thus the structure of the N-terminal domain and its interaction with the channel has been uncertain. Through electrophysiological studies of an N-terminal deletion mutant lacking the 15-residue hairpin peptide, we show that loss of this short sequence increases the magnitude and decreases the rectification of CLC-2 currents expressed in mammalian cells. Furthermore, we show that with repetitive hyperpolarization WT CLC-2 currents increase in resemblance to the hairpin-deleted CLC-2 currents. These functional results combined with our structural data support a model in which the N-terminal hairpin of CLC-2 stabilizes a closed state of the channel by blocking the cytoplasmic Cl--permeation pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyuan Xu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Torben Neelands
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Alexander S. Powers
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Yan Liu
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park 94025
| | - Steven D. Miller
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Grigore Pintilie
- Department of Bioengineering and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305
| | - J. Du Bois
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Ron O. Dror
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
- Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Wah Chiu
- Division of CryoEM and Bioimaging, SSRL, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford University, Menlo Park 94025
- Department of Bioengineering and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305
| | - Merritt Maduke
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
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Cheng Y, Liu X, Sun L, Ding X. Case report: A frameshift mutation in CLCN2-related leukoencephalopathy and retinopathy. Front Genet 2023; 14:1278961. [PMID: 38028614 PMCID: PMC10665509 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1278961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Leukoencephalopathy and visual impairment have been linked to loss-of-function mutations in the CLCN2 gene (MIM #600570). However, the ocular features caused by the CLCN2 mutations remain poorly understood and seldom reported. This study aims to present a novel mutation and characterize the ocular phenotype in a Chinese female diagnosed with CLCN2-related leukoencephalopathy (CC2L), also known as leukoencephalopathy with ataxia (LKPAT; MIM #615651). Case presentation: A 20-year-old Chinese female presented with bilateral blurred vision persisting for 2 years, which had worsened over the past 6 months. Ophthalmologic examination revealed bilateral post-capsular cataracts, macular retinal atrophy, and peripheral retinal pigmentation. Swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) showed bilateral choroidal capillary atrophy, loss of the outer retinal layer, and a novel noteworthy sign of vacuole-like vitreoretinopathy. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging confirmed leukoencephalopathy. Genetic testing identified a novel homozygous pathogenic c.1382_1386del (p.P461Lfs*13) mutation in exon 13 of the CLCN2 gene. Conclusion: This case report expands the knowledge of CLCN2 mutations and their associated ocular manifestations in patients with CC2L. The identified ophthalmic features may serve as crucial indicators for early diagnosis in individuals with CC2L, especially in the absence of evident neurological symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Xiaoyan Ding
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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