Preonset studies of spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda caused by a novel 2-base pair deletion in SEDL encoding sedlin

TRAPPopathies: An emerging set of disorders linked to variations in the genes encoding transport protein particle (TRAPP)-associated proteins

The movement of proteins between cellular compartments requires the orchestrated actions of many factors including Rab family GTPases, Soluble NSF Attachment protein REceptors (SNAREs) and so-called tethering factors. One such tethering factor is called TRAnsport Protein Particle (TRAPP), and in humans, TRAPP proteins are distributed into two related complexes called TRAPP II and III. Although thought to act as a single unit within the complex, in the past few years it has become evident that some TRAPP proteins function independently of the complex. Consistent with this, variations in the genes encoding these proteins result in a spectrum of human diseases with diverse, but partially overlapping, phenotypes. This contrasts with other tethering factors such as COG, where variations in the genes that encode its subunits all result in an identical phenotype. In this review, we present an up-to-date summary of all the known disease-related variations of genes encoding TRAPP-associated proteins and the disorders linked to these variations which we now call TRAPPopathies.

Noncanonical and canonical splice sites: a novel mutation at the rare noncanonical splice-donor cut site (IVS4+1A>G) of SEDL causes variable splicing isoforms in X-linked spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda

X-linked spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda can be caused by mutations in the SEDL gene. This study describes an interesting novel mutation (IVS4+1A>G) located exactly at the rare noncanonical AT-AC consensus splicing donor point of SEDL, which regained the canonical GT-AG consensus splicing junction in addition to several other rarer noncanonical splice patterns. The mutation activated several cryptic splice sites and generated the production of seven erroneous splicing isoforms, which we confirmed by sequencing of RT-PCR products and resequencing of cDNA clones. All the practical splice donors/acceptors were further assessed using FSPLICE 1.0 and SPL(M) Platforms to predict potential splice sites in genomic DNA. Subsequently, the expression levels of SEDL among the affected patients, carriers and controls were estimated using real-time quantitative PCR. Expression analyses showed that the expression levels of SEDL in both patients and carriers were decreased. Taken together, these results illustrated how disruption of the AT donor site in a rare AT-AC intron, leading to a canonical GT donor site, resulted in a multitude of aberrant transcripts, thus impairing exon definition. The unexpected splicing patterns resulting from the special mutation provide additional challenges and opportunities for understanding splicing mechanisms and specificity.

Human wild-type SEDL protein functionally complements yeast Trs20p but some naturally occurring SEDL mutants do not

X-linked spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda (SEDT, or SEDL) is a primary skeletal dysplasia affecting mostly spinal vertebral bodies and epiphyses. Previously, we have identified the SEDL gene and determined the spectrum of 21 different SEDL causing mutations. The SEDL gene is a highly conserved gene with an as yet unknown function. The yeast SEDL protein ortholog, Trs20p, has been isolated as a member of a large multi-protein complex ( approximately 10 proteins) called transport protein particle (TRAPP), which is involved in endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-to-Golgi transport. While the SEDL gene mutations cause a tissue-specific (epiphyses) and relatively mild phenotype, the Trs20p function is essential for the yeast cell. We now provide evidence that recombinant human SEDL protein is able to functionally complement the Saccharomyces cerevisiae TRS20 (TRAPP subunit 20 gene) knockout mutant. This finding strongly supports the speculated conserved nature of the SEDL/Trs20p function. To shed further light on the SEDL/Trs20p protein function, five different naturally occurring SEDL gene mutations have been tested in complementation studies. While two truncation mutations (157delAT and C271T) and one missense mutation (G139T) were unable to rescue the trs20Delta lethal phenotype, two other missense mutations (C218T and T389A) did complement trs20Delta. Interestingly, there is no obvious correlation between the nature and position of the SEDL mutation and the clinical severity of the disorder among the human SEDL patients. Although the identification of complementing SEDL gene mutations may suggest the existence of subtle phenotypic differences among SEDL patients, it might also point towards the identification of SEDL protein residues/domains specific for normal, vertebrate bone growth.