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Forte-Gomez HF, Gioia R, Tonelli F, Kobbe B, Koch P, Bloch W, Paulsson M, Zaucke F, Forlino A, Wagener R. Structure, evolution and expression of zebrafish cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP, TSP5). CRISPR-Cas mutants show a dominant phenotype in myosepta. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2022; 13:1000662. [PMID: 36452329 PMCID: PMC9702538 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2022.1000662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
COMP (Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein), also named thrombospondin-5, is a member of the thrombospondin family of extracellular matrix proteins. It is of clinical relevance, as in humans mutations in COMP lead to chondrodysplasias. The gene encoding zebrafish Comp is located on chromosome 11 in synteny with its mammalian orthologs. Zebrafish Comp has a domain structure identical to that of tetrapod COMP and shares 74% sequence similarity with murine COMP. Zebrafish comp is expressed from 5 hours post fertilization (hpf) on, while the protein is first detectable in somites of 11 hpf embryos. During development and in adults comp is strongly expressed in myosepta, craniofacial tendon and ligaments, around ribs and vertebra, but not in its name-giving tissue cartilage. As in mammals, zebrafish Comp forms pentamers. It is easily extracted from 5 days post fertilization (dpf) whole zebrafish. The lack of Comp expression in zebrafish cartilage implies that its cartilage function evolved recently in tetrapods. The expression in tendon and myosepta may indicate a more fundamental function, as in evolutionary distant Drosophila muscle-specific adhesion to tendon cells requires thrombospondin. A sequence encoding a calcium binding motif within the first TSP type-3 repeat of zebrafish Comp was targeted by CRISPR-Cas. The heterozygous and homozygous mutant Comp zebrafish displayed a patchy irregular Comp staining in 3 dpf myosepta, indicating a dominant phenotype. Electron microscopy revealed that the endoplasmic reticulum of myosepta fibroblasts is not affected in homozygous fish. The disorganized extracellular matrix may indicate that this mutation rather interferes with extracellular matrix assembly, similar to what is seen in a subgroup of chondrodysplasia patients. The early expression and easy detection of mutant Comp in zebrafish points to the potential of using the zebrafish model for large scale screening of small molecules that can improve secretion or function of disease-associated COMP mutants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roberta Gioia
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Biochemistry Unit, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca Tonelli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Biochemistry Unit, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Birgit Kobbe
- Center for Biochemistry, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Peter Koch
- Department of Pharmacology, University Clinic Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Wilhelm Bloch
- Institute of Cardiovascular Research and Sport Medicine, German Sport University, Cologne, Germany
| | - Mats Paulsson
- Center for Biochemistry, Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Frank Zaucke
- Dr. Rolf M. Schwiete Research Unit for Osteoarthritis, Department of Orthopedics (Friedrichsheim), University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Antonella Forlino
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Biochemistry Unit, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Raimund Wagener
- Center for Biochemistry, Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- *Correspondence: Raimund Wagener,
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Schlesinger SY, Seo S, Pryce BA, Tufa SF, Keene DR, Huang AH, Schweitzer R. Loss of Smad4 in the scleraxis cell lineage results in postnatal joint contracture. Dev Biol 2020; 470:108-120. [PMID: 33248111 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2020.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Growth of the musculoskeletal system requires precise coordination between bone, muscle, and tendon during development. Insufficient elongation of the muscle-tendon unit relative to bone growth results in joint contracture, a condition characterized by reduction or complete loss of joint range of motion. Here we establish a novel murine model of joint contracture by targeting Smad4 for deletion in the tendon cell lineage using Scleraxis-Cre (ScxCre). Smad4ScxCre mutants develop a joint contracture shortly after birth. The contracture is stochastic in direction and increases in severity with age. Smad4ScxCre mutant tendons exhibited a stable reduction in cellularity and a progressive reduction in extracellular matrix volume. Collagen fibril diameters were reduced in the Smad4ScxCre mutants, suggesting a role for Smad4 signaling in the regulation of matrix accumulation. Although ScxCre also has sporadic activity in both cartilage and muscle, we demonstrate an essential role for Smad4 loss in tendons for the development of joint contractures. Disrupting the canonical TGFβ-pathway in Smad2;3ScxCre mutants did not result in joint contractures. Conversely, disrupting the BMP pathway by targeting BMP receptors (Alk3ScxCre/Alk6null) recapitulated many features of the Smad4ScxCre contracture phenotype, suggesting that joint contracture in Smad4ScxCre mutants is caused by disruption of BMP signaling. Overall, these results establish a model of murine postnatal joint contracture and a role for BMP signaling in tendon elongation and extracellular matrix accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Seongkyung Seo
- Research Division, Shriners Hospital for Children, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Brian A Pryce
- Research Division, Shriners Hospital for Children, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Sara F Tufa
- Research Division, Shriners Hospital for Children, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Douglas R Keene
- Research Division, Shriners Hospital for Children, Portland, OR, 97239, USA
| | - Alice H Huang
- Department of Orthopedic, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10037, USA
| | - Ronen Schweitzer
- Research Division, Shriners Hospital for Children, Portland, OR, 97239, USA; Department of Orthopedics, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
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Ansari H, Mohammadi-Asl J, Hajjari M, Tahmasebi-Birgani M, Kollaee A, Jassemi-Zergani F, Vakili-Hajiagha A. Exome sequencing revealed a p.G299R mutation in the COMP gene in an Iranian family suffering from pseudoachondroplasia. J Gene Med 2019; 21:e3103. [PMID: 31177591 DOI: 10.1002/jgm.3103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Short-stature (SS) is multifactorial pathologic condition that originates from either genetic or environmental factors. The diagnosis is based on family history, clinical findings, radiological examination and genetic analysis. A variety of genes have been reported for SS, among which FGFR-3 was the main gene in achondroplasia and hypochondroplasia. In other forms of SS, the gene involved varies from one patient to another. Whole exome sequencing (WES) and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) have recently introduced a growing body of genes annually. The present study performed a WES analysis on an Iranian family suffering from an inherited form of SS aiming to diagnose the causative gene. The father and all of his four sons were diagnosed as SS. METHODS The blood samples were collected from the proband and his available family members. Genomic DNA was extracted using salting-out method. The DNA of the proband was analyzed using WES and confirmed through polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-sequencing. The WES-extracted variant was evaluated in silico using software aiming to determine whether this nucleotide change is pathogenic. The presence of the variant was traced in other affected family members using PCR-sequencing. RESULTS Following segregation analysis, variant c.896 G>A of the COMP gene was found in all of the affected individuals in a heterozygous form. This variant resulted in substitution of glycine 299 with arginine and was previously predicted as pathogenic in the Human Gene Mutation Database dataset, although it represents the first report in Iran. CONCLUSIONS The findings of the present study suggest consideration of the c.896 G>A variant of the COMP gene with respect to the genetic counseling of inherited skeletal dysplasia in Iran.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Ansari
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Javad Mohammadi-Asl
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.,Noor Genetics Laboratory, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Mohammadreza Hajjari
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
| | - Maryam Tahmasebi-Birgani
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
| | | | - Farzad Jassemi-Zergani
- Research Institute for Infectious Disease of Digestive System, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
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Posey KL, Coustry F, Hecht JT. Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein: COMPopathies and beyond. Matrix Biol 2018; 71-72:161-173. [PMID: 29530484 PMCID: PMC6129439 DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2018.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 112] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Revised: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 02/27/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) is a large pentameric glycoprotein that interacts with multiple extracellular matrix proteins in cartilage and other tissues. While, COMP is known to play a role in collagen secretion and fibrillogenesis, chondrocyte proliferation and mechanical strength of tendons, the complete range of COMP functions remains to be defined. COMPopathies describe pseudoachondroplasia (PSACH) and multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED), two skeletal dysplasias caused by autosomal dominant COMP mutations. The majority of the mutations are in the calcium binding domains and compromise protein folding. COMPopathies are ER storage disorders in which the retention of COMP in the chondrocyte ER stimulates overwhelming cellular stress. The retention causes oxidative and inflammation processes leading to chondrocyte death and loss of long bone growth. In contrast, dysregulation of wild-type COMP expression is found in numerous diseases including: fibrosis, cardiomyopathy and breast and prostate cancers. The most exciting clinical application is the use of COMP as a biomarker for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and cartilage degeneration associated osteoarthritis and rheumatoid and, as a prognostic marker for joint injury. The ever expanding roles of COMP in single gene disorders and multifactorial diseases will lead to a better understanding of its functions in ECM and tissue homeostasis towards the goal of developing new therapeutic avenues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen L Posey
- McGovern Medical School, UTHealth, Department of Pediatrics, United States.
| | - Francoise Coustry
- McGovern Medical School, UTHealth, Department of Pediatrics, United States
| | - Jacqueline T Hecht
- McGovern Medical School, UTHealth, Department of Pediatrics, United States; UTHealth, School of Dentistry, United States
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Briggs MD, Bell PA, Pirog KA. The utility of mouse models to provide information regarding the pathomolecular mechanisms in human genetic skeletal diseases: The emerging role of endoplasmic reticulum stress (Review). Int J Mol Med 2015; 35:1483-92. [PMID: 25824717 PMCID: PMC4432922 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2015.2158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 03/30/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic skeletal diseases (GSDs) are an extremely diverse and complex group of rare genetic diseases that primarily affect the development and homeostasis of the osseous skeleton. There are more than 450 unique and well-characterised phenotypes that range in severity from relatively mild to severe and lethal forms. Although individually rare, as a group of related genetic diseases, GSDs have an overall prevalence of at least 1 per 4,000 children. Qualitative defects in cartilage structural proteins result in a broad spectrum of both recessive and dominant GSDs. This review focused on a disease spectrum resulting from mutations in the non-collagenous glycoproteins, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) and matrilin-3, which together cause a continuum of phenotypes that are amongst the most common autosomal dominant GSDs. Pseudoachondroplasia (PSACH) and autosomal dominant multiple epiphyseal dysplasia (MED) comprise a disease spectrum characterised by varying degrees of disproportionate short stature, joint pain and stiffness and early-onset osteoarthritis. Over the past decade, the generation and deep phenotyping of a range of genetic mouse models of the PSACH and MED disease spectrum has allowed the disease mechanisms to be characterised in detail. Moreover, the generation of novel phenocopies to model specific disease mechanisms has confirmed the importance of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and reduced chondrocyte proliferation as key modulators of growth plate dysplasia and reduced bone growth. Finally, new insight into related musculoskeletal complications (such as myopathy and tendinopathy) has also been gained through the in-depth analysis of targeted mouse models of the PSACH-MED disease spectrum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael D Briggs
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - Peter A Bell
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
| | - Katarzyna A Pirog
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, International Centre for Life, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3BZ, UK
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