Mislocalization of pathogenic RBM20 variants in dilated cardiomyopathy is caused by loss-of-interaction with Transportin-3

Severe forms of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) are associated with point mutations in the alternative splicing regulator RBM20 that are frequently located in the arginine/serine-rich domain (RS-domain). Such mutations can cause defective splicing and cytoplasmic mislocalization, which leads to the formation of detrimental cytoplasmic granules. Successful development of personalized therapies requires identifying the direct mechanisms of pathogenic RBM20 variants. Here, we decipher the molecular mechanism of RBM20 mislocalization and its specific role in DCM pathogenesis. We demonstrate that mislocalized RBM20 RS-domain variants retain their splice regulatory activity, which reveals that aberrant cellular localization is the main driver of their pathological phenotype. A genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen combined with image-enabled cell sorting identified Transportin-3 (TNPO3) as the main nuclear importer of RBM20. We show that the direct RBM20-TNPO3 interaction involves the RS-domain, and is disrupted by pathogenic variants. Relocalization of pathogenic RBM20 variants to the nucleus restores alternative splicing and dissolves cytoplasmic granules in cell culture and animal models. These findings provide proof-of-principle for developing therapeutic strategies to restore RBM20's nuclear localization in RBM20-DCM patients.

Expanding the map of protein-RNA interaction sites via cell fusion followed by PAR-CLIP

PAR-CLIP (photoactivatable ribonucleoside-enhanced crosslinking and immunoprecipitation) facilitates the identification and mapping of protein/RNA interactions. So far, it has been limited to select cell-lines as it requires efficient 4SU uptake. To increase transcriptome complexity and thus identify additional RNA-protein interaction sites we fused HEK 293 T-Rex cells (HEK293-Y) that express the RNA binding protein YBX1 with PC12 cells expressing eGFP (PC12-eGFP). The resulting hybrids enable PAR-CLIP on a neuronally expanded transcriptome (Fusion-CLIP) and serve as a proof of principle. The fusion cells express both parental marker genes YBX1 and eGFP and the expanded transcriptome contains human and rat transcripts. PAR-CLIP of fused cells versus the parental HEK293-Y identified 768 novel RNA targets of YBX1. We were able to trace the origin of the majority of the short PAR-CLIP reads as they differentially mapped to the human and rat genome. Furthermore, Fusion-CLIP expanded the CAUC RNA binding motif of YBX1 to UCUUUNNCAUC. The fusion of HEK293-Y and PC12-eGFP cells resulted in cells with a diverse genome expressing human and rat transcripts that enabled the identification of novel YBX1 substrates. The technique allows the expansion of the HEK 293 transcriptome and makes PAR-CLIP available to fusion cells of diverse origin.

Reducing RBM20 activity improves diastolic dysfunction and cardiac atrophy

Abstract

Impaired diastolic filling is a main contributor to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a syndrome with increasing prevalence and no treatment. Both collagen and the giant sarcomeric protein titin determine diastolic function. Since titin’s elastic properties can be adjusted physiologically, we evaluated titin-based stiffness as a therapeutic target. We adjusted RBM20-dependent cardiac isoform expression in the titin N2B knockout mouse with increased ventricular stiffness. A ~50 % reduction of RBM20 activity does not only maintain cardiac filling in diastole but also ameliorates cardiac atrophy and thus improves cardiac function in the N2B-deficient heart. Reduced RBM20 activity partially normalized gene expression related to muscle development and fatty acid metabolism. The adaptation of cardiac growth was related to hypertrophy signaling via four-and-a-half lim-domain proteins (FHLs) that translate mechanical input into hypertrophy signals. We provide a novel link between cardiac isoform expression and trophic signaling via FHLs and suggest cardiac splicing as a therapeutic target in diastolic dysfunction.

Key message

Increasing the length of titin isoforms improves ventricular filling in heart disease.

FHL proteins are regulated via RBM20 and adapt cardiac growth.

RBM20 is a therapeutic target in diastolic dysfunction.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00109-016-1483-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.