title: Characterization of 19 disease-associated missense mutations in the regulatory domain of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator.
abstract: In order to gain a better insight into the structure and function of the regulatory domain (RD) of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein, 19 RD missense mutations that had been identified in patients were functionally characterized. Nine of these (I601F, L610S, A613T, D614G, I618T, L619S, H620P, G628R and L633P) resulted in aberrant processing. No or a very small number of functional CFTR proteins will therefore appear at the cell membrane in cells expressing these mutants. These mutations were clustered in the N-terminal part of the RD, suggesting that this subdomain has a folding pattern that is very sensitive to amino acid changes. Mutations that caused no aberrant processing were further characterized at the electrophysiological level. First, they were studied at the whole cell level in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Mutants that induced a whole cell current that was significantly different from wild-type CFTR were subsequently analysed at the single channel level in COS1 cells transiently expressing the different mutant and wild-type proteins. Three mutant chloride channels, G622D, R792G and E822K CFTR, were characterized by significantly lower intrinsic chloride channel activities compared with wild-type CFTR. Two mutations, H620Q and A800G, resulted in increased intrinsic chloride transport activities. Finally, T665S and E826K CFTR had single channel properties not significantly different from wild-type CFTR.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Human Genetics and Department of Physiology, University of Leuven, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vankeerberghen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jaspers
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Cassiman
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nilius
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cuppens
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D019556:COS Cells; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000235:genetics; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004594:Electrophysiology / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: C505032:CFTR protein, human; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019005:Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator