Cisd2 deficiency drives premature aging and causes mitochondria-mediated defects in mice.
CISD2, the causative gene for Wolfram syndrome 2 (WFS2), is a previously uncharacterized novel gene. Significantly, the CISD2 gene is located on human chromosome 4q, where a genetic component for longevity maps. Here we show for the first time that CISD2 is involved in mammalian life-span control. Cisd2 deficiency in mice causes mitochondrial breakdown and dysfunction accompanied by autophagic cell death, and these events precede the two earliest manifestations of nerve and muscle degeneration; together, they lead to a panel of phenotypic features suggestive of premature aging. Our study also reveals that Cisd2 is primarily localized in the mitochondria and that mitochondrial degeneration appears to have a direct phenotypic consequence that triggers the accelerated aging process in Cisd2 knockout mice; furthermore, mitochondrial degeneration exacerbates with age, and the autophagy increases in parallel to the development of the premature aging phenotype. Additionally, our Cisd2 knockout mouse work provides strong evidence supporting an earlier clinical hypothesis that WFS is in part a mitochondria-mediated disorder; specifically, we propose that mutation of CISD2 causes the mitochondria-mediated disorder WFS2 in humans. Thus, this mutant mouse provides an animal model for mechanistic investigation of Cisd2 protein function and help with a pathophysiological understanding of WFS2.
Chen
Yi-Fan
YF
Department of Life Sciences and Institute of Genome Sciences, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei 112, Taiwan.
Kao
Cheng-Heng
CH
Chen
Ya-Ting
YT
Wang
Chih-Hao
CH
Wu
Chia-Yu
CY
Tsai
Ching-Yen
CY
Liu
Fu-Chin
FC
Yang
Chu-Wen
CW
Wei
Yau-Huei
YH
Hsu
Ming-Ta
MT
Tsai
Shih-Feng
SF
Tsai
Ting-Fen
TF
D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019588:Aging, Premature / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D001343:Autophagy; D000071183:Autophagy-Related Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008136:Longevity / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009132:Muscles / Q000473:pathology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D009901:Optic Nerve Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D014929:Wolfram Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology
D000071183:Autophagy-Related Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C515811:Noxp70 protein, mouse