A conserved function in phosphatidylinositol metabolism for mammalian Vps13 family proteins.
The Vps13 protein family is highly conserved in eukaryotic cells. In humans, mutations in the gene encoding the family member VPS13A lead to the neurodegenerative disorder chorea-acanthocytosis. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, there is just a single version of VPS13, thereby simplifying the task of unraveling its molecular function(s). While VPS13 was originally identified in yeast by its role in vacuolar sorting, recent studies have revealed a completely different function for VPS13 in sporulation, where VPS13 regulates phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate (PtdIns(4)P) levels in the prospore membrane. This discovery raises the possibility that the disease phenotype associated with vps13A mutants in humans is due to misregulation of PtdIns(4)P in membranes. To determine whether VPS13A affects PtdIns(4)P in membranes from mammalian neuronal cells, phosphatidylinositol phosphate pools were compared in PC12 tissue culture cells in the absence or presence of VPS13A. Consistent with the yeast results, the localization of PtdIns(4)P is specifically altered in VPS13A knockdown cells while other phosphatidylinositol phosphates appear unaffected. In addition, VPS13A is necessary to prevent the premature degeneration of neurites that develop in response to Nerve Growth Factor. The regulation of PtdIns(4)P is therefore a conserved function of the Vps13 family and may play a role in the maintenance of neuronal processes in mammals.
Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, 11794-5215, United States of America.
Jae-Sook
JS
Park
Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, 11794-5230, United States of America.
Simon
S
Halegoua
Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, 890-8544, Japan.
Shosei
S
Kishida
Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, 11794-5215, United States of America.
Aaron M
AM
Neiman
D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D006056:Golgi Apparatus / Q000378:metabolism; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D005810:Multigene Family; D016501:Neurites / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D016716:PC12 Cells; D019269:Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Diphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D018129:Phosphatidylinositol Phosphates / Q000378:metabolism; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols / Q000378:metabolism*; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*
D019269:Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Diphosphate; D018129:Phosphatidylinositol Phosphates; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D033921:Vesicular Transport Proteins; C060974:phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate