1. Deletion of exons encoding carboxypeptidase domain of Nna1 results in Purkinje cell degeneration (pcd) phenotype.
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Zhou, Li, Hossain, M. Ibrahim, Yamazaki, Maya, Abe, Manabu, Natsume, Rie, Konno, Kohtaro, Kageyama, Shun, Komatsu, Masaaki, Watanabe, Masahiko, Sakimura, Kenji, and Takebayashi, Hirohide
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CARBOXYPEPTIDASES , *KNOCKOUT mice , *PURKINJE cells , *CEREBELLAR ataxia , *PHOTORECEPTORS , *MESSENGER RNA - Abstract
Purkinje cell degeneration (pcd) was first identified in a spontaneous mouse mutant showing cerebellar ataxia. In addition to cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs), retinal photoreceptors, mitral cells in the olfactory bulb, and a discrete subpopulation of thalamic neurons also degenerate in the mutant brains. The gene responsible for the pcd mutant is Nna1, also known as ATP/GTP binding protein 1 or cytosolic carboxypeptidase‐like 1, which encodes a zinc carboxypeptidase protein. To investigate pathogenesis of the pcd mutation in detail, we generated a conditional Nna1 allele targeting the carboxypeptidase domain at C‐terminus. After Cre recombination and heterozygous crossing, we generated Nna1 knockout (KO) mice and found that the Nna1 KO mice began to show cerebellar ataxia at postnatal day 20 (P20). Most PCs degenerated until 4‐week‐old, except lobule X. Activated microglia and astrocytes were also observed in the Nna1 KO cerebellum. In the mutant brain, the Nna1 mRNA level was dramatically reduced, suggesting that nonsense‐mediated mRNA decay occurs in it. Since the Nna1 protein acts as a de‐glutamatase on the C‐terminus of α‐tubulin and β‐tubulin, increased polyglutamylated tubulin was detected in the Nna1 KO cerebellum. In addition, the endoplasmic reticulum stress marker, C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), was up‐regulated in the mutant PCs. We report the generation of a functional Nna1 conditional allele and possible mechanisms of PC death in the Nna1 KO in the cerebellum. Open Practices: This article has received a badge for *Open Materials* because it provided all relevant information to reproduce the study in the manuscript. The complete Open Science Disclosure form for this article can be found at the end of the article. More information about the Open Practices badges can be found at https://cos.io/our-services/open-science-badges/. A novel Nna1 flox allele was generated, which is causative gene for Purkinje cell degeneration (pcd) mutant mice. The Nna1 null mice showed pcd phenotype, as well as neurodegeneration in the retina and olfactory bulb and defect in spermatogenesis. In addition, Calbindin D‐28k immunostaining at 4‐week‐old showed that Purkinje cells of the lobule X are relatively resistant to neuronal cell death. This Nna1 flox allele is useful for analyses of Nna1 functions in multiple organs (Scale bars: 500 μm). Open Science: This manuscript was awarded with the Open Materials Badge. For more information see: https://cos.io/our-services/open-science-badges/ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
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