IKAP/hELP1 downregulation in neuroblastoma cells causes enhanced cell adhesion mediated by contactin overexpression

A splicing mutation in the IKBKAP gene encoding the IKAP/hELP1 (IKAP) protein was found to be the major cause of Familial Dysautonomia (FD). This mutation affects both the normal development and survival of sensory and sympathetic neurons of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). To understand the FD phenotype it is important to study the specific role played by IKAP in developing and mature PNS neurons. We used the neuroblastoma SHSY5Y cell line, originated from neural crest adrenal tumor and simulated the FD phenotype by reducing IKAP expression with retroviral constructs. We observed that IKAP-downregulated cells formed cell clusters compared to control cells under regular culture conditions. We examined the ability of these cells to differentiate into mature neurons in the presence of laminin, an essential extracellular matrix for developing PNS neurons. We found that the cells showed reduced attachment to laminin, morphological changes and increased cell-to-cell adhesion resulting in cell aggregates. We identified Contactin as the adhesion molecule responsible for this phenotype. We show that Contactin expression is related to IKAP expression, suggesting that IKAP regulates Contactin levels for appropriate cell-cell adhesion that could modulate neuronal growth of PNS neurons during development.Key words: Familial Dysautonomia, IKAP/hELP1, neuronal differentiation, laminin, contactin, peripheral nervous system     

IKAP/hELP1 down-regulation in neuroblastoma cells causes enhanced cell adhesion mediated by contactin overexpression

A splicing mutation in the IKBKAP gene encoding the IKAP/hELP1 (IKAP) protein was found to be the major cause of Familial Dysautonomia (FD). This mutation affects both the normal development and survival of sensory and sympathetic neurons of the peripheral nervous system (PNS). To understand the FD phenotype it is important to study the specific role played by IKAP in developing and mature PNS neurons. We used the neuroblastoma SHSY5Y cell line, originated from neural crest adrenal tumor, and simulated the FD phenotype by reducing IKAP expression with retroviral constructs. We observed that IKAP – down - regulated cells formed cell clusters compared to control cells under regular culture conditions. We examined the ability of these cells to differentiate into mature neurons in the presence of laminin, an essential extracellular matrix for developing PNS neurons. We found that the cells showed reduced attachment to laminin, morphological changes and increased cell-to-cell adhesion resulting in cell aggregates. We identified Contactin as the adhesion molecule responsible for this phenotype. We show that Contactin expression is related to IKAP expression, suggesting that IKAP regulates Contactin levels for appropriate cell-cell adhesion that could modulate neuronal growth of PNS neurons during development.     

IKAP/Elp1 is required in vivo for neurogenesis and neuronal survival, but not for neural crest migration

Familial Dysautonomia (FD; Hereditary Sensory Autonomic Neuropathy; HSAN III) manifests from a failure in development of the peripheral sensory and autonomic nervous systems. The disease results from a point mutation in the IKBKAP gene, which encodes the IKAP protein, whose function is still unresolved in the developing nervous system. Since the neurons most severely depleted in the disease derive from the neural crest, and in light of data identifying a role for IKAP in cell motility and migration, it has been suggested that FD results from a disruption in neural crest migration. To determine the function of IKAP during development of the nervous system, we (1) first determined the spatial-temporal pattern of IKAP expression in the developing peripheral nervous system, from the onset of neural crest migration through the period of programmed cell death in the dorsal root ganglia, and (2) using RNAi, reduced expression of IKBKAP mRNA in the neural crest lineage throughout the process of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) development in chick embryos in ovo. Here we demonstrate that IKAP is not expressed by neural crest cells and instead is expressed as neurons differentiate both in the CNS and PNS, thus the devastation of the PNS in FD could not be due to disruptions in neural crest motility or migration. In addition, we show that alterations in the levels of IKAP, through both gain and loss of function studies, perturbs neuronal polarity, neuronal differentiation and survival. Thus IKAP plays pleiotropic roles in both the peripheral and central nervous systems.     

IKAP Deficiency in an FD Mouse Model and in Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells Results in Downregulation of Genes Involved in Oligodendrocyte Differentiation and Myelin Formation

The splice site mutation in the IKBKAP gene coding for IKAP protein leads to the tissue-specific skipping of exon 20, with concomitant reduction in IKAP protein production. This causes the neurodevelopmental, autosomal-recessive genetic disorder - Familial Dysautonomia (FD). The molecular hallmark of FD is the severe reduction of IKAP protein in the nervous system that is believed to be the main reason for the devastating symptoms of this disease. Our recent studies showed that in the brain of two FD patients, genes linked to oligodendrocyte differentiation and/or myelin formation are significantly downregulated, implicating IKAP in the process of myelination. However, due to the scarcity of FD patient tissues, these results awaited further validation in other models. Recently, two FD mouse models that faithfully recapitulate FD were generated, with two types of mutations resulting in severely low levels of IKAP expression. Here we demonstrate that IKAP deficiency in these FD mouse models affects a similar set of genes as in FD patients'' brains. In addition, we identified two new IKAP target genes involved in oligodendrocyte cells differentiation and myelination, further underscoring the essential role of IKAP in this process. We also provide proof that IKAP expression is needed cell-autonomously for the regulation of expression of genes involved in myelin formation since knockdown of IKAP in the Oli-neu oligodendrocyte precursor cell line results in similar deficiencies. Further analyses of these two experimental models will compensate for the lack of human postmortem tissues and will advance our understanding of the role of IKAP in myelination and the disease pathology.     

Phosphatidylserine increases IKBKAP levels in familial dysautonomia cells

Familial Dysautonomia (FD) is an autosomal recessive congenital neuropathy that results from abnormal development and progressive degeneration of the sensory and autonomic nervous system. The mutation observed in almost all FD patients is a point mutation at position 6 of intron 20 of the IKBKAP gene; this gene encodes the IκB kinase complex-associated protein (IKAP). The mutation results in a tissue-specific splicing defect: Exon 20 is skipped, leading to reduced IKAP protein expression. Here we show that phosphatidylserine (PS), an FDA-approved food supplement, increased IKAP mRNA levels in cells derived from FD patients. Long-term treatment with PS led to a significant increase in IKAP protein levels in these cells. A conjugate of PS and an omega-3 fatty acid also increased IKAP mRNA levels. Furthermore, PS treatment released FD cells from cell cycle arrest and up-regulated a significant number of genes involved in cell cycle regulation. Our results suggest that PS has potential for use as a therapeutic agent for FD. Understanding its mechanism of action may reveal the mechanism underlying the FD disease.     

A novel specific role for I kappa B kinase complex-associated protein in cytosolic stress signaling

We demonstrate here a novel role for the I kappa B kinase complex-associated protein (IKAP) in the regulation of activation of the mammalian stress response via the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-signaling pathway. We cloned IKAP as a JNK-associating protein using the Ras recruitment yeast two-hybrid system. IKAP efficiently and specifically enhanced JNK activation induced by ectopic expression of MEKK1 and ASK1, upstream activators of JNK. Importantly, IKAP also enhanced JNK activation induced by ultraviolet light irradiation as well as treatments with tumor necrosis factor or epidermal growth factor. The JNK association site in IKAP was mapped to the C-terminal part of IKAP. Interestingly, this region is deleted from IKAP expressed in the autonomous nervous system of the patients affected by familial dysautonomia. Ectopic expression of this C-terminal fragment of IKAP was sufficient to support JNK activation. Taken together, our data demonstrate a novel role for IKAP in the regulation of the JNK-mediated stress signaling. Additionally, our results point to a role of JNK signaling in familial dysautonomia and, thus, further support the involvement of JNK signaling in the development, survival, and degeneration of the sensory and autonomic nervous system.     

Familial dysautonomia (FD) patients have reduced levels of the modified wobble nucleoside mcmsU in tRNA

Familial dysautonomia (FD) is a recessive neurodegenerative genetic disease. FD is caused by a mutation in the IKBKAP gene resulting in a splicing defect and reduced levels of full length IKAP protein. IKAP homologues can be found in all eukaryotes and are part of a conserved six subunit protein complex, Elongator complex. Inactivation of any Elongator subunit gene in multicellular organisms cause a wide range of phenotypes, suggesting that Elongator has a pivotal role in several cellular processes. In yeast, there is convincing evidence that the main role of Elongator complex is in formation of modified wobble uridine nucleosides in tRNA and that their absence will influence translational efficiency. To date, no study has explored the possibility that FD patients display defects in formation of modified wobble uridine nucleosides as a consequence of reduced IKAP levels. In this study, we show that brain tissue and fibroblast cell lines from FD patients have reduced levels of the wobble uridine nucleoside 5-methoxycarbonylmethyl-2-thiouridine (mcm⁵s²U). Our findings indicate that FD could be caused by inefficient translation due to lower levels of wobble uridine nucleosides.     

Effects of IKAP/hELP1 deficiency on gene expression in differentiating neuroblastoma cells: implications for familial dysautonomia

Familial dysautonomia (FD) is a developmental neuropathy of the sensory and autonomous nervous systems. The IKBKAP gene, encoding the IKAP/hELP1 subunit of the RNA polymerase II Elongator complex is mutated in FD patients, leading to a tissue-specific mis-splicing of the gene and to the absence of the protein in neuronal tissues. To elucidate the function of IKAP/hELP1 in the development of neuronal cells, we have downregulated IKBKAP expression in SHSY5Y cells, a neuroblastoma cell line of a neural crest origin. We have previously shown that these cells exhibit abnormal cell adhesion when allowed to differentiate under defined culture conditions on laminin substratum. Here, we report results of a microarray expression analysis of IKAP/hELP1 downregulated cells that were grown on laminin under differentiation or non-differentiation growth conditions. It is shown that under non-differentiation growth conditions, IKAP/hELP1 downregulation affects genes important for early developmental stages of the nervous system, including cell signaling, cell adhesion and neural crest migration. IKAP/hELP1 downregulation during differentiation affects the expression of genes that play a role in late neuronal development, in axonal projection and synapse formation and function. We also show that IKAP/hELP1 deficiency affects the expression of genes involved in calcium metabolism before and after differentiation of the neuroblastoma cells. Hence, our data support IKAP/hELP1 importance in the development and function of neuronal cells and contribute to the understanding of the FD phenotype.     

Enriched Population of PNS Neurons Derived from Human Embryonic Stem Cells as a Platform for Studying Peripheral Neuropathies

Background

The absence of a suitable cellular model is a major obstacle for the study of peripheral neuropathies. Human embryonic stem cells hold the potential to be differentiated into peripheral neurons which makes them a suitable candidate for this purpose. However, so far the potential of hESC to differentiate into derivatives of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) was not investigated enough and in particular, the few trials conducted resulted in low yields of PNS neurons. Here we describe a novel hESC differentiation method to produce enriched populations of PNS mature neurons. By plating 8 weeks hESC derived neural progenitors (hESC-NPs) on laminin for two weeks in a defined medium, we demonstrate that over 70% of the resulting neurons express PNS markers and 30% of these cells are sensory neurons.

Methods/Findings

Our method shows that the hNPs express neuronal crest lineage markers in a temporal manner, and by plating 8 weeks hESC-NPs into laminin coated dishes these hNPs were promoted to differentiate and give rise to homogeneous PNS neuronal populations, expressing several PNS lineage-specific markers. Importantly, these cultures produced functional neurons with electrophysiological activities typical of mature neurons. Moreover, supporting this physiological capacity implantation of 8 weeks old hESC-NPs into the neural tube of chick embryos also produced human neurons expressing specific PNS markers in vivo in just a few days. Having the enriched PNS differentiation system in hand, we show for the first time in human PNS neurons the expression of IKAP/hELP1 protein, where a splicing mutation on the gene encoding this protein causes the peripheral neuropathy Familial Dysautonomia.

Conclusions/Significance

We conclude that this differentiation system to produce high numbers of human PNS neurons will be useful for studying PNS related neuropathies and for developing future drug screening applications for these diseases.     

A humanized IKBKAP transgenic mouse models a tissue-specific human splicing defect

Familial dysautonomia (FD) is a severe hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy, and all patients with FD have a splice mutation in the IKBKAP gene. The FD splice mutation results in variable, tissue-specific skipping of exon 20 in IKBKAP mRNA, which leads to reduced IKAP protein levels. The development of therapies for FD will require suitable mouse models for preclinical studies. In this study, we report the generation and characterization of a mouse model carrying the complete human IKBKAP locus with the FD IVS20+6T-->C splice mutation. We show that the mutant IKBKAP transgene is misspliced in this model in a tissue-specific manner that replicates the pattern seen in FD patient tissues. Creation of this humanized mouse is the first step toward development of a complex phenotypic model of FD. These transgenic mice are an ideal model system for testing the effectiveness of therapeutic agents that target the missplicing defect. Last, these mice will permit direct studies of tissue-specific splicing and the identification of regulatory factors that play a role in complex gene expression.     

Deletion of exon 20 of the Familial Dysautonomia gene Ikbkap in mice causes developmental delay, cardiovascular defects, and early embryonic lethality

Familial Dysautonomia (FD) is an autosomal recessive disorder that affects 1/3,600 live births in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, and leads to death before the age of 40. The disease is characterized by abnormal development and progressive degeneration of the sensory and autonomic nervous system. A single base pair substitution in intron 20 of the Ikbkap gene accounts for 98% of FD cases, and results in the expression of low levels of the full-length mRNA with simultaneous expression of an aberrantly spliced mRNA in which exon 20 is missing. To date, there is no animal model for the disease, and the essential cellular functions of IKAP--the protein encoded by Ikbkap--remain unknown. To better understand the normal function of IKAP and in an effort to generate a mouse model for FD, we have targeted the mouse Ikbkap gene by homologous recombination. We created two distinct alleles that result in either loss of Ikbkap expression, or expression of an mRNA lacking only exon 20. Homozygosity for either mutation leads to developmental delay, cardiovascular and brain malformations, accompanied with early embryonic lethality. Our analyses indicate that IKAP is essential for expression of specific genes involved in cardiac morphogenesis, and that cardiac failure is the likely cause of abnormal vascular development and embryonic lethality. Our results also indicate that deletion of exon 20 abolishes gene function. This implies that the truncated IKAP protein expressed in FD patients does not retain any significant biological function.     

Senseless, a Zn finger transcription factor, is necessary and sufficient for sensory organ development in Drosophila

The senseless (sens) gene is required for proper development of most cell types of the embryonic and adult peripheral nervous system (PNS) of Drosophila. Sens is a nuclear protein with four Zn fingers that is expressed and required in the sensory organ precursors (SOP) for proper proneural gene expression. Ectopic expression of Sens in many ectodermal cells causes induction of PNS external sensory organ formation and is able to recreate an ectopic proneural field. Hence, sens is both necessary and sufficient for PNS development. Our data indicate that proneural genes activate sens expression. Sens is then in turn required to further activate and maintain proneural gene expression. This feedback mechanism is essential for selective enhancement and maintenance of proneural gene expression in the SOPs.     

Familial dysautonomia is caused by mutations of the IKAP gene

The defective gene DYS, which is responsible for familial dysautonomia (FD) and has been mapped to a 0.5-cM region on chromosome 9q31, has eluded identification. We identified and characterized the RNAs encoded by this region of chromosome 9 in cell lines derived from individuals homozygous for the major FD haplotype, and we observed that the RNA encoding the IkappaB kinase complex-associated protein (IKAP) lacks exon 20 and, as a result of a frameshift, encodes a truncated protein. Sequence analysis reveals a T-->C transition in the donor splice site of intron 20. In individuals bearing a minor FD haplotype, a missense mutation in exon 19 disrupts a consensus serine/threonine kinase phosphorylation site. This mutation results in defective phosphorylation of IKAP. These mutations were observed to be present in a random sample of Ashkenazi Jewish individuals, at approximately the predicted carrier frequency of FD. These findings demonstrate that mutations in the gene encoding IKAP are responsible for FD.