A mutation in the mitochondrial aspartate/glutamate carrier leads to a more oxidizing intramitochondrial environment and an inflammatory myopathy in Dutch shepherd dogs

G. Diane Shelton, Katie M. Minor, Kefeng Li, Jane C. Naviaux, Jon Monk, Lin Wang, Elizabeth Guzik, Ling T. Guo, Vito Porcelli, Ruggiero Gorgoglione, Francesco M. Lasorsa, Peter J. Leegwater, Antonio M. Persico, James R. Mickelson, Luigi Palmieri, Robert K. Naviaux

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Inflammatory myopathies are characterized by infiltration of inflammatory cells into muscle. Typically, immune-mediated disorders such as polymyositis, dermatomyositis and inclusion body myositis are diagnosed. Objective: A small family of dogs with early onset muscle weakness and inflammatory muscle biopsies were investigated for an underlying genetic cause. Methods: Following the histopathological diagnosis of inflammatory myopathy, mutational analysis including whole genome sequencing, functional transport studies of the mutated and wild-type proteins, and metabolomic analysis were performed. Results: Whole genome resequencing identified a pathological variant in the SLC25A12 gene, resulting in a leucine to proline substitution at amino acid 349 in the mitochondrial aspartate-glutamate transporter known as the neuron and muscle specific aspartate glutamate carrier 1 (AGC1). Functionally reconstituting recombinant wild-type and mutant AGC1 into liposomes demonstrated a dramatic decrease in AGC1 transport activity and inability to transfer reducing equivalents from the cytosol into mitochondria. Targeted, broad-spectrum metabolomic analysis from affected and control muscles demonstrated a proinflammatory milieu and strong support for oxidative stress. Conclusions: This study provides the first description of a metabolic mechanism in which ablated mitochondrial glutamate transport markedly reduced the import of reducing equivalents into mitochondria and produced a highly oxidizing and proinflammatory muscle environment and an inflammatory myopathy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)485-501
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Neuromuscular Diseases
Volume6
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Canine
  • Metabolomics
  • Mitochondrial transporter
  • Myopathy
  • SLC25A12

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