Journal Article

Two separate functions of NME3 critical for cell survival underlie a neurodegenerative disorder

Hsieh, Sung-Tsang, Tu, I-Chen, Wang, Hong-Ling, Raveh-Barak, Hadas, Kan, Hung-Wei, Elpeleg, Orly, Lim, Wai Keong, Huang, Chang-Yu, Chang, Zee-Fen, Huang, Ching-Wen, Eran, Ayelet, Chong, Weng Man, Tzeng, Shiou-Ru, Nijim, Yousif, Sela, Ella, Feldman, Hagit Baris, Chen, Chih-Wei, Koorapati, Atmaja, Kidron, Dvora, Liao, Jung-Chi, Falik-Zaccai, Tzipora C., Naroditzky, Inna, Kalfon, Limor, Mandel, Hanna

2019

Overview

We report a patient who presented with congenital hypotonia, hypoventilation, and cerebellar histopathological alterations. Exome analysis revealed a homozygous mutation in the initiation codon of the NME3 gene, which encodes an NDP kinase. The initiation-codon mutation leads to deficiency in NME3 protein expression. NME3 is a mitochondrial outer-membrane protein capable of interacting with MFN1/2, and its depletion causes dysfunction in mitochondrial dynamics. Consistently, the patient’s fibroblasts were characterized by a slow rate of mitochondrial dynamics, which was reversed by expression of wild-type or catalytic-dead NME3. Moreover, glucose starvation caused mitochondrial fragmentation and cell death in the patient’s cells. The expression of wild-type and catalytic-dead but not oligomerization-attenuated NME3 restored mitochondrial elongation. However, only wild-type NME3 sustained ATP production and viability. Thus, the separate functions of NME3 in mitochondrial fusion and NDP kinase cooperate in metabolic adaptation for cell survival in response to glucose starvation. Given the critical role of mitochondrial dynamics and energy requirements in neuronal development, the homozygous mutation in NME3 is linked to a fatal mitochondrial neurodegenerative disorder.

• Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
• Subject: Adenosine Triphosphate - genetics / Adenosine Triphosphate - metabolism / Biological Sciences / Case studies / Catalysis / Cell Biology / Cell death / Cell Line / Cell Survival / Cerebellum / Depletion / Elongation / Energy Metabolism - genetics / Energy requirements / Female / Fibroblasts / Glucose / Homozygote / Humans / Hypotonia / Hypoventilation / Kinases / Male / Membrane proteins / Mitochondria / Mitochondria - enzymology / Mitochondria - genetics / Mitochondria - pathology / Mitochondrial Dynamics - genetics / Mutation / Neurodegeneration / Neurodegenerative diseases / Neurodegenerative Diseases - enzymology / Neurodegenerative Diseases - genetics / Neurodegenerative Diseases - pathology / NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases - genetics / NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases - metabolism / Oligomerization / PNAS Plus / Protein deficiency / Proteins / Starvation / Survival / Viability