Dataset Information

Altered functional properties of a TRPM2 variant in Guamanian ALS and PD.

ABSTRACT: Two related neurodegenerative disorders, Western Pacific amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and parkinsonism-dementia (PD), originally occurred at a high incidence on Guam, in the Kii peninsula of Japan, and in southern West New Guinea more than 50 years ago. These three foci shared a unique mineral environment characterized by the presence of severely low levels of Ca(2+) and Mg(2+), coupled with high levels of bioavailable transition metals in the soil and drinking water. Epidemiological studies suggest that genetic factors also contribute to the etiology of these disorders. Here, we report that a variant of the transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) gene may confer susceptibility to these diseases. TRPM2 encodes a calcium-permeable cation channel highly expressed in the brain that has been implicated in mediating cell death induced by oxidants. We found a heterozygous variant of TRPM2 in a subset of Guamanian ALS (ALS-G) and PD (PD-G) cases. This variant, TRPM2(P1018L), produces a missense change in the channel protein whereby proline 1018 (Pro(1018)) is replaced by leucine (Leu(1018)). Functional studies revealed that, unlike WT TRPM2, P1018L channels inactivate. Our results suggest that the ability of TRPM2 to maintain sustained ion influx is a physiologically important function and that its disruption may, under certain conditions, contribute to disease states.

SUBMITTER: Hermosura MC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2584682 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Altered functional properties of a TRPM2 variant in Guamanian ALS and PD.

Hermosura Meredith C MC Cui Aaron M AM Go Ramon Christopher V RC Davenport Bennett B Shetler Cory M CM Heizer Justin W JW Schmitz Carsten C Mocz Gabor G Garruto Ralph M RM Perraud Anne-Laure AL

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20081112 46

Two related neurodegenerative disorders, Western Pacific amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and parkinsonism-dementia (PD), originally occurred at a high incidence on Guam, in the Kii peninsula of Japan, and in southern West New Guinea more than 50 years ago. These three foci shared a unique mineral environment characterized by the presence of severely low levels of Ca(2+) and Mg(2+), coupled with high levels of bioavailable transition metals in the soil and drinking water. Epidemiological stud ...[more]

PMID: 19004782

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Project description:Oxidants generated by activated endothelial cells are known to induce apoptosis, a pathogenic feature of vascular injury and inflammation from multiple pathogeneses. The melastatin-family transient receptor potential 2 (TRPM2) channel is an oxidant-sensitive Ca2+ permeable channel implicated in mediating apoptosis; however, the mechanisms of gating of the supranormal Ca2+ influx required for initiating of apoptosis are not understood.Here, we addressed the role of TRPM2 and its interaction with the short splice variant TRPM2 short variant (TRPM2-S) in mediating the Ca2+ entry burst required for induction of endothelial cell apoptosis.We observed that TRPM2-S was basally associated with TRPM2 in the endothelial plasmalemma, and this interaction functioned to suppress TRPM2-dependent Ca2+ gating constitutively. Reactive oxygen species production in endothelial cells or directly applying reactive oxygen species induced protein kinase C-? activation and phosphorylation of TRPM2 at Ser 39. This in turn stimulated a large entry of Ca2+ and activated the apoptosis pathway. A similar TRPM2-dependent endothelial apoptosis mechanism was seen in intact vessels. The protein kinase C-?-activated phosphoswitch opened the TRPM2 channel to allow large Ca2+ influx by releasing TRPM2-S inhibition of TRPM2, which in turn activated caspase-3 and cleaved the caspase substrate poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase.Here, we describe a fundamental mechanism by which activation of the trp superfamily TRPM2 channel induces apoptosis of endothelial cells. The signaling mechanism involves reactive oxygen species-induced protein kinase C-? activation resulting in phosphorylation of TRPM2-S that allows enhanced TRPM2-mediated gating of Ca2+ and activation of the apoptosis program. Strategies aimed at preventing the uncoupling of TRPM2-S from TRPM2 and subsequent Ca2+ gating during oxidative stress may mitigate endothelial apoptosis and its consequences in mediating vascular injury and inflammation.

Dataset Information

Altered functional properties of a TRPM2 variant in Guamanian ALS and PD.

Publications

Altered functional properties of a TRPM2 variant in Guamanian ALS and PD.

Similar Datasets

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