Identification of a novel nonsense mutation in the rod domain of GFAP that is associated with Alexander disease

Eur J Hum Genet. 2015 Jan;23(1):72-8. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2014.68. Epub 2014 Apr 23.

Abstract

Alexander disease (AxD) is an astrogliopathy that primarily affects the white matter of the central nervous system (CNS). AxD is caused by mutations in a gene encoding GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein). The GFAP mutations in AxD have been reported to act in a gain-of-function manner partly because the identified mutations generate practically full-length GFAP. We found a novel nonsense mutation (c.1000 G>T, p.(Glu312Ter); also termed p.(E312*)) within a rod domain of GFAP in a 67-year-old Korean man with a history of memory impairment and leukoencephalopathy. This mutation, GFAP p.(E312*), removes part of the 2B rod domain and the whole tail domain from the GFAP. We characterized GFAP p.(E312*) using western blotting, in vitro assembly and sedimentation assay, and transient transfection of human adrenal cortex carcinoma SW13 (Vim(+)) cells with plasmids encoding GFAP p.(E312*). The GFAP p.(E312*) protein, either alone or in combination with wild-type GFAP, elicited self-aggregation. In addition, the assembled GFAP p.(E312*) aggregated into paracrystal-like structures, and GFAP p.(E312*) elicited more GFAP aggregation than wild-type GFAP in the human adrenal cortex carcinoma SW13 (Vim(+)) cells. Our findings are the first report, to the best of our knowledge, on this novel nonsense mutation of GFAP that is associated with AxD and paracrystal formation.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Alexander Disease / diagnosis*
  • Alexander Disease / genetics*
  • Brain / pathology
  • Cell Line
  • Codon, Nonsense*
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Gene Expression
  • Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / chemistry
  • Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / genetics*
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Phenotype
  • Protein Aggregation, Pathological
  • Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs / genetics*

Substances

  • Codon, Nonsense
  • Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein