New Insights Into the Role of Cav2 Protein Family in Calcium Flux Deregulation in Fmr1-KO Neurons

oleh: Sara Castagnola, Sara Castagnola, Sébastien Delhaye, Sébastien Delhaye, Alessandra Folci, Agnès Paquet, Frédéric Brau, Fabrice Duprat, Marielle Jarjat, Marielle Jarjat, Mauro Grossi, Mauro Grossi, Méline Béal, Méline Béal, Stéphane Martin, Massimo Mantegazza, Barbara Bardoni, Barbara Bardoni, Thomas Maurin, Thomas Maurin

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Frontiers Media S.A. 2018-09-01

Deskripsi

Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common form of inherited intellectual disability (ID) and a leading cause of autism, results from the loss of expression of the Fmr1 gene which encodes the RNA-binding protein Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP). Among the thousands mRNA targets of FMRP, numerous encode regulators of ion homeostasis. It has also been described that FMRP directly interacts with Ca2+ channels modulating their activity. Collectively these findings suggest that FMRP plays critical roles in Ca2+ homeostasis during nervous system development. We carried out a functional analysis of Ca2+ regulation using a calcium imaging approach in Fmr1-KO cultured neurons and we show that these cells display impaired steady state Ca2+ concentration and an altered entry of Ca2+ after KCl-triggered depolarization. Consistent with these data, we show that the protein product of the Cacna1a gene, the pore-forming subunit of the Cav2.1 channel, is less expressed at the plasma membrane of Fmr1-KO neurons compared to wild-type (WT). Thus, our findings point out the critical role that Cav2.1 plays in the altered Ca2+ flux in Fmr1-KO neurons, impacting Ca2+ homeostasis of these cells. Remarkably, we highlight a new phenotype of cultured Fmr1-KO neurons that can be considered a novel cellular biomarker and is amenable to small molecule screening and identification of new drugs to treat FXS.