St John's Institute of Dermatology, King's College London (Guy's Campus), London SE1 9RT, UK.
Am J Hum Genet. 2012 Dec 7;91(6):1115-21. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2012.10.012. Epub 2012 Nov 21.
The Rab GTPase Rab27B and one of its effector proteins, Slac2-b (also known as EXPH5, exophilin-5), have putative roles in intracellular vesicle trafficking but their relevance to human disease is not known. By using whole-exome sequencing, we identified a homozygous frameshift mutation in EXPH5 in three siblings with inherited skin fragility born to consanguineous Iraqi parents. All three individuals harbor the mutation c.5786delC (p.Pro1929Leufs(∗)8) in EXPH5, which truncates the 1,989 amino acid Slac2-b protein by 52 residues. The clinical features comprised generalized scale-crusts and occasional blisters, mostly induced by trauma, as well as mild diffuse pigmentary mottling on the trunk and proximal limbs. There was no increased bleeding tendency, no neurologic abnormalities, and no increased incidence of infection. Analysis of an affected person's skin showed loss of Slac2-b immunostaining (C-terminal antibody), disruption of keratinocyte adhesion within the lower epidermis, and an increased number of perinuclear vesicles. A role for Slac2-b in keratinocyte biology was supported by findings of cytoskeletal disruption (mainly keratin intermediate filaments) and decreased keratinocyte adhesion in both keratinocytes from an affected subject and after shRNA knockdown of Slac2-b in normal keratinocytes. Slac2-b was also shown to colocalize with Rab27B and β4 integrin to early adhesion initiation sites in spreading normal keratinocytes. Collectively, our findings identify an unexpected role for Slac2-b in inherited skin fragility and expand the clinical spectrum of human disorders of GTPase effector proteins.
Rab GTPase Rab27B 和它的效应蛋白之一 Slac2-b(也称为 EXPH5、外生蛋白-5),在细胞内囊泡运输中具有潜在作用,但它们与人类疾病的关系尚不清楚。通过全外显子组测序,我们在三个患有遗传性皮肤脆弱症的兄弟姐妹中发现了 EXPH5 的纯合移码突变,这些兄弟姐妹出生于有血缘关系的伊拉克父母。所有三个人都携带 EXPH5 中的突变 c.5786delC(p.Pro1929Leufs(∗)8),该突变通过 52 个残基截断了 1929 个氨基酸的 Slac2-b 蛋白。临床特征包括全身性鳞屑和偶尔水疱,主要由创伤引起,以及躯干和近端肢体上轻微弥漫性色素斑驳。没有增加的出血倾向、没有神经异常,也没有增加的感染发生率。受影响者皮肤的分析显示 Slac2-b 免疫染色(C 末端抗体)丢失,表皮下层角质形成细胞粘附破坏,以及核周囊泡数量增加。Slac2-b 在角质形成细胞生物学中的作用得到了支持,发现细胞骨架破坏(主要是角蛋白中间丝)和受影响者的角质形成细胞以及正常角质形成细胞中 Slac2-b shRNA 敲低后的角质形成细胞粘附减少。Slac2-b 还与 Rab27B 和 β4 整合素一起定位于伸展正常角质形成细胞中的早期粘附起始位点。总的来说,我们的发现确定了 Slac2-b 在遗传性皮肤脆弱症中的意外作用,并扩展了 GTPase 效应蛋白人类疾病的临床谱。