UnIGENe, IBMC-Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, i3S-Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, Universidade do Porto, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal.
ICBAS, Instituto Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar, Universidade do Porto, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal.
Cerebellum. 2024 Apr;23(2):678-687. doi: 10.1007/s12311-023-01540-6. Epub 2023 Mar 9.
Spinocerebellar ataxia type 11 (SCA11) is a rare type of autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia, mainly characterized by progressive cerebellar ataxia, abnormal eye signs and dysarthria. SCA11 is caused by variants in TTBK2, which encodes tau tubulin kinase 2 (TTBK2) protein. Only a few families with SCA11 were described to date, all harbouring small deletions or insertions that result in frameshifts and truncated TTBK2 proteins. In addition, TTBK2 missense variants were also reported but they were either benign or still needed functional validation to ascertain their pathogenic potential in SCA11. The mechanisms behind cerebellar neurodegeneration mediated by TTBK2 pathogenic alleles are not clearly established. There is only one neuropathological report and a few functional studies in cell or animal models published to date. Moreover, it is still unclear whether the disease is caused by TTBK2 haploinsufficiency of by a dominant negative effect of TTBK2 truncated forms on the normal allele. Some studies point to a lack of kinase activity and mislocalization of mutated TTBK2, while others reported a disruption of normal TTBK2 function caused by SCA11 alleles, particularly during ciliogenesis. Although TTBK2 has a proven function in cilia formation, the phenotype caused by heterozygous TTBK2 truncating variants are not clearly typical of ciliopathies. Thus, other cellular mechanisms may explain the phenotype seen in SCA11. Neurotoxicity caused by impaired TTBK2 kinase activity against known neuronal targets, such as tau, TDP-43, neurotransmitter receptors or transporters, may contribute to neurodegeneration in SCA11.
脊髓小脑性共济失调 11 型(SCA11)是一种罕见的常染色体显性小脑共济失调,主要表现为进行性小脑共济失调、眼部异常和构音障碍。SCA11 是由 TTBK2 中的变异引起的,该基因编码微管相关蛋白tau 丝氨酸/苏氨酸激酶 2(TTBK2)蛋白。迄今为止,仅描述了少数几个 SCA11 家系,它们都携带有小的缺失或插入,导致移码和截断的 TTBK2 蛋白。此外,也报道了 TTBK2 错义变异体,但它们要么是良性的,要么仍需要功能验证来确定它们在 SCA11 中的致病潜力。由 TTBK2 致病性等位基因介导的小脑神经退行性变的机制尚不清楚。迄今为止,仅有一份神经病理学报告和一些在细胞或动物模型中进行的功能研究发表。此外,尚不清楚该疾病是由 TTBK2 单倍不足引起的,还是由 TTBK2 截断形式对正常等位基因的显性负效应引起的。一些研究表明突变的 TTBK2 缺乏激酶活性和定位错误,而另一些研究则报道了 SCA11 等位基因对正常 TTBK2 功能的破坏,特别是在纤毛发生过程中。尽管 TTBK2 在纤毛形成中具有已被证实的功能,但杂合 TTBK2 截断变体引起的表型并不明显是纤毛病的特征。因此,其他细胞机制可能解释了 SCA11 中所见的表型。已知神经元靶标如 tau、TDP-43、神经递质受体或转运体的 TTBK2 激酶活性受损引起的神经毒性可能导致 SCA11 中的神经退行性变。