Torchio Silvia, Siracusano Gabriel, Cuozzo Federica, Zamarian Valentina, Pellegrini Silvia, Manenti Fabio, Bonfanti Riccardo, Frontino Giulio, Sordi Valeria, Chimienti Raniero, Piemonti Lorenzo
Unit of β Cell Biology, Diabetes Research Institute, IRCCS San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy.
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.
Diabetes. 2025 Jul 1;74(7):1273-1288. doi: 10.2337/db24-0720.
UNLABELLED: Wolfram syndrome 1 (WS1) is a rare genetic disorder caused by WFS1 variants that disrupt wolframin, an endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein essential for cellular stress responses, Ca2+ homeostasis, and autophagy. Here, we investigated how the c.316-1G>A and c.757A>T WFS1 mutations, which yield partially functional wolframin, affect the molecular functions of β-cells and explored the therapeutic potential of the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist liraglutide. Pancreatic β-cells obtained from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) carrying this WFS1 variant exhibited reduced insulin processing and impaired secretory granule maturation, as evidenced by proinsulin accumulation and decreased prohormone convertase PC1/3. Moreover, they exhibited dysregulated Ca2+ fluxes due to altered transcription of Ca2+-related genes, including CACNA1D, and significantly reduced SNAP25 levels, leading to uncoordinated oscillations and poor glucose responsiveness. Affected cells also showed increased autophagic flux and heightened susceptibility to inflammatory cytokine-induced apoptosis. Notably, liraglutide treatment rescued these defects by normalizing Ca2+ handling, enhancing insulin processing and secretion, and reducing apoptosis, likely through modulation of the unfolded protein response. These findings underscore the importance of defining mutation-specific dysfunctions in WS1 and support targeting the GLP-1/GLP-1R axis as a therapeutic strategy. ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS: The molecular basis of WFS1-related mutations remains poorly investigated, and no definitive therapies exist for Wolfram syndrome 1. We dissected the molecular defects associated with c.316-1G>A and c.757A>T WFS1 mutations in patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cell islets and analyzed whether they are potential therapeutic targets of the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist liraglutide. We found impaired insulin granule maturation, altered Ca2+ fluxes, increased autophagic activity, and heightened susceptibility to inflammatory apoptosis in mutated cells. Liraglutide restored critical β-cell functions suggesting a route for personalized therapy based on WFS1 mutations.
未标记:沃尔弗勒姆综合征1型(WS1)是一种由WFS1变异引起的罕见遗传疾病,这些变异会破坏沃尔弗勒姆蛋白,这是一种内质网相关蛋白,对细胞应激反应、Ca2+稳态和自噬至关重要。在此,我们研究了产生部分功能性沃尔弗勒姆蛋白的c.316-1G>A和c.757A>T WFS1突变如何影响β细胞的分子功能,并探索了胰高血糖素样肽1受体(GLP-1R)激动剂利拉鲁肽的治疗潜力。从携带这种WFS1变异的患者诱导多能干细胞(iPSC)获得的胰腺β细胞表现出胰岛素加工减少和分泌颗粒成熟受损,胰岛素原积累和激素原转化酶PC1/3减少证明了这一点。此外,由于包括CACNA1D在内的Ca2+相关基因转录改变,它们表现出Ca2+通量失调,并且SNAP25水平显著降低,导致振荡不协调和葡萄糖反应性差。受影响的细胞还表现出自噬通量增加和对炎性细胞因子诱导的凋亡敏感性增加。值得注意的是,利拉鲁肽治疗通过使Ca2+处理正常化、增强胰岛素加工和分泌以及减少凋亡来挽救这些缺陷,这可能是通过调节未折叠蛋白反应实现的。这些发现强调了确定WS1中突变特异性功能障碍的重要性,并支持将GLP-1/GLP-1R轴作为一种治疗策略。 文章亮点:WFS1相关突变的分子基础仍未得到充分研究,沃尔弗勒姆综合征1型尚无明确的治疗方法。我们剖析了患者诱导多能干细胞胰岛中与c.316-1G>A和c.757A>T WFS1突变相关的分子缺陷,并分析它们是否是胰高血糖素样肽1受体激动剂利拉鲁肽的潜在治疗靶点。我们发现突变细胞中胰岛素颗粒成熟受损、Ca2+通量改变、自噬活性增加以及对炎性凋亡的敏感性增加。利拉鲁肽恢复了关键的β细胞功能,提示了一种基于WFS1突变的个性化治疗途径。
JCI Insight. 2021-2-8
J Diabetes. 2025-7
Int J Mol Sci. 2022-12-23
Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2024-8-28
1993
Signal Transduct Target Ther. 2024-9-18
Front Clin Diabetes Healthc. 2023-6-2
Front Immunol. 2023