C1-inhibitor is a serine protease inhibitor (serpin) controlling complement and contact system activation. Gene mutations result in reduced C1-inhibitor functional plasma level causing hereditary angioedema, a life-threatening disorder. Despite a stable defect, the clinical expression of hereditary angioedema is unpredictable, and the molecular mechanism underlying this variability remains undisclosed. Here we report functional and structural studies on the Arg378Cys C1-inhibitor mutant found in a patient presenting reduced C1-inhibitor levels, episodically undergoing normalization. Expression studies resulted in a drop in mutant C1-innhibitor secretion compared to wild-type. Notwithstanding, the purified proteins had similar features. Thermal denaturation experiments showed a comparable denaturation profile, but the mutant thermal stability decays when tested in conditions reproducing intracellular crowding.Our findings suggest that once correctly folded, the Arg378Cys C1-inhibitor is secreted as an active, although quite unstable, monomer. However, it could bear a folding defect, occasionally promoting protein oligomerization and interfering with the secretion process, thus accounting for its plasma level variability. This defect is exacerbated by the nature of the mutation since the acquired cysteine leads to the formation of non-functional homodimers through inter-molecular disulphide bonding. All the proposed phenomena could be modulated by specific environmental conditions, rendering this mutant exceptionally vulnerable to mild stress.

Intermittent C1-Inhibitor Deficiency Associated with Recessive Inheritance: Functional and Structural Insight / S. Caccia, C. Suffritti, T. Carzaniga, R. Berardelli, S. Berra, V. Martorana, A. Fra, C. Drouet, M. Cicardi. - In: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS. - ISSN 2045-2322. - 8:1(2018), p. 16667.977. [10.1038/s41598-017-16667-w]

Intermittent C1-Inhibitor Deficiency Associated with Recessive Inheritance: Functional and Structural Insight

S. Caccia
Primo
;
C. Suffritti
Secondo
Investigation
;
T. Carzaniga
Investigation
;
S. Berra
Investigation
;
M. Cicardi
Ultimo
2018

Abstract

C1-inhibitor is a serine protease inhibitor (serpin) controlling complement and contact system activation. Gene mutations result in reduced C1-inhibitor functional plasma level causing hereditary angioedema, a life-threatening disorder. Despite a stable defect, the clinical expression of hereditary angioedema is unpredictable, and the molecular mechanism underlying this variability remains undisclosed. Here we report functional and structural studies on the Arg378Cys C1-inhibitor mutant found in a patient presenting reduced C1-inhibitor levels, episodically undergoing normalization. Expression studies resulted in a drop in mutant C1-innhibitor secretion compared to wild-type. Notwithstanding, the purified proteins had similar features. Thermal denaturation experiments showed a comparable denaturation profile, but the mutant thermal stability decays when tested in conditions reproducing intracellular crowding.Our findings suggest that once correctly folded, the Arg378Cys C1-inhibitor is secreted as an active, although quite unstable, monomer. However, it could bear a folding defect, occasionally promoting protein oligomerization and interfering with the secretion process, thus accounting for its plasma level variability. This defect is exacerbated by the nature of the mutation since the acquired cysteine leads to the formation of non-functional homodimers through inter-molecular disulphide bonding. All the proposed phenomena could be modulated by specific environmental conditions, rendering this mutant exceptionally vulnerable to mild stress.
multidisciplinary
Settore MED/09 - Medicina Interna
   Molecular and Cellular Bases of Serpin Conformational Diseases
   FONDAZIONE CARIPLO
   2013-0967
2018
Article (author)
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/550669
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