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Loss of function variants in DNAJB4 cause a myopathy with early respiratory failure

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Abstract

DNAJ/HSP40 co-chaperones are integral to the chaperone network, bind client proteins and recruit them to HSP70 for folding. We performed exome sequencing on patients with a presumed hereditary muscle disease and no genetic diagnosis. This identified four individuals from three unrelated families carrying an unreported homozygous stop gain (c.856A > T; p.Lys286Ter), or homozygous missense variants (c.74G > A; p.Arg25Gln and c.785 T > C; p.Leu262Ser) in DNAJB4. Affected patients presented with axial rigidity and early respiratory failure requiring ventilator support between the 1st and 4th decade of life. Selective involvement of the semitendinosus and biceps femoris muscles was seen on MRI scans of the thigh. On biopsy, muscle was myopathic with angular fibers, protein inclusions and occasional rimmed vacuoles. DNAJB4 normally localizes to the Z-disc and was absent from muscle and fibroblasts of affected patients supporting a loss of function. Functional studies confirmed that the p.Lys286Ter and p.Leu262Ser mutant proteins are rapidly degraded in cells. In contrast, the p.Arg25Gln mutant protein is stable but failed to complement for DNAJB function in yeast, disaggregate client proteins or protect from heat shock-induced cell death consistent with its loss of function. DNAJB4 knockout mice had muscle weakness and fiber atrophy with prominent diaphragm involvement and kyphosis. DNAJB4 knockout muscle and myotubes had myofibrillar disorganization and accumulated Z-disc proteins and protein chaperones. These data demonstrate a novel chaperonopathy associated with DNAJB4 causing a myopathy with early respiratory failure. DNAJB4 loss of function variants may lead to the accumulation of DNAJB4 client proteins resulting in muscle dysfunction and degeneration.

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Funding

The results reported here were generated using funding received from the Solve-RD project within the European Rare Disease Models & Mechanisms Network (RDMM-Europe). The Solve-RD project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 779257. MYO-SEQ was funded by Sanofi Genzyme, Ultragenyx, LGMD2I Research Fund, Samantha J. Brazzo Foundation, LGMD2D Foundation and Kurt + Peter Foundation, Muscular Dystrophy UK, and Coalition to Cure Calpain 3. Analysis was provided by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard Center for Mendelian Genomics (Broad CMG) and was funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute, the National Eye Institute, and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute grant UM1 HG008900, and in part by National Human Genome Research Institute grant R01 HG009141. CCW is funded by R01AR068797 and K24AR073317. This research was also supported by a grant from the Australian NHMRC (APP2002640). GR is supported by an Emerging Leader Fellowship from the NHMRC (APP2007769). MO is supported by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Health, Fondos FEDER-ISCIII PI21/01621. CD, AHL and MO are members of the ERN EURO-NMD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, USA

    Conrad C. Weihl, Rocio Bengoechea, Jil Daw, Michio Inoue & Andrew R. Findlay

  2. John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University and Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Ana Töpf, Jennifer Duff & Volker Straub

  3. Muscle Immunoanalysis Unit, Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Richard Charlton

  4. ALS and Neuromuscular Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital Universitario de Basurto, Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain

    Solange Kapetanovic Garcia & Luis Varona Franco

  5. Neuromuscular Unit, Department of Neurology, imas12 Research Institute, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain

    Cristina Domínguez-González

  6. Pediatric Neurology Department, National Neuroscience Institute, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

    Abdulaziz Alsaman

  7. Neuropathology Unit, Hospital 12 de Octubre Research Institute (imas12), Madrid, Spain

    Aurelio Hernández-Laín

  8. ALS and Neuromuscular Unit, Department of Pneumology, Hospital Universitario de Basurto, Bilbao, Vizcaya, Spain

    Monica Elizabeth Ponce Sanchez

  9. Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Centre for Medical Research, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia

    Sarah J. Beecroft, Nigel Laing & Gianina Ravenscroft

  10. Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, USA

    Ankan Bhadra & Heather True

  11. Neuromuscular Unit, Department of Neurology, Hospital de La Santa Creu I San Pau, Barcelona, Spain

    Montse Olivé

  12. Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain

    Montse Olivé

  13. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Valencia, Spain

    Montse Olivé

  14. Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Kensington, WA, Australia

    Hayley Goullee

Authors
  1. Conrad C. Weihl
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  2. Ana Töpf
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  3. Rocio Bengoechea
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  4. Jennifer Duff
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  8. Abdulaziz Alsaman
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  9. Aurelio Hernández-Laín
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  10. Luis Varona Franco
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  14. Jil Daw
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  15. Ankan Bhadra
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  16. Heather True
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  17. Michio Inoue
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  18. Andrew R. Findlay
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  19. Nigel Laing
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  20. Montse Olivé
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  21. Gianina Ravenscroft
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  22. Volker Straub
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Correspondence to Conrad C. Weihl.

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Weihl, C.C., Töpf, A., Bengoechea, R. et al. Loss of function variants in DNAJB4 cause a myopathy with early respiratory failure. Acta Neuropathol 145, 127–143 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-022-02510-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-022-02510-8

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