BIN1 regulates actin-membrane interactions during IRSp53-dependent filopodia formation.

Amphiphysin 2 (BIN1) is a membrane and actin remodeling protein mutated in congenital and adult centronuclear myopathies. Here, we report an unexpected function of this N-BAR domain protein BIN1 in filopodia formation. We demonstrated that BIN1 expression is necessary and sufficient to induce filopodia formation.

A vesicular Warburg effect: Aerobic glycolysis occurs on axonal vesicles for local NAD+ recycling and transport.

In neurons, fast axonal transport (FAT) of vesicles occurs over long distances and requires constant and local energy supply for molecular motors in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). FAT is independent of mitochondrial metabolism. Indeed, the glycolytic machinery is present on vesicles and locally produces ATP, as well as nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide bonded with hydrogen (NADH) and pyruvate, using glucose as a substrate.

Huntingtin regulates calcium fluxes in skeletal muscle.

The expression of the Huntingtin protein, well known for its involvement in the neurodegenerative Huntington's disease, has been confirmed in skeletal muscle. The impact of HTT deficiency was studied in human skeletal muscle cell lines and in a mouse model with inducible and muscle-specific HTT deletion. Characterization of calcium fluxes in the knock-out cell lines demonstrated a reduction in excitation-contraction (EC) coupling, related to an alteration in the coupling between the dihydropyridine receptor and the ryanodine receptor, and an increase in the amount of calcium stored within the sarcoplasmic reticulum, linked to the hyperactivity of store-operated calcium entry (SOCE).

Allele-Specific CRISPR/Cas9 Correction of a Heterozygous DNM2 Mutation Rescues Centronuclear Myopathy Cell Phenotypes.

Genome editing with the CRISPR/Cas9 technology has emerged recently as a potential strategy for therapy in genetic diseases. For dominant mutations linked to gain-of-function effects, allele-specific correction may be the most suitable approach. In this study, we tested allele-specific inactivation or correction of a heterozygous mutation in the Dynamin 2 (DNM2) gene that causes the autosomal dominant form of centronuclear myopathies (CNMs), a rare muscle disorder belonging to the large group of congenital myopathies.

Amphiphysin 2 modulation rescues myotubular myopathy and prevents focal adhesion defects in mice.

Centronuclear myopathies (CNMs) are severe diseases characterized by muscle weakness and myofiber atrophy. Currently, there are no approved treatments for these disorders. Mutations in the phosphoinositide 3-phosphatase myotubularin (MTM1) are responsible for X-linked CNM (XLCNM), also called myotubular myopathy, whereas mutations in the membrane remodeling Bin/amphiphysin/Rvs protein amphiphysin 2 [bridging integrator 1 (BIN1)] are responsible for an autosomal form of the disease.

Amphiphysin (BIN1) negatively regulates dynamin 2 for normal muscle maturation.

Regulation of skeletal muscle development and organization is a complex process that is not fully understood. Here, we focused on amphiphysin 2 (BIN1, also known as bridging integrator-1) and dynamin 2 (DNM2), two ubiquitous proteins implicated in membrane remodeling and mutated in centronuclear myopathies (CNMs). We generated Bin1-/- Dnm2+/- mice to decipher the physiological interplay between BIN1 and DNM2.

Gpr158 mediates osteocalcin's regulation of cognition.

That osteocalcin (OCN) is necessary for hippocampal-dependent memory and to prevent anxiety-like behaviors raises novel questions. One question is to determine whether OCN is also sufficient to improve these behaviors in wild-type mice, when circulating levels of OCN decline as they do with age. Here we show that the presence of OCN is necessary for the beneficial influence of plasma from young mice when injected into older mice on memory and that peripheral delivery of OCN is sufficient to improve memory and decrease anxiety-like behaviors in 16-mo-old mice.

IFN-β-induced reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial damage contribute to muscle impairment and inflammation maintenance in dermatomyositis.

Dermatomyositis (DM) is an autoimmune disease associated with enhanced type I interferon (IFN) signalling in skeletal muscle, but the mechanisms underlying muscle dysfunction and inflammation perpetuation remain unknown. Transcriptomic analysis of early untreated DM muscles revealed that the main cluster of down-regulated genes was mitochondria-related. Histochemical, electron microscopy, and in situ oxygraphy analysis showed mitochondrial abnormalities, including increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and decreased respiration, which was correlated with low exercise capacities and a type I IFN signature.

mTOR inactivation in myocardium from infant mice rapidly leads to dilated cardiomyopathy due to translation defects and p53/JNK-mediated apoptosis.

Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a central regulator of cell growth, proliferation, survival and metabolism, as part of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTORC2. While partial inhibition of mTORC1 using rapamycin was shown to be cardioprotective, genetic studies in mouse models revealed that mTOR is essential for embryonic heart development and cardiac function in adults. However, the physiological role of mTOR during postnatal cardiac maturation is not fully elucidated.

A phosphoinositide conversion mechanism for exit from endosomes.

Phosphoinositides are a minor class of short-lived membrane phospholipids that serve crucial functions in cell physiology ranging from cell signalling and motility to their role as signposts of compartmental membrane identity. Phosphoinositide 4-phosphates such as phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PI(4)P) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) are concentrated at the plasma membrane, on secretory organelles, and on lysosomes, whereas phosphoinositide 3-phosphates, most notably phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI(3)P), are a hallmark of the endosomal system. Directional membrane traffic between endosomal and secretory compartments, although inherently complex, therefore requires regulated phosphoinositide conversion.

Amphiphysin 2 Orchestrates Nucleus Positioning and Shape by Linking the Nuclear Envelope to the Actin and Microtubule Cytoskeleton.

Nucleus positioning is key for intracellular organization, cell differentiation, and organ development and is affected in many diseases, including myopathies due to alteration in amphiphysin-2 (BIN1). The actin and microtubule cytoskeletons are essential for nucleus positioning, but their crosstalk in this process is sparsely characterized. Here, we report that impairment of amphiphysin/BIN1 in Caenorhabditis elegans, mammalian cells, or muscles from patients with centronuclear myopathy alters nuclear position and shape.

Phosphorylation of NBR1 by GSK3 modulates protein aggregation.

The autophagy receptor NBR1 (neighbor of BRCA1 gene 1) binds UB/ubiquitin and the autophagosome-conjugated MAP1LC3/LC3 (microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3) proteins, thereby ensuring ubiquitinated protein degradation. Numerous neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases are associated with inappropriate aggregation of ubiquitinated proteins and GSK3 (glycogen synthase kinase 3) activity is involved in several of these proteinopathies. Here we show that NBR1 is a substrate of GSK3.

The phosphoinositide phosphatase MTM-1 regulates apoptotic cell corpse clearance through CED-5-CED-12 in C. elegans.

Multicellular organisms use programmed cell death to eliminate unwanted or potentially harmful cells. Improper cell corpse removal can lead to autoimmune diseases. The development of interventional therapies that increase engulfment activity could represent an attractive approach to treat such diseases.

Novel molecular diagnostic approaches for X-linked centronuclear (myotubular) myopathy reveal intronic mutations.

X-linked centronuclear myopathy (XLMTM), also called myotubular myopathy, is a severe congenital myopathy characterized by generalized hypotonia and weakness at birth and the typical histological finding of centralization of myo-nuclei. It is caused by mutations in the MTM1 gene encoding the 3-phosphoinositides phosphatase myotubularin. Mutations in dynamin 2 and amphiphysin 2 genes lead to autosomal forms of centronuclear myopathy (CNM).

Endosomal phosphoinositides and human diseases.

Phosphoinositides (PIs) are lipid second messengers implicated in signal transduction and membrane trafficking. Seven distinct PIs can be synthesized by phosphorylation of the inositol ring of phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns), and their metabolism is accurately regulated by PI kinases and phosphatases. Two of the PIs, PtdIns3P and PtdIns(3,5)P(2), are present on intracellular endosomal compartments, and several studies suggest that they have a role in membrane remodeling and trafficking.

Subtle central and peripheral nervous system abnormalities in a family with centronuclear myopathy and a novel dynamin 2 gene mutation.

Mutations in dynamin 2 (DNM2), an ubiquitously-expressed large GTPase, cause autosomal dominant centronuclear myopathy (DNM2-CNM) and AD Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2B (DNM2-CMT2B). We report a series of 5 patients from the same family who all presented with dominant centronuclear myopathy, mild cognitive impairment, mild axonal peripheral nerve involvement, and the novel E368Q mutation in the DNM2 gene. This study suggests that the phenotypes of dynamin 2 related centronuclear myopathy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease overlap and that DNM2 mutations may alter cerebral function.

Mutations in amphiphysin 2 (BIN1) disrupt interaction with dynamin 2 and cause autosomal recessive centronuclear myopathy.

Centronuclear myopathies are characterized by muscle weakness and abnormal centralization of nuclei in muscle fibers not secondary to regeneration. The severe neonatal X-linked form (myotubular myopathy) is due to mutations in the phosphoinositide phosphatase myotubularin (MTM1), whereas mutations in dynamin 2 (DNM2) have been found in some autosomal dominant cases. By direct sequencing of functional candidate genes, we identified homozygous mutations in amphiphysin 2 (BIN1) in three families with autosomal recessive inheritance.

The phosphoinositide kinase PIKfyve/Fab1p regulates terminal lysosome maturation in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Membrane dynamics is necessary for cell homeostasis and signal transduction and is in part regulated by phosphoinositides. Pikfyve/Fab1p is a phosphoinositide kinase that phosphorylates phosphatidylinositol 3-monophosphate into phosphatidylinositol-3,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(3,5)P2] and is implicated in membrane homeostasis in yeast and in mammalian cells. These two phosphoinositides are substrates of myotubularin phosphatases found mutated in neuromuscular diseases.

Toward improving Caenorhabditis elegans phenome mapping with an ORFeome-based RNAi library.

The recently completed Caenorhabditis elegans genome sequence allows application of high-throughput (HT) approaches for phenotypic analyses using RNA interference (RNAi). As large phenotypic data sets become available, "phenoclustering" strategies can be used to begin understanding the complex molecular networks involved in development and other biological processes. The current HT-RNAi resources represent a great asset for phenotypic profiling but are limited by lack of flexibility.