Yañez MJ(1), Campos F(2), Marín T(2), Klein AD(3), Futerman AH(4), Alvarez AR(5), Zanlungo S(6). Author information:
(1)Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad
Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; School of Medical Technology, Health
Sciences Faculty, Universidad San Sebastian, Sede Los Leones, Santiago, Chile.
Electronic address: [Email]
(2)Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad
Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
(3)Centro de Genética y Genómica, Facultad de Medicina, Clínica Alemana
Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile.
(4)Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot,
Israel.
(5)Department of Cell & Molecular Biology, Biological Sciences Faculty,
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; CARE UC Pontificia
Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
(6)Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, Pontificia Universidad
Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. Electronic address: [Email]
Gaucher disease (GD) is caused by homozygous mutations in the GBA1 gene, which encodes the lysosomal β-glucosidase (GBA) enzyme. GD affects several organs and tissues, including the brain in certain variants of the disease. Heterozygous GBA1 variants are a major genetic risk factor for developing Parkinson's disease. The RIPK3 kinase is relevant in GD and its deficiency improves the neurological and visceral symptoms in a murine GD model. RIPK3 mediates necroptotic-like cell death: it is unknown whether the role of RIPK3 in GD is the direct induction of necroptosis or if it has a more indirect function by mediating necrosis-independent. Also, the mechanisms that activate RIPK3 in GD are currently unknown. In this study, we show that c-Abl tyrosine kinase participates upstream of RIPK3 in GD. We found that the active, phosphorylated form of c-Abl is increased in several GD models, including patient's fibroblasts and GBA null mice. Furthermore, its pharmacological inhibition with the FDA-approved drug Imatinib decreased RIPK3 signaling. We found that c-Abl interacts with RIPK3, that RIPK3 is phosphorylated at a tyrosine site, and that this phosphorylation is reduced when c-Abl is inhibited. Genetic ablation of c-Abl in neuronal GD and GD mice models significantly reduced RIPK3 activation and MLKL downstream signaling. These results showed that c-Abl signaling is a new upstream pathway that activates RIPK3 and that its inhibition is an attractive therapeutic approach for the treatment of GD.
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