The lipodystrophic hotspot lamin A p. R482W mutation deregulates the mesodermal inducer T/Brachyury and early vascular differentiation gene networks

N Briand, AC Guénantin, D Jeziorowska… - Human molecular …, 2018 - academic.oup.com
N Briand, AC Guénantin, D Jeziorowska, A Shah, M Mantecon, E Capel, M Garcia…
Human molecular genetics, 2018academic.oup.com
The p. R482W hotspot mutation in A-type nuclear lamins causes familial partial
lipodystrophy of Dunnigan-type (FPLD2), a lipodystrophic syndrome complicated by early
onset atherosclerosis. Molecular mechanisms underlying endothelial cell dysfunction
conferred by the lamin A mutation remain elusive. However, lamin A regulates epigenetic
developmental pathways and mutations could perturb these functions. Here, we
demonstrate that lamin A R482W elicits endothelial differentiation defects in a …
Abstract
The p.R482W hotspot mutation in A-type nuclear lamins causes familial partial lipodystrophy of Dunnigan-type (FPLD2), a lipodystrophic syndrome complicated by early onset atherosclerosis. Molecular mechanisms underlying endothelial cell dysfunction conferred by the lamin A mutation remain elusive. However, lamin A regulates epigenetic developmental pathways and mutations could perturb these functions. Here, we demonstrate that lamin A R482W elicits endothelial differentiation defects in a developmental model of FPLD2. Genome modeling in fibroblasts from patients with FPLD2 caused by the lamin A R482W mutation reveals repositioning of the mesodermal regulator T/Brachyury locus towards the nuclear center relative to normal fibroblasts, suggesting enhanced activation propensity of the locus in a developmental model of FPLD2. Addressing this issue, we report phenotypic and transcriptional alterations in mesodermal and endothelial differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells we generated from a patient with R482W-associated FPLD2. Correction of the LMNA mutation ameliorates R482W-associated phenotypes and gene expression. Transcriptomics links endothelial differentiation defects to decreased Polycomb-mediated repression of the T/Brachyury locus and over-activation of T target genes. Binding of the Polycomb repressor complex 2 to T/Brachyury is impaired by the mutated lamin A network, which is unable to properly associate with the locus. This leads to a deregulation of vascular gene expression over time. By connecting a lipodystrophic hotspot lamin A mutation to a disruption of early mesodermal gene expression and defective endothelial differentiation, we propose that the mutation rewires the fate of several lineages, resulting in multi-tissue pathogenic phenotypes.
Oxford University Press