VHL-P138R and VHL-L163R novel variants: mechanisms of VHL pathogenicity involving HIF-dependent and HIF-independent actions

Mathó, Cecilia - Fernández, María Celia - Bonanata, Jenner - Liu, Xian-De - Martin, Ayelen - Vieites, Ana - Sansó, Gabriela - Barontini, Marta - Jonasch, Eric - Coitiño, Laura E. - Pennisi, Patricia Alejandra

Resumen:

The von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) disease is an autosomal dominant cancer syndrome caused by mutations in the VHL tumor suppressor gene. VHL protein (pVHL) forms a complex (VBC) with Elongins B-C, Cullin2, and Rbx1. Although other functions have been discovered, the most described function of pVHL is to recognize and target hypoxiainducible factor (HIF) for degradation. This work comprises the functional characterization of two novel variants of the VHL gene (P138R and L163R) that have been described in our center in patients with VHL disease by in vitro, in vivo, and in silico approaches. In vitro, we found that these variants have a significantly shorter half-life compared to wild-type VHL but still form a functional VBC complex. Altered fibronectin deposition was evidenced for both variants using immunofluorescence. In vivo studies revealed that both variants failed to suppress tumor growth. By means of molecular dynamics simulations, we inspected in silico the nature of the changes introduced by each variant in the VBC complex. We have demonstrated the pathogenicity of P138R and L163R novel variants, involving HIFdependent and HIF-independent mechanisms. These results provide the basis for future studies regarding the impact of structural alterations on posttranslational modifications that drive pVHL’s fate and functions.


Detalles Bibliográficos
2022
VHL
Von Hippel–Lindau
Novel variants
P138R
L163R
Functional characterization
Molecular dynamics
Simulations
Inglés
Universidad de la República
COLIBRI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12008/41670
Acceso abierto
Licencia Creative Commons Atribución (CC - By 4.0)