Mutations in the ABCC6 gene cause soft tissue calcification in pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) and in some patients generalized arterial calcification of infancy (GACI). PXE is characterized by late-onset and progressive mineralization of elastic fibers in dermal, ocular and cardiovascular tissues. GACI patients present a more severe, often prenatal arterial calcification. We have tested ten frequent disease-causing ABCC6 missense mutants for the transport activity using Sf9 cells, characterized the subcellular localization in MDCKII cells and in mouse liver, and tested the phenotypic rescue in zebrafish. We aimed at identifying mutants with preserved transport activity but with improper plasma membrane localization for rescue by the chemical chaperone 4-phenylbutyrate (4-PBA). Seven of the mutants were transport-competent but mislocalized in mouse liver. The observed divergence in cellular localization of mutants in MDCKII cells vs. mouse liver underlined the limitations of this two-dimensional in vitro cell system. The functionality of ABCC6 mutants was tested in zebrafish and minimal rescue of the morpholino-induced phenotype was found. However, 4-PBA, a drug approved for clinical use, restored the plasma membrane localization of four ABCC6 mutants (R1114P, S1121W, Q1347H, R1314W), suggesting that allele-specific therapy may be useful for selected patients with PXE and GACI.
Rationale ABCC6 plays a crucial role in ectopic calcification; mutations of the gene cause pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) and general arterial calcification of infancy (GACI). To elucidate the role of ABCC6 in cellular physiology and disease, it is crucial to establish the exact subcellular localization of the native ABCC6 protein. Objective In a recent paper in Circulation Research, ABCC6 was reported to localize to the mitochondria-associated membrane (MAM) and not the plasma membrane. Since the suggested mitochondrial localization is inconsistent with published data and the presumed role of ABCC6, we performed experiments to determine the cellular localization of ABCC6 in its physiological environment. Methods and Results We performed immunofluorescent labeling of frozen mouse and human liver sections as well as primary hepatocytes. We used several different antibodies recognizing human and mouse ABCC6. Our results unequivocally show that ABCC6 is in the basolateral membrane of hepatocytes and is not associated with the mitochondria, MAM or the ER. Conclusion Our findings support the model that ABCC6 is in the basolateral membrane, mediating the sinusoidal efflux of a metabolite from the hepatocytes to the systemic circulation.
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