Oxysterol-binding protein like 2 (
OSBPL2
) was identified as a novel causal gene for autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss. However, the pathogenesis of
OSBPL2
deficits in ADNSHL was still unclear. The function of OSBPL2 as a lipid-sensing regulator in multiple cellular processes suggested that OSBPL2 might play an important role in the regulation of cholesterol-homeostasis, which was essential for inner ear. In this study the potential roles of OSBPL2 in cholesterol biosynthesis and ROS production were investigated in
Osbpl2
-KO OC1 cells and
osbpl2b
-KO zebrafish. RNA-seq-based analysis suggested that OSBPL2 was implicated in cholesterol biosynthesis and AMPK signaling pathway. Furthermore,
Osbpl2/osbpl2b
-KO resulted in a reduction of AMPK activity and up-regulation of
Srebp2/srebp2, Hmgcr/hmgcr
and
Hmgcs1/hmgcs1
, key genes in the sterol biosynthetic pathway and associated with AMPK signaling. In addition, OSBPL2 was also found to interact with ATIC, key activator of AMPK. The levels of total cholesterol and ROS in OC1 cells or zebrafish inner ear were both increased in
Osbpl2/osbpl2b
-KO mutants and the mitochondrial damage was detected in
Osbpl2
-KO OC1 cells. This study uncovered the regulatory roles of
OSBPL2
in cellular cholesterol biosynthesis and ROS production. These founds might contribute to the deep understanding of the pathogenesis of OSBPL2 mutation in ADNSHL.
Defective primary cilia cause a range of diseases called ciliopathies, which include hearing loss (HL). Variants in human oxysterol binding protein like 2 (OSBPL2/ORP2) are responsible for autosomal dominant nonsyndromic HL (DFNA67). However, the pathogenesis of OSBPL2 deficiency has not been fully elucidated. In this study, we showed that the Osbpl2-knockout (KO) mice exhibited progressive HL and abnormal cochlea development with defective cilia. Further research revealed that OSBPL2 was located at the base of kinocilia in hair cells (HCs) and primary cilia in supporting cells (SCs), and functioned in the maintenance of ciliogenesis by regulating the homeostasis of PI(4,5)P2 on the cilia membrane. OSBPL2 deficiency led to a significant increase of PI(4,5)P2 on the cilia membrane, which could be partially rescued by the overexpression of INPP5E. In addition, the key molecules in Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway (SMO and GLI3) were detected to be down-regulated in Osbpl2-KO HEI-OC1 cells. Our findings revealed that OSBPL2 deficiency resulted in ciliary defects and abnormal Shh signaling transduction in auditory cells, which helped to elucidate the underlying mechanism of OSBPL2 deficiency in HL.
Niemann–Pick type C disease (NPCD) is a rare genetic syndrome characterized by cholesterol accumulation in multiple organelles. NPCD is mainly caused by gene deficiency of NPC intracellular cholesterol transporter 1 (NPC1). It has been reported that some of the NPCD patients exhibit clinical features of progressive hearing loss at high frequency and iron disorder, but the underlying relationship is unknown. A recent study has reported that ferroptosis contributes to the impairment of cochlear hair cells that are related to sensory hearing. In this study, we generated NPC1-deficient HEI-OC1 cells to show the effect of NPC1 deficiency on cochlear outer hair cells. We found that NPC1 deficiency enhances autophagy-dependent ferritinophagy to release Fe (II). Our work provides important insights into the effect of NPC1 deficiency in auditory cells, indicating that it induces ferroptosis and results in hearing loss.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.