Genetic Modeling and Pathophysiological Analysis of FAM109A, a Putative Human Disease Gene

Abstract

A critical barrier in the treatment of endocytic diseases is the lack of information and understanding of the in vivo mechanisms of endocytosis. Part of this is due to the diverse array of endocytic adaptor proteins that have not yet been studied. We address this by investigating a key endocytic adaptor protein, FAM109A, which interacts with OCRL1, a causative gene for Lowe syndrome. Previous in vitro studies have identified FAM109A as a regulator for endosomal trafficking, particularly in the recycling of receptors in endosomes and sorting of cargo to lysosomes, based on knock-down studies. Here we conduct the first study into the developmental and physiological functions of FAM109A in vivo, utilizing the zebrafish model. We find that depletion of both zebrafish orthologs, zFAM109A and zFAM109B, in our maternal-zygotic homozygous mutant models (AB mutant) disrupts fluid-phase endocytosis and ciliogenesis in the pronephros. Partial knockdown of OCRL1 in the AB mutants exacerbates the endocytosis deficit, confirming that OCRL1 and FAM109 proteins are linked in a common endocytic pathway. In addition, we discover that zFAM109A/B mutant animals exhibit reduced jaw size and delay in chondrocyte maturation, indicating a novel role for zFAM109A and zFAM109B in craniofacial development. This is consistent with the phenotype in a patient within the NIH’s Undiagnosed Diseases Program (UDP). The UDP patient carries a de novo arginine (R) to cysteine (C) mutation (R6C) in FAM109A and presents with craniofacial abnormalities, developmental delay, auditory and vision impairments, and renal dysfunction. Expressing zFAM109A with the R6C mutation in zebrafish exacerbated craniofacial deficits, suggesting that the R6C allele acts in a dominant-negative manner. Together, these results show that FAM109A is involved in fluid-phase endocytosis and ciliogenesis in vivo. Moreover, we provide further insight into the potential pathogenesis of a UDP patient’s disease in association with a de novo mutation in FAM109A.