Casey L. Moulson

Cloning of wrinkle-free, a previously uncharacterized mouse mutation, reveals crucial roles for fatty acid transport protein 4 in skin and hair development

Wrinkle-free (wrfr) is a previously uncharacterized, spontaneous, autosomal recessive mouse mutation resulting in very tight, thick skin. wrfr mutant mice exhibit severe breathing difficulties secondary to their tight skin and die shortly after birth. This phenotype is strikingly similar to a very rare human genetic disorder, restrictive dermopathy. wrfr mutant mice display a defective skin barrier, which is normally imparted by the cornified envelope, a composite of protein and lipid that prevents loss of water from within and entry of potentially harmful substances from without. In addition, hair growth from grafted wrfr skin is impaired. Positional cloning of the wrfr mutation revealed a retrotransposon insertion into a coding exon of Slc27a4, the gene encoding fatty acid transport protein (FATP)4. FATP4 is the primary intestinal FATP and is thought to play a major role in dietary fatty acid uptake; it therefore is viewed as a target to prevent or reverse obesity. However, its function in vivo had not been determined. Our results demonstrate an unexpected yet critical role for FATP4 in skin and hair development and suggest Slc27a4 to be a candidate gene for restrictive dermopathy.

Laminins promote postsynaptic maturation by an autocrine mechanism at the neuromuscular junction.

A prominent feature of synaptic maturation at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) is the topological transformation of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR)-rich postsynaptic membrane from an ovoid plaque into a complex array of branches. We show here that laminins play an autocrine role in promoting this transformation. Laminins containing the α4, α5, and β2 subunits are synthesized by muscle fibers and concentrated in the small portion of the basal lamina that passes through the synaptic cleft at the NMJ. Topological maturation of AChR clusters was delayed in targeted mutant mice lacking laminin α5 and arrested in mutants lacking both α4 and α5. Analysis of chimeric laminins in vivo and of mutant myotubes cultured aneurally demonstrated that the laminins act directly on muscle cells to promote postsynaptic maturation. Immunohistochemical studies in vivo and in vitro along with analysis of targeted mutants provide evidence that laminin-dependent aggregation of dystroglycan in the postsynaptic membrane is a key step in synaptic maturation. Another synaptically concentrated laminin receptor, Bcam, is dispensable. Together with previous studies implicating laminins as organizers of presynaptic differentiation, these results show that laminins coordinate post- with presynaptic maturation.

Localization of Lutheran, a novel laminin receptor, in normal, knockout, and transgenic mice suggests an interaction with laminin α5 in vivo

Laminins are major components of all basement membranes. One laminin that has garnered particular interest, due to its widespread expression pattern and importance during development, is the laminin α5 chain. In vitro studies have suggested that the Lutheran blood group glycoprotein/basal cell adhesion molecule (Lu), an Ig superfamily transmembrane protein, is a receptor for laminins containing the α5 chain. However, there are no in vivo studies showing that these proteins are capable of interacting in tissues. We have isolated the mouse ortholog of Lu and characterized its expression and localization in mouse tissues. Lu was primarily found on the basal surface of epithelial cells and on muscle cells adjacent to basement membranes containing laminin α5. In addition, there was both a dramatic reduction in the basal concentration of Lu in mice lacking laminin α5, and a significant increase in Lu protein in transgenic mice overexpressing laminin α5. Together, these data provide the first in vivo evidence for an interaction between Lu and laminin α5 and support the hypothesis that Lu is a laminin α5 receptor. We propose that laminin α5 is involved in concentrating Lu on the basal surface of epithelial cells. This may be one mechanism by which basement membrane signals are transmitted to the cell.

Fatty Acid Transport Protein 4 Is the Principal Very Long Chain Fatty Acyl-CoA Synthetase in Skin Fibroblasts

Fatty acid transport protein 4 (FATP4) is a fatty acyl-CoA synthetase that preferentially activates very long chain fatty acid substrates, such as C24:0, to their CoA derivatives. To gain better insight into the physiological functions of FATP4, we established dermal fibroblast cell lines from FATP4-deficient wrinkle-free mice and wild type (w.t.) mice. FATP4 -/- fibroblasts had no detectable FATP4 protein by Western blot. Compared with w.t. fibroblasts, cells lacking FATP4 had an 83% decrease in C24:0 activation. Peroxisomal degradation of C24:0 was reduced by 58%, and rates of C24:0 incorporation into major phospholipid species (54–64% decrease), triacylglycerol (64% decrease), and cholesterol esters (58% decrease) were significantly diminished. Because these lipid metabolic processes take place in different subcellular organelles, we used immunofluorescence and Western blotting of subcellular fractions to investigate the distribution of FATP4 protein and measured enzyme activity in fractions from w.t. and FATP4 -/- fibroblasts. FATP4 protein and acyl-CoA synthetase activity localized to multiple organelles, including mitochondria, peroxisomes, endoplasmic reticulum, and the mitochondria-associated membrane fraction. We conclude that in murine skin fibroblasts, FATP4 is the major enzyme producing very long chain fatty acid-CoA for lipid metabolic pathways. Although FATP4 deficiency primarily affected very long chain fatty acid metabolism, mutant fibroblasts also showed reduced uptake of a fluorescent long chain fatty acid and reduced levels of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. FATP4-deficient cells also contained abnormal neutral lipid droplets. These additional defects indicate that metabolic abnormalities in these cells are not limited to very long chain fatty acids.

Keratinocyte-specific Expression of Fatty Acid Transport Protein 4 Rescues the Wrinkle-free Phenotype in Slc27a4/Fatp4 Mutant Mice

FATP4 (fatty acid transport protein 4; also known as SLC27A4) is the most widely expressed member of a family of six long chain fatty acid transporters. FATP4 is highly expressed in enterocytes and has therefore been proposed to be a major importer of dietary fatty acids. Two independent mutations in Fatp4 cause mice to be born with thick, tight, shiny, “wrinkle-free” skin and a defective skin barrier; they die within hours of birth from dehydration and restricted movements. In contrast, induced keratinocyte-specific deficiency of FATP4 in adult mice causes only mild skin abnormalities. Therefore, whether the loss of FATP4 from skin or a systemic gestational metabolic defect causes the severe skin defects and neonatal lethality remain important unanswered questions. To investigate the basis for the phenotype, we first generated wild-type tetraploid/mutant diploid aggregates that should lead to rescue of any abnormalities caused by loss of FATP4 from the placenta. However, the skin phenotype was not ameliorated. We then generated transgenic mice expressing exogenous FATP4 either widely or specifically in suprabasal keratinocytes, and we bred the transgenes onto the Fatp4-/- background. Both modes of FATP4 expression led to rescue of the neonatally lethal skin defects, and the resulting mice were viable and fertile. Keratinocyte expression of an FATP4 variant with mutations in the acyl-CoA synthetase domain did not provide any degree of rescue. We conclude that expression of FATP4 with an intact acyl-CoA synthetase domain in suprabasal keratinocytes is necessary for normal skin development and that FATP4 functions in establishing the cornified envelope.