Deleterious NKAP Mutations Are Associated with Musculoskeletal Abnormalities in Hemizygous Males and Skewed X Chromosome Inactivation in Heterozygous Females

TL;DR

This study shows that harmful NKAP mutations cause musculoskeletal issues in males and skewed X chromosome inactivation in females, affecting gene expression and health outcomes.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel mouse model to explore NKAP mutations' effects on gait and XCI skewing, linking these to human disease manifestations.

Findings

Male mice with NKAP mutations showed gait abnormalities similar to human patients.

Female mice with NKAP/HA mutations exhibited skewed XCI and reduced F8 expression.

Mutant NKAP cells showed reduced proliferation and increased senescence.

Abstract

NKAP (NF-kappa-B-activating protein) is a ubiquitously expressed nuclear protein involved in multiple biological processes. Males with missense NKAP mutations have been reported to present with marfanoid features and behavioral and musculoskeletal abnormalities. We have previously reported that a disruptive NKAP mutation resulted in extremely skewed X chromosome inactivation (XCI), leading to phenotypic manifestation of hemophilia A (HA) in a HA carrier. In this study, with the aim of exploring the phenotypic manifestations of deleterious NKAP mutations in males, as well as their involvement in the mechanism of XCI regulation in females, we generated NKAP mutant mice using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Gait analysis studies conducted in male mice hemizygous for mutant NKAP by the CatWalk XT system revealed significant alterations in gait parameters, consistent with hypotonia reported in human mutant NKAP patients. By breeding mutant NKAP mice with HA mice, we generated a double heterozygous mutant NKAP/HA mouse model, i.e., female mice carrying mutant NKAP with a WT F8 copy on one X chromosome, and WT NKAP with a mutant F8 copy on the other X chromosome. XCI pattern analysis using methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes demonstrated that mutant NKAP/HA females exhibited significant XCI skewing of the X chromosome bearing the mutant NKAP copy. Furthermore, these females exhibited significantly reduced F8 mRNA levels and FVIII (factor VIII) antigen levels, as demonstrated by quantitative RT-PCR and ELISA, respectively. Murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from a hemizygous mutant NKAP embryo exhibited markedly reduced proliferation rate and increased senescence compared to WT NKAP MEFs, suggesting that XCI skewing induced by mutant NKAP results from secondary selection against cells with an active X chromosome bearing the mutant NKAP copy.

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