Background: In mammals, carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) system is a pivotal component of energy metabolism through mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. The majority of patients with fatal or handicapped influenza-associated encephalopathy exhibit thermolabile compound homo/heterozygous mutations of CPT II.
Objective: Compound CPT II mutations, [c.647A>G (p.Q216R)], [c.1102G>A (p.V368I)], [c.1939A>G (p.M647V)] and [c.745delG (p.G249EfsX16)], were found in a patient with adenovirus-associated encephalopathy and his family. The properties of these CPT II mutations were analyzed in COS-7 cells.
Methods: CPT II mutations in the patient and his family were expressed in COS-7 cells and their molecular masses, enzyme activities, thermal instabilities and half-lives were analyzed.
Results: We identified two novel CPT II mutations in the patient, [c.647A>G (p.Q216R)] and [c.745delG (p.G249EfsX16)]. The CPT II Q216R mutation showed mild reduction of activity, thermal instability and short half-life but compound mutations with Q216R+V368I+M647V showed further enhancement of these disabilities, although mutations V368I and M647V had no such effects. CPT II mutation [c.745delG (p.G249EfsX16)] abolished enzyme activity and showed short half-life.
Conclusion: The thermal instability and short half-life of the novel CPT II mutations, [c.647A>G (p.Q216R)] and [c.745delG (p.G249EfsX16)], could play important roles in energy crisis in the pathogenesis of virus-associated encephalopathy.