Lack of phosphomannomutase 2 affects Xenopus laevis morphogenesis and the non-canonical Wnt5a/Ror2 signalling

J Inherit Metab Dis. 2015 Nov;38(6):1137-46. doi: 10.1007/s10545-015-9874-0. Epub 2015 Jul 4.

Abstract

Reduced phosphomannomutase 2 activity in man leads to hypoglycosylation of glycoconjugates causing PMM2-CDG, the most common type of congenital disorders of glycosylation. Here we show that an antisense morpholino-mediated knockdown of the Xenopus laevis phosphomannomutase 2 gene provoked a general underglycosylation in frog embryos, which led to an altered phenotype and reduced glycosylation of Wnt5a as member of the non-canonical Wnt signalling. Loss of function experiments in hemi-sectioned embryos proved that due to the phosphomannomutase 2 knockdown expression of the Wnt5a/Ror2 target gene paraxial protocadherin was significantly decreased. Regarding the expression of paraxial protocadherin, a gain of function could only be achieved by injections of wnt5a and ror2 in dorsal neighbouring blastomeres, while a parallel injection of phosphomannomutase 2 morpholino led to a significant reduced level of expression. Our data show for the first time that a knockdown of phosphomannomutase 2 influences in vivo the non-canonical Wnt signalling during early embryogenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Morphogenesis / genetics*
  • Phosphotransferases (Phosphomutases) / genetics*
  • Receptor Tyrosine Kinase-like Orphan Receptors / genetics
  • Wnt Proteins / genetics
  • Wnt Signaling Pathway / genetics*
  • Wnt-5a Protein
  • Xenopus Proteins / genetics
  • Xenopus laevis*

Substances

  • Wnt Proteins
  • Wnt-5a Protein
  • Wnt5a protein, Xenopus
  • Xenopus Proteins
  • Receptor Tyrosine Kinase-like Orphan Receptors
  • Ror2 protein, Xenopus
  • Phosphotransferases (Phosphomutases)
  • phosphomannomutase