The primary familial brain calcification-associated protein MYORG is an α-galactosidase with restricted substrate specificity

PLoS Biol. 2022 Sep 21;20(9):e3001764. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001764. eCollection 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) is characterised by abnormal deposits of calcium phosphate within various regions of the brain that are associated with severe cognitive impairments, psychiatric conditions, and movement disorders. Recent studies in diverse populations have shown a link between mutations in myogenesis-regulating glycosidase (MYORG) and the development of this disease. MYORG is a member of glycoside hydrolase (GH) family 31 (GH31) and, like the other mammalian GH31 enzyme α-glucosidase II, this enzyme is found in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Though presumed to act as an α-glucosidase due to its localization and sequence relatedness to α-glucosidase II, MYORG has never been shown to exhibit catalytic activity. Here, we show that MYORG is an α-galactosidase and present the high-resolution crystal structure of MYORG in complex with substrate and inhibitor. Using these structures, we map detrimental mutations that are associated with MYORG-associated brain calcification and define how these mutations may drive disease progression through loss of enzymatic activity. Finally, we also detail the thermal stabilisation of MYORG afforded by a clinically approved small molecule ligand, opening the possibility of using pharmacological chaperones to enhance the activity of mutant forms of MYORG.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain / metabolism
  • Brain Diseases* / genetics
  • Brain Diseases* / metabolism
  • Glycoside Hydrolases* / genetics
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Mammals / metabolism
  • Muscle Development
  • Pedigree
  • Substrate Specificity
  • alpha-Galactosidase / genetics
  • alpha-Galactosidase / metabolism
  • alpha-Glucosidases / metabolism

Substances

  • Ligands
  • Glycoside Hydrolases
  • alpha-Glucosidases
  • alpha-Galactosidase

Grants and funding

The authors are grateful for support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (RGPIN-05426 to DJV and RGPIN-03929 to WFZ; https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/index_eng.asp). We thank Diamond Light Source for access to beamline I03 and I04 (proposal numbers mx18598 and mx24948 to GJD; https://www.diamond.ac.uk/). GJD thanks the Royal Society for the Ken Murray Research Professorship and RWM for the associated PDRA funding (RP\EA\180016; https://royalsociety.org/). DJV thanks the Canada Research Chairs program for support as a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Chemical Biology (https://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca/). The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.