Kir6.2 is essential to maintain neurite features by modulating PM20D1-reduced mitochondrial ATP generation
Nanshan Song,
Yinquan Fang,
Hong Zhu,
Jiaqi Liu,
Siyuan Jiang,
Sifan Sun,
Rong Xu,
Jianhua Ding,
Gang Hu,
Ming Lu
Affiliations
Nanshan Song
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
Yinquan Fang
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
Hong Zhu
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
Jiaqi Liu
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
Siyuan Jiang
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
Sifan Sun
Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China
Rong Xu
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
Jianhua Ding
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China
Gang Hu
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China; Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, 210023, China; Corresponding author. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China.
Ming Lu
Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China; Neuroprotective Drug Discovery Key Laboratory, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 211166, China; Corresponding author. Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Neurodegeneration, Department of Pharmacology, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Avenue, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China.
Kir6.2, a pore-forming subunit of the ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels, regulates the functions of metabolically active tissues and acts as an ideal therapeutic target for multiple diseases. Previous studies have been conducted on peripheral kir6.2, but its precise physiological roles in the central nervous system (CNS) have rarely been revealed. In the current study, we evaluated the neurophenotypes and neuroethology of kir6.2 knockout (kir6.2−/−) mice. We demonstrated the beneficial effects of kir6.2 on maintaining the morphology of mesencephalic neurons and controlling the motor coordination of mice. The mechanisms underlying the abnormal neurological features of kir6.2 deficiency were analyzed by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). Pm20d1, a gene encoding PM20D1 secretase that promotes the generation of endogenous mitochondria uncouplers in vivo, was dramatically upregulated in the midbrain of kir6.2−/− mice. Further investigations verified that PM20D1-induced increase of N-acyl amino acids (N-AAAs) from circulating fatty acids and amino acids promoted mitochondrial impairments and cut down the ATP generation, which mediated the morphological defects of the mesencephalic neurons and thus led to the behavioral impairments of kir6.2 knockout mice. This study is the first evidence to demonstrate the roles of kir6.2 in the morphological maintenance of neurite and motor coordination control of mice, which extends our understanding of kir6.2/KATP channels in regulating the neurophysiological function.
