JBC: New study reveals mutations in the cholesterol transporter protein ABCA13 associated with schizophrenia

ABCA13 belongs to a family of cell transport proteins called ATP binding box (ABC) proteins that are involved in moving cholesterol and other molecules into and out of cells.
Ueda and his team have been studying ABC proteins for 35 years, giving them an additional advantage in discovering what is suspected to be the mysterious role of ABCA13, the largest in the protein family.
Ueda team studied ABCA13 in different types of human cells.
also turned off the genes that encoded the protein in mice.
, they studied the effects of the mutated ABCA13 protein in human cells.
found that ABCA13 is a large protein located in cell vesicles that help transports cholesterol from the cell membrane to these vesicles.
ABCA13 accelerates the internalization of cholesterol in cells, and the loss of function is associated with the pathophysiology of some mental illnesses," Ueda said.
", which lacks ABCA13, looked normal and lived normally.
but a series of behavioral studies have shown abnormal results in the startle response and pre-pulse suppression trials.
normally, weak front pulse stimuli, such as sound, can reduce the feeling of being frightened by subsequent strong stimuli.
, however, some people with mental illness still feel frightened even if they experience a pre-pulse before the main stimulus.
they found that both normal mice and 10 mice lacking ABCA13 had normal panic reactions.
, however, only mice lacking ABCA13 will be frightened if they have a front pulse before the shock stimulus.
Ueda team wanted to know more about how the absence of ABCA1 affects nerve cells in the brain.
found that follicles in nerve endings in mice lacking ABCA1 did not accumulate cholesterol.
say synth nerve vesicles are essential for information to be transmitted in different nerves, so this disorder can lead to pathophysiology of mental illness.
, the Ueda team studied human cells containing a mutant version of ABCA13 thought to be associated with some mental illnesses.
found that the mutations impaired the function of ABCA13 and its ability to locate within cell vesicles.
further research into ABCA13's capabilities could help develop new treatment strategies for mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe depression, the Ueda team said.
: 1.Mitsuhiro Nakato et al. ABCA13 dysfunction associated with psychiatric disorders causes impaired cholesterol trafficking. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2020, doi:10.1074/jbc. RA120.015997. 2.Large transporter protein linked to schizophrenia