A point mutation in the ion conduction pore of AMPA receptor GRIA3 causes dramatically perturbed sleep patterns as well as intellectual disability
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: The discovery of genetic variants influencing sleep patterns can shed light on the physiological processes underlying sleep. As part of a large clinical sequencing project, WGS500, we sequenced a family in which the two male children had severe developmental delay and a dramatically disturbed sleep-wake cycle, with very long wake and sleep durations, reaching up to 106-h awake and 48-h asleep. The most likely causal variant identified was a novel missense variant in the X-linked GRIA3 gene, which has been implicated in intellectual disability. GRIA3 encodes GluA3, a subunit of AMPA-type ionotropic glutamate receptors (AMPARs). The mutation (A653T) falls within the highly conserved transmembrane domain of the ion channel gate, immediately adjacent to the analogous residue in the Grid2 (glutamate receptor) gene, which is mutated in the mouse neurobehavioral mutant, Lurcher. In vitro, the GRIA3(A653T) mutation stabilizes the channel in a closed conformation, in contrast to Lurcher. We introduced the orthologous mutation into a mouse strain by CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis and found that hemizygous mutants displayed significant differences in the structure of their activity and sleep compared to wild-type littermates. Typically, mice are polyphasic, exhibiting multiple sleep bouts of sleep several minutes long within a 24-h period. The Gria3A653T mouse showed significantly fewer brief bouts of activity and sleep than the wild-types. Furthermore, Gria3A653T mice showed enhanced period lengthening under constant light compared to wild-type mice, suggesting an increased sensitivity to light. Our results suggest a role for GluA3 channel activity in the regulation of sleep behavior in both mice and humans.
Source: Human Molecular Genetics
DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddx270
Authors: Benjamin Davies, Laurence A Brown, Ondrej Cais, Jake Watson, Amber J Clayton, Veronica T Chang, Daniel Biggs, Christopher Preece, Polinka Hernandez-Pliego, Jon Krohn, Amarjit Bhomra, Stephen R F Twigg, Andrew Rimmer, Alexander Kanapin, Arjune Sen, Zenobia Zaiwalla, Gil McVean, Russell Foster, Peter Donnelly, Jenny C Taylor, Edward Blair, David Nutt, A Radu Aricescu, Ingo H Greger, Stuart N Peirson, Jonathan Flint, Hilary C Martin
Institutions: Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Medical Research Council, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, Institute of Cancer Research, John Radcliffe Hospital, National Institute for Health and Care Research, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, Imperial College London, University of California, Los Angeles, Wellcome Sanger Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,209
Awards: Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute (SCNi), G1075538165, Genetic basis of craniofacial malformations., G1681111766, G2050123317, Regulation of Sleep by Environmental Light, G3030009606, G3573311078, G4325106573, University of Oxford Big Data Institute: Development & dissemination of efficient analysis methods for large, complex, heterogeneous clinical datasets, The structural biology of synaptic connectivity: understanding the extracellular organizers of neurotransmission, G6975707094, Understanding the genetic basis of common human diseases: core funding for the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics., G7936956525, G8942084432, Understanding the genetic basis of common human diseases: core funding for the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics.
OpenAlex ID: W2767002065