Abstract
Skeletal muscle contraction is triggered by the excitation-contra-ction (E-C) coupling machinery residing at the triad, a membrane structure formed by the juxtaposition of T-tubules and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) cisternae. The formation and maintenance of this structure is key for muscle function but is not well character-ized. We have investigated the mechanisms leading to X-linked myotubular myopathy (XLMTM), a severe congenital disorder due to loss of function mutations in the MTM1 gene, encoding myo-tubularin, a phosphoinositide phosphatase thought to have a role in plasma membrane homeostasis and endocytosis. Using a mouse model of the disease, we report that Mtm1-deficient muscle fibers have a decreased number of triads and abnormal longitudinally oriented T-tubules. In addition, SR Ca2+ release elicited by voltage-clamp depolarizations is strongly depressed in myotubularin-defi-cient muscle fibers, with myoplasmic Ca2+ removal and SR Ca2+ content essentially unaffected. At the molecular level, Mtm1-deficient myofibers exhibit a 3-fold reduction in type 1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1) protein level. These data reveal a critical role of myotubularin in the proper organization and function of the E-C coupling machinery and strongly suggest that defective RyR1-mediated SR Ca2+ release is responsible for the failure of muscle function in myotubular myopathy.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 18763-18768 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
Volume | 106 |
Issue number | 44 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 3 2009 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Myotubular myopathy
- Triad
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General