calpain and Muscle-Spasticity

Spastic ataxias are rare neurogenetic disorders involving spinocerebellar and pyramidal tracts. Many genes are involved. Among them, CAPN1, when mutated, is responsible for a complex inherited form of spastic paraplegia (SPG76). We report the largest published series of 21 novel patients with nine new CAPN1 disease-causing variants and their clinical characteristics from two European university hospitals (Paris and Stockholm). After a formal clinical examination, causative variants were identified by next-generation sequencing and confirmed by Sanger sequencing. CAPN1 variants are a rare cause (~ 1.4%) of young-adult-onset spastic ataxia; however, together with all published cases, they allowed us to better describe the clinical and genetic spectra of this form. Truncating variants are the most frequent, and missense variants lead to earlier age at onset in favor of an additional deleterious effect. Cerebellar ataxia with cerebellar atrophy, dysarthria and lower limb weakness are often associated with spasticity. We also suggest that cognitive impairment and depression should be assessed specifically in the follow-up of SPG76 cases.

Topics: Adult; Age of Onset; Calpain; Cerebellar Ataxia; Child; Female; Genetic Association Studies; Humans; Intellectual Disability; Male; Muscle Spasticity; Mutation; Optic Atrophy; Pedigree; Phenotype; Spastic Paraplegia, Hereditary; Spinocerebellar Ataxias; Young Adult

Recessive mutations in the CAPN1 gene have recently been identified in spastic paraplegia 76 (SPG76), a complex hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) that is combined with cerebellar ataxia, resulting in an ataxia-spasticity disease spectrum. This study aims to assess the influence of CAPN1 variants on the occurrence of SPG76 and identify factors potentially contributing to phenotypic heterogeneity.. We screened a cohort of 240 unrelated HSP families for variants in CAPN1 using high-throughput sequencing analysis. We described in detail the clinical and genetic features of the SPG76 patients in our cohort and summarized all reported cases.. Our study supports the clinically heterogeneous inter- and intra-family variability of SPG76 patients, and demonstrates that gender and calpain-1 linker structure may contribute to clinical heterogeneity in SPG76 cases.

Topics: Ataxia; Calpain; Cerebellar Ataxia; Female; Humans; Intellectual Disability; Male; Muscle Spasticity; Mutation; Optic Atrophy; Paraplegia; Pedigree; Phenotype; Spastic Paraplegia, Hereditary; Spinocerebellar Ataxias

To characterize the phenotype of CAPN1 (SPG76) mutations in patients diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP).. The CAPN1 gene, located on chromosome 11q13.1, is a protein-coding gene involved in neuronal plasticity, migration, microtubular regulation and cerebellar development. Several families with CAPN1 mutations have recently been reported to present with autosomal recessive (AR) HSP and/or ataxia.. Patients with HSP were identified through neurological and genetic clinics with detailed phenotyping. Whole exome sequencing revealed novel pathogenic CAPN1 mutations in four patients from 3 families.. Affected families were of Turkish, Japanese, and Punjabi descent and all were consanguineous. Onset of spastic paraplegia in the four patients was between 20 and 37 years. Two also had mild ataxia. Three different novel, homozygous mutations in CAPN1 were found: c.2118+1G > T, c.397C > T, c.843+1G > C. The patient with the earliest onset also manifested profound muscle weakness, likely related to a second homozygous mutation in DYSF (dysferlinopathy).. The phenotype of AR CAPN1 mutations appears to be spastic paraplegia with or without ataxia; onset is most commonly in adulthood. Eye movement abnormalities, skeletal defects, peripheral neuropathy and amyotrophy can sometimes be seen. Occasionally, patients can present with ataxia, illustrating the genotypic and phenotypic overlap between HSP and spastic ataxia. With the advent of exome sequencing, mutations in more than one gene can be identified, which may contribute to the phenotypic variation, even within a family.

Topics: Adult; Calpain; Female; Humans; Intellectual Disability; Male; Muscle Spasticity; Mutation; Optic Atrophy; Paraparesis, Spastic; Phenotype; Spinocerebellar Ataxias

Topics: Adult; Calpain; Cerebellar Ataxia; DNA Mutational Analysis; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Muscle Spasticity; Mutation

Topics: Calpain; Constriction; Humans; Muscle Spasticity; Spinal Cord Injuries

A CAPN1 missense mutation in Parson Russell Terrier dogs is associated with spinocerebellar ataxia. We now report that homozygous or heterozygous CAPN1-null mutations in humans result in cerebellar ataxia and limb spasticity in four independent pedigrees. Calpain-1 knockout (KO) mice also exhibit a mild form of ataxia due to abnormal cerebellar development, including enhanced neuronal apoptosis, decreased number of cerebellar granule cells, and altered synaptic transmission. Enhanced apoptosis is due to absence of calpain-1-mediated cleavage of PH domain and leucine-rich repeat protein phosphatase 1 (PHLPP1), which results in inhibition of the Akt pro-survival pathway in developing granule cells. Injection of neonatal mice with the indirect Akt activator, bisperoxovanadium, or crossing calpain-1 KO mice with PHLPP1 KO mice prevented increased postnatal cerebellar granule cell apoptosis and restored granule cell density and motor coordination in adult mice. Thus, mutations in CAPN1 are an additional cause of ataxia in mammals, including humans.

Topics: Aging; Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Animals, Newborn; Apoptosis; Calpain; Cell Count; Cerebellar Ataxia; Cerebellum; Enzyme Activation; Female; Humans; Intellectual Disability; Male; Mice, Knockout; Motor Activity; Muscle Spasticity; Mutation; Nuclear Proteins; Optic Atrophy; Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; Phosphorylation; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Purkinje Cells; Spinocerebellar Ataxias; Synaptic Transmission