Telangiectasia-ectodermal dysplasia-brachydactyly-cardiac anomaly syndrome is caused by de novo mutations in protein kinase D1

Brain calcification in congenital heart defects and ectodermal dysplasia (CHDED)

Congenital Heart Defect and Ectodermal Dysplasia (CHDED) is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by the PRKD1 gene. CHDED is characterized by heart defects and ectodermal dysplasia. To date, eight patients with CHDED have been described. Calcifications were present in three patients with CHDED. (two patients; renal calcifications, one patient; brain calcifications). The organ distribution of calcifications in CHDED has been unclear. We report here another patient with CHDED and brain calcifications. The patient was a 9-month-old Japanese girl. She presented with heart defects and ectodermal dysplasia. At 6 months of age, she had generalized seizures, and a CT scan revealed calcifications in the bilateral deep cerebral white matter. The seizures resolved with the administration of levetiracetam. The patient had a de novo, heterozygous pathogenic variant, c.1808G > A, p.(Arg603His), in the PRKD1 gene. Together with the previously reported patients mentioned above, we demonstrated the role of the PRKD1 variant in brain calcification. We propose that PRKD1 and two genes, ITGB2 and JAM2, which are known to be associated with brain calcification, act through a common signaling pathway abnormality. In support of our hypothesis, there are some experimental results that link PRKD1 and JAM2. PRKD1 functions with the integrin ITGB2 as a partner. JAM2, which is associated with brain calcification and is critical for maintaining of the tight junction of the endothelial cells, interacts with integrins including ITGB2. Therefore, PRKD1 could lead to the pathological phenotype of brain calcification.

Getting smart - Deciphering the neuronal functions of protein kinase D

Protein kinase D (PKD) is a family of serine/threonine kinases that play important roles in various signalling pathways in cells, including neuronal cells. In the nervous system, PKD has been shown to be involved in learning and memory formation by regulating neurotransmitter release, neurite outgrowth and dendrite development, synapse formation and synaptic plasticity. In addition, PKD has been implicated in pain perception or neuroprotection during oxidative stress. Dysregulation of PKD expression and activity has been linked to several neurological disorders, including autism and epilepsy. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on the function of the PKD family members in neuronal cells, including the spatial regulation of their downstream signalling pathways. We will further discuss the potential role of PKD in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders.

Effect of deletion of the protein kinase PRKD1 on development of the mouse embryonic heart

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common congenital anomaly, with an overall incidence of approximately 1% in the United Kingdom. Exome sequencing in large CHD cohorts has been performed to provide insights into the genetic aetiology of CHD. This includes a study of 1891 probands by our group in collaboration with others, which identified three novel genes-CDK13, PRKD1, and CHD4, in patients with syndromic CHD. PRKD1 encodes a serine/threonine protein kinase, which is important in a variety of fundamental cellular functions. Individuals with a heterozygous mutation in PRKD1 may have facial dysmorphism, ectodermal dysplasia and may have CHDs such as pulmonary stenosis, atrioventricular septal defects, coarctation of the aorta and bicuspid aortic valve. To obtain a greater appreciation for the role that this essential protein kinase plays in cardiogenesis and CHD, we have analysed a Prkd1 transgenic mouse model (Prkd1em1) carrying deletion of exon 2, causing loss of function. High-resolution episcopic microscopy affords detailed morphological 3D analysis of the developing heart and provides evidence for an essential role of Prkd1 in both normal cardiac development and CHD. We show that homozygous deletion of Prkd1 is associated with complex forms of CHD such as atrioventricular septal defects, and bicuspid aortic and pulmonary valves, and is lethal. Even in heterozygotes, cardiac differences occur. However, given that 97% of Prkd1 heterozygous mice display normal heart development, it is likely that one normal allele is sufficient, with the defects seen most likely to represent sporadic events. Moreover, mRNA and protein expression levels were investigated by RT-qPCR and western immunoblotting, respectively. A significant reduction in Prkd1 mRNA levels was seen in homozygotes, but not heterozygotes, compared to WT littermates. While a trend towards lower PRKD1 protein expression was seen in the heterozygotes, the difference was only significant in the homozygotes. There was no compensation by the related Prkd2 and Prkd3 at transcript level, as evidenced by RT-qPCR. Overall, we demonstrate a vital role of Prkd1 in heart development and the aetiology of CHD.

PRKD1-related telangiectasia-ectodermal dysplasia-brachydactyly-cardiac anomaly syndrome: Case report and review of the literature

Telangiectasia-ectodermal dysplasia-brachydactyly-cardiac anomaly (TEBC) syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant condition, recently linked to the protein kinase D1 (PRKD1) gene. The phenotype of TEBC remains incomplete at this point. Our aim is to improve the characterization of the clinical and molecular aspects of the TEBC syndrome. We report on the 8th patient carrying a heterozygous de novo variation of PRKD1 c.2134G > A, p. (Val712Met) identified by trio exome sequencing. The proband presents with partial atrioventricular septal defect, brachydactyly, ectodermal dysplasia, telangiectasia that developed in childhood, intellectual disability with microcephaly, multicystic renal dysplasia and moderate hormonal resistance. In view of this 8th description and review of the literature, it appears that neurodevelopmental disorders and microcephaly are frequently associated with PRKD1 missense variants, adding to the four main clinical signs described initially in the TEBC syndrome. Further descriptions are required to confirm the observed endocrine and kidney abnormalities. This should contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the phenotypic spectrum and may help establish genotype-phenotype correlations. In the context of genotype-first strategy, accurate patient descriptions are fundamental. Characterization of specific syndromic associations is essential for variant interpretation support and patient follow-up, even in very rare diseases, such as the TEBC syndrome.

Protein kinase D1 - A targetable mediator of pancreatic cancer development

Members of the Protein kinase D (PKD) kinase family each play important cell-specific roles in the regulation of normal pancreas functions. In pancreatic diseases PKD1 is the most widely characterized isoform with roles in pancreatitis and in induction of pancreatic cancer and its progression. PKD1 expression and activation increases in pancreatic acinar cells through macrophage secreted factors, Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) signaling, and reactive oxygen species (ROS), driving the formation of precancerous lesions. In precancerous lesions PKD1 regulates cell survival, growth, senescence, and generation of doublecortin like kinase 1 (DCLK1)-positive cancer stem cells (CSCs). Within tumors, regulation by PKD1 includes chemoresistance, apoptosis, proliferation, CSC features, and the Warburg effect. Thus, PKD1 plays a critical role throughout pancreatic disease initiation and progression.

Increased intracranial pressure in a patient with Congenital Heart Defect and Ectodermal Dysplasia (CHDED): Extension of phenotype and review of literature

Congenital heart defect (CHD) is a birth defect that affects the structure of the heart. Although CHD is often multifactorial, it can also be inherited as part of a Mendelian disorder such as in congenital heart defect and ectodermal dysplasia (CHDED). This disorder is caused by de novo variants in PRKD1. Here, we describe a patient with a novel de novo variant of PRKD1 with phenotypic features consistent with CHDED. Previously unreported features were noted including high intracranial pressure (ICP), partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR), and bifid uvula. We suggest that these features may be associated with CHDED.

Decoding the Cardiac Actions of Protein Kinase D Isoforms

Protein kinase D (PKD) consists of a family of three structurally related enzymes that play key roles in a wide range of biological functions that contribute to the evolution of cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. PKD1 (the founding member of this enzyme family) has been implicated in the phosphorylation of substrates that regulate cardiac hypertrophy, contraction, and susceptibility to ischemia/reperfusion injury, and de novo PRKD1 (protein kinase D1 gene) mutations have been identified in patients with syndromic congenital heart disease. However, cardiomyocytes coexpress all three PKDs. Although stimulus-specific activation patterns for PKD1, PKD2, and PKD3 have been identified in cardiomyocytes, progress toward identifying PKD isoform-specific functions in the heart have been hampered by significant gaps in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate PKD activity. This review incorporates recent conceptual breakthroughs in our understanding of various alternative mechanisms for PKD activation, with an emphasis on recent evidence that PKDs activate certain effector responses as dimers, to consider the role of PKD isoforms in signaling pathways that drive cardiac hypertrophy and ischemia/reperfusion injury. The focus is on whether the recently identified activation mechanisms that enhance the signaling repertoire of PKD family enzymes provide novel therapeutic strategies to target PKD enzymes and prevent or slow the evolution of cardiac injury and pathological cardiac remodeling. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: PKD isoforms regulate a large number of fundamental biological processes, but the understanding of the biological actions of individual PKDs (based upon studies using adenoviral overexpression or gene-silencing methods) remains incomplete. This review focuses on dimerization, a recently identified mechanism for PKD activation, and the notion that this mechanism provides a strategy to develop novel PKD-targeted pharmaceuticals that restrict proliferation, invasion, or angiogenesis in cancer and prevent or slow the evolution of cardiac injury and pathological cardiac remodeling.

A zebrafish forward genetic screen identifies an indispensable threonine residue in the kinase domain of PRKD2

Protein kinase D2 belongs to a family of evolutionarily conserved enzymes regulating several biological processes. In a forward genetic screen for zebrafish cardiovascular mutants, we identified a mutation in the prkd2 gene. Homozygous mutant embryos develop as wild type up to 36 h post-fertilization and initiate blood flow, but fail to maintain it, resulting in a complete outflow tract stenosis. We identified a mutation in the prkd2 gene that results in a T757A substitution at a conserved residue in the kinase domain activation loop (T714A in human PRKD2) that disrupts catalytic activity and drives this phenotype. Homozygous mutants survive without circulation for several days, allowing us to study the extreme phenotype of no intracardiac flow, in the background of a functional heart. We show dysregulation of atrioventricular and outflow tract markers in the mutants and higher sensitivity to the Calcineurin inhibitor, Cyclosporin A. Finally we identify TBX5 as a potential regulator of PRKD2. Our results implicate PRKD2 catalytic activity in outflow tract development in zebrafish.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

Summary: We identified, through a zebrafish forward screen, an evolutionarily conserved residue in the catalytic domain of protein kinase D2 and its homologues.