S.Kjaer
et al.
(2010).
Mammal-restricted elements predispose human RET to folding impairment by HSCR mutations.
Nat Struct Biol,
17,
726-731.
PubMed id: 20473317
Mammal-restricted elements predispose human RET to folding impairment by HSCR mutations.
S.Kjaer,
S.Hanrahan,
N.Totty,
N.Q.McDonald.
ABSTRACT
The maturation of human RET is adversely affected by a range of missense
mutations found in patients with Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR), a complex
multigenic disease. Here we show that two N-terminal cadherin-like domains, CLD1
and CLD2 (CLD(1-2)), from human RET adopt a clam-shell arrangement distinct from
that of classical cadherins. CLD1 structural elements and disulfide composition
are unique to mammals, indicating an unexpected structural diversity within
higher and lower vertebrate RET CLD regions. We identify two unpaired cysteines
that predispose human RET to maturation impediments in the endoplasmic reticulum
and establish a quantitative cell-based RET maturation assay that offers a
biochemical correlate of HSCR disease severity. Our findings provide a key
conceptual framework and means of testing and predicting genotype-phenotype
correlations in HSCR.