Structural and functional analyses of Barth syndrome-causing mutations and alternative splicing in the tafazzin acyltransferase domain

Abstract

Tafazzin is a mitochondrial phospholipid transacylase, and its mutations cause Barth syndrome (BTHS). Human tafazzin gene produces four distinct alternatively spliced transcripts. To understand the molecular mechanisms of tafazzin deficiency, we performed an atomic resolution analysis of the influence of the BTHS mutations and of alternative splicing on the structure and function of tafazzin. From the three-dimensional (3D) homology modeling of tafazzin, we identified candidate amino acid residues that contribute to cardiolipin binding and to mitochondrial membrane associations that facilitate acyl-transfer reactions. Primate specific exon 5, which is alternatively spliced, is predicted to correspond to an intrinsically unstructured region in the protein. We proposed that this region should change the substrate-binding affinity and/or contribute to primate-specific molecular interactions. Exon 7, another alternatively spliced exon, encodes a region forming a part of the putative substrate-binding cleft, suggesting that the gene products lacking exon 7 will lose their substrate-binding ability. We demonstrate a clear localization of the BTHS mutations at residues responsible for membrane association, substrate binding, and the conformational stability of tafazzin. These findings provide new insights into the function of defective tafazzin and the pathogenesis of BTHS at the level of protein 3D structure and the evolution of alternatively spliced exons in primates.

Highlights

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  We predicted a 3D structure model of tafazzin with reasonable reliability.

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  The model structure accounts for differences in function of splice variants.

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  The exon acquired in the primate lineage encodes an intrinsically unstructured region.

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  The mutations associated with Barth syndrome were found on functionally important residues of tafazzin.