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Glycine decarboxylase deficiency-induced motor dysfunction in zebrafish is rescued by counterbalancing glycine synaptic level

Riche, R; Liao, M; Pena, IA; Leung, KY; Lepage, N; Greene, NDE; Sarafoglou, K; ... Samarut, E; + view all (2018) Glycine decarboxylase deficiency-induced motor dysfunction in zebrafish is rescued by counterbalancing glycine synaptic level. JCI Insight , 3 (21) , Article e124642. 10.1172/jci.insight.124642. Green open access

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Abstract

Glycine encephalopathy (GE), or nonketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH), is a rare recessive genetic disease caused by defective glycine cleavage and characterized by increased accumulation of glycine in all tissues. Here, based on new case reports of GLDC loss-of-function mutations in GE patients, we aimed to generate a zebrafish model of severe GE in order to unravel the molecular mechanism of the disease. Using CRISPR/Cas9, we knocked out the gldc gene and showed that gldc–/– fish recapitulate GE on a molecular level and present a motor phenotype reminiscent of severe GE symptoms. The molecular characterization of gldc–/– mutants showed a broad metabolic disturbance affecting amino acids and neurotransmitters other than glycine, with lactic acidosis at stages preceding death. Although a transient imbalance was found in cell proliferation in the brain of gldc–/– zebrafish, the main brain networks were not affected, thus suggesting that GE pathogenicity is mainly due to metabolic defects. We confirmed that the gldc–/– hypotonic phenotype is due to NMDA and glycine receptor overactivation, and demonstrated that gldc–/– larvae depict exacerbated hyperglycinemia at these synapses. Remarkably, we were able to rescue the motor dysfunction of gldc–/– larvae by counterbalancing pharmacologically or genetically the level of glycine at the synapse.

Type: Article
Title: Glycine decarboxylase deficiency-induced motor dysfunction in zebrafish is rescued by counterbalancing glycine synaptic level
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.124642
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.124642
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL GOS Institute of Child Health > Developmental Biology and Cancer Dept
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10065638
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