ZMPSTE24 is a human
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...
.
The
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...
encoded by this gene is a
metallopeptidase
A metalloproteinase, or metalloprotease, is any protease enzyme whose catalytic mechanism involves a metal. An example is ADAM12 which plays a significant role in the fusion of muscle cells during embryo development, in a process known as myogen ...
. It is involved in the processing of
lamin A.
Defects in the ZMPSTE24 gene lead to similar
laminopathies
Laminopathies ('' lamino-'' + '' -opathy'') are a group of rare genetic disorders caused by mutations in genes encoding proteins of the nuclear lamina. They are included in the more generic term ''nuclear envelopathies'' that was coined in 2000 fo ...
as defects in lamin A, because the latter is a substrate for the former.
In humans, a mutation abolishing the ZMPSTE24 cleavage site in
prelamin A causes a
progeroid disorder.
Failure to correctly process prelamin A leads to deficient ability to
repair DNA double-strand breaks.
As shown by Liu et al.,
lack of Zmpste24 prevents
lamin A
Pre-lamin A/C or lamin A/C is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''LMNA'' gene. Lamin A/C belongs to the lamin family of proteins.
Function
In the setting of ZMPSTE24 deficiency, the final step of lamin processing does not occur, res ...
formation from its precursor farnesyl-prelamin A. Lack of ZMPSTE24 causes progeroid phenotypes in mice and humans. This lack increases DNA damage and chromosome aberrations and sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents that cause double-strand breaks. Also, lack of ZMPSTE24 allows an increase in
non-homologous end joining
Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) is a pathway that repairs double-strand breaks in DNA. NHEJ is referred to as "non-homologous" because the break ends are directly ligated without the need for a homologous template, in contrast to homology direct ...
, but a deficiency in steps leading to
homologous recombination
Homologous recombination is a type of genetic recombination in which genetic information is exchanged between two similar or identical molecules of double-stranded or single-stranded nucleic acids (usually DNA as in cellular organisms but may ...
al DNA repair.
See also
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Progeria
Progeria is a specific type of progeroid syndrome, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome. A single gene mutation is responsible for progeria. The gene, known as lamin A (LMNA), makes a protein necessary for holding the Nucleus of the cell ...
*
Progeroid syndromes
References
External links
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