Wednesday, December 10, 2025

ANKLE2 autosomal recessive congenital microcephaly

Inspired by sibling patients

Fishburn AT, Florio CJ, Lopez NJ, Link NL, Shah PS. Molecular functions of ANKLE2 and its implications in human disease. Dis Model Mech. 2024 Apr 1;17(4):dmm050554. doi: 10.1242/dmm.050554. Epub 2024 May 1. PMID: 38691001; PMCID: PMC11103583.

Abstract

Ankyrin repeat and LEM domain-containing 2 (ANKLE2) is a scaffolding protein with established roles in cell division and development, the dysfunction of which is increasingly implicated in human disease. ANKLE2 regulates nuclear envelope disassembly at the onset of mitosis and its reassembly after chromosome segregation. ANKLE2 dysfunction is associated with abnormal nuclear morphology and cell division. It regulates the nuclear envelope by mediating protein-protein interactions with barrier to autointegration factor (BANF1; also known as BAF) and with the kinase and phosphatase that modulate the phosphorylation state of BAF. In brain development, ANKLE2 is crucial for proper asymmetric division of neural progenitor cells. In humans, pathogenic loss-of-function mutations in ANKLE2 are associated with primary congenital microcephaly, a condition in which the brain is not properly developed at birth. ANKLE2 is also linked to other disease pathologies, including congenital Zika syndrome, cancer and tauopathy. Here, we review the molecular roles of ANKLE2 and the recent literature on human diseases caused by its dysfunction.

Fishburn AT, Florio CJ, Klaessens TN, Prince B, Adia NAB, Lopez NJ, Beesabathuni NS, Becker SS, Cherkashchenko L, Haggard Arcé ST, Hoang V, Shiu TN, Richardson RB, Evans MJ, Rückert C, Shah PS. Microcephaly protein ANKLE2 promotes Zika virus replication. mBio. 2025 Feb 5;16(2):e0268324. doi: 10.1128/mbio.02683-24. Epub 2025 Jan 13. PMID: 39804047; PMCID: PMC11796389.

Abstract

Orthoflaviviruses are positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses that hijack host proteins to promote their own replication. Zika virus (ZIKV) is infamous among orthoflaviviruses for its association with severe congenital birth defects, notably microcephaly. We previously mapped ZIKV-host protein interactions and identified the interaction between ZIKV non-structural protein 4A (NS4A) and host microcephaly protein ankyrin repeat and LEM domain-containing 2 (ANKLE2). Using a fruit fly model, we showed that NS4A induced microcephaly in an ANKLE2-dependent manner. Here, we explore the role of ANKLE2 in ZIKV replication to understand the biological significance of the interaction from a viral perspective. We observe that ANKLE2 localization is drastically shifted to sites of NS4A accumulation during infection and that knockout of ANKLE2 reduces ZIKV replication in multiple human cell lines. This decrease in virus replication is coupled with a moderate increase in innate immune activation. Using microscopy, we observe dysregulated formation of virus-induced endoplasmic reticulum rearrangements in ANKLE2 knockout cells. Knockdown of the ANKLE2 ortholog in Aedes aegypti cells also decreases virus replication, suggesting ANKLE2 is a beneficial replication factor across hosts. Finally, we show that NS4A from four other orthoflaviviruses physically interacts with ANKLE2 and is also beneficial to their replication. Thus, ANKLE2 likely promotes orthoflavivirus replication by regulating membrane rearrangements that serve to accelerate viral genome replication and protect viral dsRNA from immune detection. Taken together with our previous results, our findings indicate that ZIKV and other orthoflaviviruses hijack ANKLE2 for a conserved role in replication, and this drives unique pathogenesis for ZIKV since ANKLE2 has essential roles in developing tissues.IMPORTANCEZIKV is a major concern due to its association with birth defects, including microcephaly. We previously identified a physical interaction between ZIKV NS4A and host microcephaly protein ANKLE2. Mutations in ANKLE2 cause congenital microcephaly, and NS4A induces microcephaly in an ANKLE2-dependent manner. Here, we establish the role of ANKLE2 in ZIKV replication. Depletion of ANKLE2 from cells significantly reduces ZIKV replication and disrupts virus-induced membrane rearrangements. ANKLE2's ability to promote ZIKV replication is conserved in mosquito cells and for other related mosquito-borne orthoflaviviruses. Our data point to an overall model in which ANKLE2 regulates virus-induced membrane rearrangements to accelerate orthoflavivirus replication and avoid immune detection. However, ANKLE2's unique role in ZIKV NS4A-induced microcephaly is a consequence of ZIKV infection of important developing tissues in which ANKLE2 has essential roles.

Shaheen R, Maddirevula S, Ewida N, Alsahli S, Abdel-Salam GMH, Zaki MS, Tala SA, Alhashem A, Softah A, Al-Owain M, Alazami AM, Abadel B, Patel N, Al-Sheddi T, Alomar R, Alobeid E, Ibrahim N, Hashem M, Abdulwahab F, Hamad M, Tabarki B, Alwadei AH, Alhazzani F, Bashiri FA, Kentab A, Şahintürk S, Sherr E, Fregeau B, Sogati S, Alshahwan SAM, Alkhalifi S, Alhumaidi Z, Temtamy S, Aglan M, Otaify G, Girisha KM, Tulbah M, Seidahmed MZ, Salih MA, Abouelhoda M, Momin AA, Saffar MA, Partlow JN, Arold ST, Faqeih E, Walsh C, Alkuraya FS. Genomic and phenotypic delineation of congenital microcephaly. Genet Med. 2019 Mar;21(3):545-552. doi: 10.1038/s41436-018-0140-3. Epub 2018 Sep 14. PMID: 30214071; PMCID: PMC6986385.

Abstract

Purpose: Congenital microcephaly (CM) is an important birth defect with long term neurological sequelae. We aimed to perform detailed phenotypic and genomic analysis of patients with Mendelian forms of CM.

Methods: Clinical phenotyping, targeted or exome sequencing, and autozygome analysis.

Results: We describe 150 patients (104 families) with 56 Mendelian forms of CM. Our data show little overlap with the genetic causes of postnatal microcephaly. We also show that a broad definition of primary microcephaly -as an autosomal recessive form of nonsyndromic CM with severe postnatal deceleration of occipitofrontal circumference-is highly sensitive but has a limited specificity. In addition, we expand the overlap between primary microcephaly and microcephalic primordial dwarfism both clinically (short stature in >52% of patients with primary microcephaly) and molecularly (e.g., we report the first instance of CEP135-related microcephalic primordial dwarfism). We expand the allelic and locus heterogeneity of CM by reporting 37 novel likely disease-causing variants in 27 disease genes, confirming the candidacy of ANKLE2, YARS, FRMD4A, and THG1L, and proposing the candidacy of BPTF, MAP1B, CCNH, and PPFIBP1.

Conclusion: Our study refines the phenotype of CM, expands its genetics heterogeneity, and informs the workup of children born with this developmental brain defect.

Naveed M, Kazmi SK, Amin M, Asif Z, Islam U, Shahid K, Tehreem S. Comprehensive review on the molecular genetics of autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH). Genet Res (Camb). 2018 Aug 8;100:e7. doi: 10.1017/S0016672318000046. PMID: 30086807; PMCID: PMC6865151.

Abstract

Primary microcephaly (MCPH) is an autosomal recessive sporadic neurodevelopmental ailment with a trivial head size characteristic that is below 3-4 standard deviations. MCPH is the smaller upshot of an architecturally normal brain; a significant decrease in size is seen in the cerebral cortex. At birth MCPH presents with non-progressive mental retardation, while secondary microcephaly (onset after birth) presents with and without other syndromic features. MCPH is a neurogenic mitotic syndrome nevertheless pretentious patients demonstrate normal neuronal migration, neuronal apoptosis and neural function. Eighteen MCPH loci (MCPH1-MCPH18) have been mapped to date from various populations around the world and contain the following genes: Microcephalin, WDR62, CDK5RAP2, CASC5, ASPM, CENPJ, STIL, CEP135, CEP152, ZNF335, PHC1, CDK6, CENPE, SASS6, MFSD2A, ANKLE2, CIT and WDFY3, clarifying our understanding about the molecular basis of microcephaly genetic disorder. It has previously been reported that phenotype disease is caused by MCB gene mutations and the causes of this phenotype are disarrangement of positions and organization of chromosomes during the cell cycle as a result of mutated DNA, centriole duplication, neurogenesis, neuronal migration, microtubule dynamics, transcriptional control and the cell cycle checkpoint having some invisible centrosomal process that can manage the number of neurons that are produced by neuronal precursor cells. Furthermore, researchers inform us about the clinical management of families that are suffering from MCPH. Establishment of both molecular understanding and genetic advocating may help to decrease the rate of this ailment. This current review study examines newly identified genes along with previously identified genes involved in autosomal recessive MCPH.

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