NDUFAF4 variants are associated with Leigh syndrome and cause a specific mitochondrial complex I assembly defect

Eur J Hum Genet. 2017 Nov;25(11):1273-1277. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2017.133. Epub 2017 Aug 30.

Abstract

Mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I consists of 44 different subunits and can be subgrouped into three functional modules: the Q-, the P- and the N-module. NDUFAF4 (C6ORF66) is an assembly factor of complex I that associates with assembly intermediates of the Q-module. Via exome sequencing, we identified a homozygous missense variant in a complex I-deficient patient with Leigh syndrome. Supercomplex analysis in patient fibroblasts revealed specifically altered stoichiometry. Detailed assembly analysis of complex I, indicative of all of its assembly routes, showed an accumulation of parts of the P- and the N-module but not the Q-module. Lentiviral complementation of patient fibroblasts with wild-type NDUFAF4 rescued complex I deficiency and the assembly defect, confirming the causal role of the variant. Our report on the second family affected by an NDUFAF4 variant further characterizes the phenotypic spectrum and sheds light into the role of NDUFAF4 in mitochondrial complex I biogenesis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / genetics*
  • Calmodulin-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Electron Transport Complex I / genetics
  • Electron Transport Complex I / metabolism
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism
  • Homozygote
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Leigh Disease / genetics*
  • Leigh Disease / pathology
  • Male
  • Mutation, Missense*
  • Protein Multimerization

Substances

  • Calmodulin-Binding Proteins
  • NDUFAF4 protein, human
  • Electron Transport Complex I