Nucleosomal association and altered interactome underlie the mechanism of cataract caused by the R54C mutation of αA-crystallin

Background: αA-crystallin plays an important role in eye lens development. Its N-terminal domain is implicated in several important biological functions. Mutations in certain conserved arginine residues in the N-terminal region of αA-crystallin lead to cataract with characteristic cytoplasmic/nuclear aggregation of the mutant protein. In this study, we attempt to gain mechanistic insights into the congenital cataract caused by the R54C mutation in human αA-crystallin.

Methods: We used several spectroscopic techniques to investigate the structure and function of the wild-type and R54CαA-crystallin. Immunoprecipitation, chromatin-enrichment followed by western blotting, immunofluorescence and cell-viability assay were performed to study the interaction partners, chromatin-association, stress-like response and cell-death caused by the mutant.

Results: Although R54CαA-crystallin exhibited slight changes in quaternary structure, its chaperone-like activity was comparable to that of wild-type. When expressed in lens epithelial cells, R54CαA-crystallin exhibited a speckled appearance in the nucleus rather than cytoplasmic localization. R54CαA-crystallin triggered a stress-like response, resulting in nuclear translocation of αB-crystallin, disassembly of cytoskeletal elements and activation of caspase 3, leading to apoptosis. Analysis of the "interactome" revealed an increase in interaction of the mutant protein with nucleosomal histones, and its association with chromatin.

Conclusions: The study shows that alteration of "interactome" and nucleosomal association, rather than loss of chaperone-like activity, is the molecular basis of cataract caused by the R54C mutation in αA-crystallin.

General significance: The study provides a novel mechanism of cataract caused by a mutant of αA-crystallin, and sheds light on the possible mechanism of stress and cell death caused by such nuclear inclusions.