PURPOSE: Imbalances in protein homeostasis affect human brain development, with the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and autophagy playing crucial roles in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). This study explores the impact of biallelic USP14 variants on neurodevelopment, focusing on its role as a key hub connecting UPS and autophagy. METHODS: Here, we identified biallelic USP14 variants in four individuals from three unrelated families: one fetus, a newborn with a syndromic NDD, and two siblings affected by a progressive neurological disease. Specifically, the two siblings from the latter family carried two compound heterozygous variants c.8T>C p.(Leu3Pro) and c.988C>T p.(Arg330*), while the fetus had a homozygous frameshift c.899_902del p.(Lys300Serfs*24) variant and the newborn patient harbored a homozygous frameshift c.233_236del p.(Leu78Glnfs*11) variant. Functional studies were conducted using SDS-PAGE, Western blotting, and mass spectrometry analyses in both patient-derived and CRISPR-Cas-generated cells. RESULTS: Our investigations indicated that the USP14 variants correlated with reduced N-terminal methionine excision, along with profound alterations in proteasome, autophagy, and mitophagy activities. CONCLUSION: Biallelic USP14 variants in NDD patients perturbed protein degradation pathways, potentially contributing to disorder etiology. Altered UPS, autophagy, and mitophagy activities underscore the intricate interplay, elucidating their significance in maintaining proper protein homeostasis during brain development.
GrantsI-site Nantes Excellence Trajectory (NExT) Junior Talent Chair COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) German Research Foundation Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) - European Union National Institutes of Health National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) of the Ministry of Science and ICT European Research Area PerMed project