Plasma PPi Deficiency Is the Major, but Not the Exclusive, Cause of Ectopic Mineralization in an Abcc6(-/-) Mouse Model of PXE.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-1-2017

Keywords

ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters, Animals, Biopsy, Needle, Calcinosis, Disease Models, Animal, Gene Expression Regulation, Humans, Immunohistochemistry, Inorganic Pyrophosphatase, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Transgenic, Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases, Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum, Pyrophosphatases, Random Allocation, Sensitivity and Specificity, Up-Regulation

JAX Source

J Invest Dermatol 2017 Nov; 137(11):2336-2343.

Volume

137

Issue

11

First Page

2336

Last Page

2343

ISSN

1523-1747

PMID

28652107

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2017.06.006

Abstract

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE), a prototype of heritable ectopic mineralization disorders, is caused in most cases by inactivating mutations in the ABCC6 gene. It was recently discovered that absence of ABCC6-mediated adenosine triphosphate release from the liver and consequently reduced plasma inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) levels underlie PXE. This study examined whether reduced levels of circulating PPi, an antimineralization factor, is the sole mechanism of PXE. The Abcc6(-/-) and Enpp1(asj) mice were crossed with transgenic mice expressing human ENPP1, an ectonucleotidase that generates PPi from adenosine triphosphate. We generated Abcc6(-/-) and Enpp1(asj) mice, either wild-type or hemizygous for human ENPP1. Plasma levels of PPi and the degree of ectopic mineralization were determined. Overexpression of human ENPP1 in Enpp1(asj) mice normalized plasma PPi levels to that of wild-type mice and, consequently, completely prevented ectopic mineralization. These changes were accompanied by restoration of their bone microarchitecture. In contrast, although significantly reduced mineralization was noted in Abcc6(-/-) mice expressing human ENPP1, small mineralization foci were still evident despite increased plasma PPi levels. These results suggest that PPi is the major mediator of ectopic mineralization in PXE, but there might be an alternative, as yet unknown mechanism, independent of PPi, by which ABCC6 prevents ectopic mineralization under physiologic conditions. J Invest Dermatol 2017 Nov; 137(11):2336-2343.

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