Interaction between methionine synthase isoforms and MMACHC: characterization in cblG-variant, cblG and cblC inherited causes of megaloblastic anaemia

The cblG and cblC disorders of cobalamin (Cbl) metabolism are two inherited causes of megaloblastic anaemia. In cblG, mutations in methionine synthase (MTR) decrease conversion of hydroxocobalamin (HOCbl) to methylcobalamin, while in cblC, mutations in MMACHC disrupt formation of cob(II)alamin (detected as HOCbl). Cases with undetectable methionine synthase (MS) activity are extremely rare and classified as ‘cblG-variant'. In four ‘cblG-variant' cases, we observed a decreased conversion of cyanocobalamin to HOCbl that is also seen in cblC cases. To explore this observation, we studied the gene defects, splicing products and expression of MS, as well as MS/MMACHC protein interactions in cblG-variant, cblG, cblC and control fibroblasts. We observed a full-size MS encoded by MTR-001 and a 124 kDa truncated MS encoded by MTR-201 in cblG, cblC, control fibroblasts and HEK cells, but only the MTR-201 transcript and inactive truncated MS in cblG-variant cells. Co-immunoprecipitation and proximity ligation assay showed interaction between truncated MS and MMACHC in cblG-variant cells. This interaction decreased 2.2, 1.5 and 5.0-fold in the proximity ligation assay of cblC cells with p.R161Q and p.R206W mutations, and HEK cells with knock down expression of MS by siRNA, respectively, when compared with control cells. In 3D modelling and docking analysis, both truncated and full-size MS provide a loop anchored to MMACHC, which makes contacts with R-161 and R-206 residues. Our data suggest that the interaction of MS with MMACHC may play a role in the regulation of the cellular processing of Cbls that is required for Cbl cofactor synthesi