Manganese transporter Slc39a14 deficiency revealed its key role in maintaining manganese homeostasis in mice

• Published in: Cell discovery Vol. 3; no. 1; p. 17025
• Main Authors: Xin, Yongjuan, Gao, Hong, Wang, Jia, Qiang, Yuzhen, Imam, Mustapha Umar, Li, Yang, Wang, Jianyao, Zhang, Ruochen, Zhang, Huizhen, Yu, Yingying, Wang, Hao, Luo, Haiyang, Shi, Changhe, Xu, Yuming, Hojyo, Shintaro, Fukada, Toshiyuki, Min, Junxia, Wang, Fudi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Springer Nature B.V 18.07.2017; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: Basal ganglia; Bile; Central nervous system diseases; Children; Dystonia; Excretion; Hepatocytes; Homeostasis; Iron; Liver; Manganese; Motor task performance; Movement disorders; Pancreas; Rodents; Toxicity; Slc39a14; Zip14; metal homeostasis; parkinsonism dystonia; manganese
• ISSN: 2056-5968; 2056-5968
• DOI: 10.1038/celldisc.2017.25

SLC39A14 (also known as ZIP14), a member of the SLC39A transmembrane metal transporter family, has been reported to mediate the cellular uptake of iron and zinc. Recently, however, mutations in the gene have been linked to manganese (Mn) accumulation in the brain and childhood-onset parkinsonism dystonia. It has therefore been suggested that deficiency impairs hepatic Mn uptake and biliary excretion, resulting in the accumulation of Mn in the circulation and brain. To test this hypothesis, we generated and characterized global -knockout ( ) mice and hepatocyte-specific -knockout ( ) mice. mice develop markedly increased Mn concentrations in the brain and several extrahepatic tissues, as well as motor deficits that can be rescued by treatment with the metal chelator Na CaEDTA. In contrast, mice do not accumulate Mn in the brain or other extrahepatic tissues and do not develop motor deficits, indicating that the loss of expression selectively in hepatocytes is not sufficient to cause Mn accumulation. Interestingly, mice fed a high Mn diet have increased Mn levels in the serum, brain and pancreas, but not in the liver. Taken together, our results indicate that mice develop brain Mn accumulation and motor deficits that cannot be explained by a loss of expression in hepatocytes. These findings provide insight into the physiological role that SLC39A14 has in maintaining Mn homeostasis. Our tissue-specific -knockout mouse model can serve as a valuable tool for further dissecting the organ-specific role of SLC39A14 in regulating the body's susceptibility to Mn toxicity.