C. elegans VWA-8 (von Willebrand factor A (VWA) domain containing protein 8) is a member of a conserved protein family composed of three AAA ATPase domains followed by a VWA domain. The AAA (ATPase associated with diverse cellular activities) ATPase domain is involved in cellular processes ranging from proteolysis, DNA replication and others. VWA8 family proteins are likely to be mitochondrial, and tentatively linked to bipolar and migraine (1-2). However, their in vivo roles are not yet known. To understand the function of VWA-8/VWA8, we have begun to characterize
vwa-8 gene expression and its loss of function mutations. We find that the
vwa-8 gene encodes two main isoforms: a long isoform containing all four domains, and a short isoform lacking the VWA domain.
vwa-8 null mutants are indistinguishable from wild type in gross phenotypes such as brood size, growth rate, movement and neuronal morphology. As mitochondrial function has been linked to axon regrowth (3-4), we tested whether
vwa-8 mutants affect axon regeneration. Single
vwa-8(null) mutants show WT-like axon regeneration. We are currently testing if
vwa-8 could have redundant function or interact with other genes. Our preliminary data suggest that
vwa-8 may affect axon regeneration as a novel regulator. References: 1. Luo M, et al., BBRC, 2017 2. Oedegaard KJ, et al., Genes, Brain and Behavior, 2010 3. Knowlton W, et al., Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2017 4. Han SM, et al., Neuron, 2016