Ocrl1, a PtdIns(4,5)P(2) 5-phosphatase, is localized to the trans-Golgi network of fibroblasts and epithelial cells.

PtdIns(4,5)P(2) and PtdIns(4,5)P(2) 5-phosphatases play important roles in diverse aspects of cell metabolism, including protein trafficking. However, the relative importance of the PtdIns(4,5)P(2) 5-phosphatases in regulating PtdIns(4,5)P(2) levels for specific cell processes is not well understood. Ocrl1 is a PtdIns(4,5)P(2) 5-phosphatase that is deficient in the oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe, a disorder characterized by defects in kidney and lens epithelial cells and mental retardation. Ocrl1 was originally localized to the Golgi in fibroblasts, but a subsequent report suggested a lysosomal localization in a kidney epithelial cell line. In this study we defined the localization of ocrl1 in fibroblasts and in two kidney epithelial cell lines by three methods: immunofluorescence, subcellular fractionation, and a dynamic perturbation assay with brefeldin A. We found that ocrl1 was a Golgi-localized protein in all three cell types and further identified it as a protein of the trans-Golgi network (TGN). The TGN is a major sorting site and has the specialized function in epithelial cells of directing proteins to the apical or basolateral domains. The epithelial cell phenotype in Lowe syndrome and the localization of ocrl1 to the TGN imply that this PtdIns(4,5)P(2) 5-phosphatase plays a role in trafficking. (J Histochem Cytochem 48:179-189, 2000)

Lowe syndrome, a deficiency of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate 5-phosphatase in the Golgi apparatus.

The oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe (OCRL) is an X-linked disorder characterized by congenital cataracts, renal tubular dysfunction and neurological deficits. The gene responsible for this disorder, OCRL-1, has been cloned and mutations identified in patients. The gene product (ocrl-1) has extensive sequence homology to a 75 kDa inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase. We report here that OCRL patients' fibroblasts show no abnormality in inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase activity, but are deficient in a phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2] 5-phosphatase activity localized to the Golgi apparatus. Direct biochemical diagnosis of this human disease should now be possible. PtdIns(4,5)P2 has been implicated in Golgi vesicular transport through its role in the regulation of ADP-ribosylation factor, phospholipase D and actin assembly in the cytoskeleton. The regulation of PtdIns(4,5)P2 levels by PtdIns(4,5)P2 5-phosphatase may, therefore, be important in the modulation of Golgi vesicular transport. Given that the primary defect in OCRL is a deficiency of a Golgi PtdIns(4,5)P2 phosphatase, we hypothesize that the disorder results from dysregulation of Golgi function and in this way causes developmental defects in the lens and abnormal renal and neurological function.

The oculocerebrorenal syndrome gene product is a 105-kD protein localized to the Golgi complex.

The oculocerebrorenal syndrome of Lowe (OCRL) is a multisystem disorder affecting the lens, kidney, and CNS. The predicted amino acid sequence of the OCRL gene, OCRL-1, was used to develop antibodies against the OCRL-1 protein. Western blot analysis using affinity-purified serum against the amino terminus of the OCRL-1 gene product (ocrl-1) demonstrates a single protein of 105 kD in fibroblasts of a normal individual that is absent in fibroblasts of an OCRL patient who lacks OCRL-1 transcript. A single protein with the same electrophoretic mobility is found by western analysis in various human cultured cell lines, and approximately the same size protein is also found in all mouse tissues tested. Northern analysis of various human and mouse tissues demonstrate that OCRL-1 transcript is expressed in nearly all tissues examined. By immunofluorescence, the ocrl-1 antibody stains a juxtanuclear region in normal fibroblast cells, while no specific staining is evident in the OCRL patient who produces no transcript. Colocalization of the ocrl-1 protein to the Golgi complex was demonstrated using a known monoclonal antibody against a Golgi-specific coat protein, beta-COP (beta coatomer protein).