Lysosomal dysfunction, autophagic defects, and CLN5 accumulation underlie the pathogenesis of KCTD7-mutated neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses

Lysosomes are essential catabolic organelles responsible for the degradation of biomacromolecules into low-molecular-weight materials for subsequent reuse. Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs) are a group of fatal neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorders characterized by the intracellular accumulation of lipoprotein aggregates (called ceroid lipofuscin) in neurons and other tissues. Mutations in KCTD7, which encodes a substrate-binding adaptor for the CUL3-RING E3 (CRL3) ubiquitin ligase complex, are categorized as a unique NCL subtype. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the KCTD7-mutated NCLs remain unclear. In our recent study, we showed that KCTD7 deficiency leads to the accumulation of lysosomal storage deposits owing to lysosomal dysfunction and macroautophagic/autophagic defects. We identified CLN5 as an authentic substrate of CRL3-KCTD7 E3s. Wild-type KCTD7 targets CLN5 for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, whereas NCL patient-derived KCTD7 mutations disrupt the interaction between KCTD7-CUL3 or KCTD7-CLN5 and ultimately lead to excessive CLN5 accumulation in the endoplasmic reticulum. Accumulated CLN5 disrupts the interaction between CLN6-CLN8 and lysosomal enzymes, leading to impaired ER-to-Golgi trafficking of lysosomal enzymes. Thus, our findings indicate that KCTD7 is a key player in maintaining lysosomal and autophagic homeostasis and demonstrate that KCTD7 and CLN5, two NCL causative genes, are biochemically linked and function in a common neurodegenerative pathway.