Mutations in Craniosynostosis Patients Cause Defective Interleukin-11 Receptor Maturation and Drive Craniosynostosis-like Disease in Mice

摘要

Summary Premature closure of the sutures that connect the cranial bones during development of the mammalian?skull results in a phenotype called craniosynostosis. Recently, several craniosynostosis patients with missense mutations within the gene encoding?the interleukin-11 receptor (IL-11R) have been described, but the underlying molecular mechanisms have remained elusive. IL-11 is a cytokine that has a crucial role in bone remodeling and activates cells via binding to the IL-11R. Here, we show that patient mutations prevented maturation of the IL-11R, resulting in endoplasmic reticulum retention and diminished cell surface appearance. Disruption of a conserved tryptophan-arginine zipper within the third domain of the IL-11R was the underlying cause of the defective maturation. IL-11 classic signaling via the membrane-bound receptor, but not IL-11 trans -signaling via the soluble receptor, was the crucial pathway for normal skull development in mice in?vivo . Thus, the specific therapeutic inhibition of IL-11 trans -signaling does not interfere with skull development.