Two single nucleotide polymorphisms in the human nescient helix-loop-helix 2 (NHLH2) gene reduce mRNA stability and DNA binding

Abstract

Nescient helix-loop-helix-2 (NHLH2) is a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, which has been implicated, using mouse knockouts, in adult body weight regulation and fertility. A scan of the known single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the NHLH2 gene revealed one in the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR), which lies within an AUUUA RNA stability motif. A second SNP is nonsynonymous within the coding region of NHLH2, and was found in a genome-wide association study for obesity. Both of these SNPs were examined for their effect on NLHL2 by creating mouse mimics and examining mRNA stability, and protein function in mouse hypothalamic cell lines. The 3′UTR SNP causes increased instability and, when the SNP-containing Nhlh2 3′UTR is attached to luciferase mRNA, reduced protein levels in cells. The nonsynonymous SNP at position 83 in the protein changes an alanine residue, conserved in NHLH2 orthologs through the Drosophila sp. to a proline residue. This change affects migration of the protein on an SDS-PAGE gel, and appears to alter secondary structure of the protein, as predicted using in silico methods. These results provide functional information on two rare human SNPs in the NHLH2 gene. One of these has been linked to human obese phenotypes, while the other is present in a relatively high proportion of individuals. Given their effects on NHLH2 protein levels, both SNPs deserve further analysis in whether they are causative and/or additive for human body weight and fertility phenotypes.