UCSF

Mutations in the FKBP14 gene encoding FKBP22 (FK506 Binding Protein 22 kDa) cause kyphoscoliotic Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (kEDS). The first clinical report showed that a lack of FKBP22 protein due to mutations causing nonsense-mediated decay of the mRNA leads to a wide spectrum of clinical phenotypes including progressive kyphoscoliosis, joint hypermobility, hypotonia, hyperelastic skin, hearing loss and aortic rupture. Our previous work showed that these phenotypic features could be correlated with the functions of FKBP22, which preferentially binds to type III, VI and X collagens, but not to type I, II or V collagens. We also showed that FKBP22 catalyzed the folding of type III collagen through its prolyl isomerase activity and acted as a molecular chaperone for type III collagen. Recently, a novel missense mutation Met48Lys in FKBP22 was identified in a patient with kEDS. In this report, we expand the list of substrates of FKBP22 and also demonstrate that the Met48Lys mutation diminishes the activities of FKBP22, indicating that pathology can arise from absence of FKBP22, or partial loss of its function.