TRPV4 disrupts mitochondrial transport and causes axonal degeneration via a CaMKII-dependent elevation of intracellular Ca².

Abstract

The cation channel transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is one of the few identified ion channels that can directly cause inherited neurodegeneration syndromes, but the molecular mechanisms are unknown. Here, we show that in vivo expression of a neuropathy-causing TRPV4 mutant (TRPV4^R269C) causes dose-dependent neuronal dysfunction and axonal degeneration, which are rescued by genetic or pharmacological blockade of TRPV4 channel activity. TRPV4^R269C triggers increased intracellular Ca²⁺ through a Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII)-mediated mechanism, and CaMKII inhibition prevents both increased intracellular Ca²⁺ and neurotoxicity in Drosophila and cultured primary mouse neurons. Importantly, TRPV4 activity impairs axonal mitochondrial transport, and TRPV4-mediated neurotoxicity is modulated by the Ca²⁺-binding mitochondrial GTPase Miro. Our data highlight an integral role for CaMKII in neuronal TRPV4-associated Ca²⁺ responses, the importance of tightly regulated Ca²⁺ dynamics for mitochondrial axonal transport, and the therapeutic promise of TRPV4 antagonists for patients with TRPV4-related neurodegenerative diseases.