Nanodysferlins support membrane repair and binding to TRIM72/MG53 but do not localize to t-tubules or stabilize Ca2+ signaling

Mutations in the gene, encoding the protein dysferlin, lead to several forms of muscular dystrophy. In healthy skeletal muscle, dysferlin concentrates in the transverse tubules and is involved in repairing the sarcolemma and stabilizing Ca signaling after membrane disruption. The gene encodes 7–8 C2 domains, several Fer and Dysf domains, and a C-terminal transmembrane sequence. Because its coding sequence is too large to package in adeno-associated virus, the full-length sequence is not amendable to current gene delivery methods. Thus, we have examined smaller versions of dysferlin, termed “nanodysferlins,” designed to eliminate several C2 domains, specifically C2 domains D, E, and F; B, D, and E; and B, D, E, and F. We also generated a variant by replacing eight amino acids in C2G in the nanodysferlin missing domains D through F. We electroporated dysferlin-null A/J mouse myofibers with Venus fusion constructs of these variants, or as untagged nanodysferlins together with GFP, to mark transfected fibers We found that, although these nanodysferlins failed to concentrate in transverse tubules, three of them supported membrane repair after laser wounding while all four bound the membrane repair protein, TRIM72/MG53, similar to WT dysferlin. By contrast, they failed to suppress Ca waves after myofibers were injured by mild hypoosmotic shock. Our results suggest that the internal C2 domains of dysferlin are required for normal t-tubule localization and Ca signaling and that membrane repair does not require these C2 domains.