Abstract

Previous family studies revealed a large number of calpain 3 (CAPN3) mutations that cause recessive forms of limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD2A) with selective atrophy of the proximal limb muscles. Correlations between the nature and site of a particular mutation and its corresponding phenotype, however, can only be established from homozygous mutations, which are particularly rare in the alternatively spliced NS, IS1 and IS2 regions of CAPN3. Here we identified a sibling pair with LGMD2A-type muscular dystrophy caused by a homozygous Ser606Leu (S606L) substitution in the IS2 linker domain. Normal protein levels, unaltered myofibrillar targeting and conserved calcium-induced autocatalytic activity of the mutated protein could be demonstrated in muscle biopsies from one patient. Despite this inconspicuous modification of the IS2 linker between domains III and IV, both patients developed signs and symptoms of the disease within their second decade of life. The unexpected severity of the clinical manifestation points to the high relevance of the calpain 3-specific IS2 segment between domains III and IV. We conclude that the structural motif around the Ser606 residue represents an important functional site that may regulate the transient activation and limited proteolysis of calpain 3.