Loss of Tmem30a leads to photoreceptor degeneration

Phosphatidylserine (PS) is asymmetrically distributed between the outer and inner leaflets of the plasma membrane in eukaryotic cells. PS asymmetry on the plasma membrane depends on the activities of P4-ATPases, and disruption of PS distribution can lead to various disease conditions. Folding and transporting of P4-ATPases to their cellular destination requires the beta subunit TMEM30A proteins. However, the in vivo functions of Tmem30a remain unknown. To this end, we generated retinal-specific Tmem30a-knockout mice to investigate its roles in vivo for the first time. Our data demonstrated that loss of Tmem30a in mouse cone cells leads to mislocalization of cone opsin, loss of photopic electroretinogram (ERG) responses and loss of cone cells. Mechanistically, Tmem30a-mutant mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) exhibited diminished PS flippase activity and increased exposure of PS on the cell surface. The broad loss of Tmem30a in adult mice led to a reduced scotopic photoresponse, mislocalization of ATP8A2 to the inner segment and cell body, and increased apoptosis in the retina. Our data demonstrated novel essential roles of Tmem30a in the retina.