Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40473629›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

β-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration protein WDR45 regulates stress granule disassembly via phase separation with Caprin-1.

Yin Li, Jie Fang, Yuqi Ding, Xilong Zhang, Ying Liu, Wanting Qiu, He Xu, Yunzhe Kang, Jiayu Chen, Yanyan Gao and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. BOULE is Essential for the Dynamic Disassembly of Heat Shock Granules in Male Germ Cells.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
  3. Functional Homology of WIPI4 and Atg18 EnablesInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Yin Li *Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Jie Fang *Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Yuqi DingDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Xilong ZhangDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Ying LiuDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Wanting QiuDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
He XuDepartment of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Yunzhe KangClinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3852-219X
Jiayu ChenClinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4755-8901
Yanyan GaoDepartment of Neurology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Yan G ZhaoShenzhen Key Laboratory of Biomolecular Assembling and Regulation, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, People's Republic of China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4588-6752
Peiguo YangSchool of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2334-5664
Bo WangState Key Laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, People's Republic of China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4182-0200
Wenmin TianCenter for Precision Medicine Multi-Omics Research, Institute of Advanced Clinical Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
Yang ChenCenter for Precision Medicine Multi-Omics Research, Institute of Advanced Clinical Medicine, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4841-9412
Wenjian BiDepartment of Medical Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5108-9311
Peipei ZhangDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, People's Republic of China. Peipei.zhang@pku.edu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1742-1680

Funding

Beijing Nova Program 20240484503National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 32270856National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China) 32471202Natural Science Foundation of Beijing Municipality (Beijing Natural Science Foundation) 7244365
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

β-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration (BPAN) is a rare X-linked neurodegenerative disorder caused by mutations in the WDR45 gene, yet its molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we identify a role for WDR45 in stress granule (SG) disassembly, mediated through its phase separation with Caprin-1. We demonstrate that WDR45 forms gel-like condensates via its WD5 domain, which competitively displaces G3BP1 from Caprin-1 to promote SG disassembly. BPAN-associated WDR45 mutations impair condensate formation and Caprin-1 interaction, leading to delayed SG disassembly, which correlates with earlier disease onset. WDR45 depletion also exacerbates amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-associated pathological SGs, highlighting its broader relevance to neurodegenerative diseases. Using iPSC-derived midbrain neurons from a BPAN patient, we demonstrate delayed SG recovery, directly linking WDR45 dysfunction to neurodegeneration. These findings establish WDR45 as a critical regulator of SG dynamics, uncover a potential molecular basis of BPAN pathogenesis, and identify therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative diseases associated with SG dysregulation.

Indexed as

Carrier ProteinsCell Cycle ProteinsNeurodegenerative DiseasesStress GranulesAmyotrophic Lateral SclerosisAnimalsDNA HelicasesHEK293 CellsHumansInduced Pluripotent Stem CellsMiceMutationNeuronsPhase SeparationPoly-ADP-Ribose Binding ProteinsRNA HelicasesCAPRIN1 protein, humanCarrier ProteinsCell Cycle ProteinsDNA HelicasesG3BP1 protein, humanPoly-ADP-Ribose Binding ProteinsRNA HelicasesRNA Recognition Motif ProteinsWDR45 protein, human

Identifiers

PMID40473629
PMCPMC12141619

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.