Targeted disruption of the mouse phosphomannomutase 2 gene causes early embryonic lethality

Mutations in the cytosolic enzyme phosphomannomutase 2 (PMM2), which catalyzes the conversion of mannose-6-phosphate to mannose-1-phosphate, cause the most common form of congenital disorders of glycosylation, termed CDG-Ia. It is an inherited multisystemic disease with severe neurological impairment. To study the pathophysiology of CDG-Ia and to investigate possible therapeutic approaches, we generated a mouse model for CDG-Ia by targeted disruption of the Pmm2 gene. Heterozygous mutant mice appeared normal in development, gross anatomy, and fertility. In contrast, embryos homozygous for the Pmm2-null allele were recovered in embryonic development at days 2.5 to 3.5. These results indicate that Pmm2 is essential for early development of mice. Mating experiments of heterozygous mice with wild-type mice could further show that transmission of the female Pmm2-null allele is impaired.