Efficacy of Adeno-Associated Virus Serotype 9-Mediated Gene Therapy for AB-Variant GM2 Gangliosidosis.

GM2 gangliosidoses are a group of neurodegenerative lysosomal storage disorders that are characterized by the accumulation of GM2 gangliosides (GM2), leading to rapid neurological decline and death. The hydrolysis of GM2 requires the specific synthesis, processing, and combination of products of three genes-HEXA, HEXB, and GM2A-within the cell's lysosomes. Mutations in these genes result in Tay-Sachs disease, Sandhoff disease, or AB-variant GM2 gangliosidosis (ABGM2), respectively. ABGM2, the rarest of the three types, is characterized by a mutation in the GM2A gene, which encodes the GM2 activator (GM2A) protein. Being a monogenic disease, gene therapy is a plausible and likely effective method of treatment for ABGM2. This study aimed at assessing the effects of administering a one-time intravenous treatment of single-stranded Adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (ssAAV9)-GM2A viral vector at a dose of 1 × 1014 vector genomes (vg) per kilogram per mouse in an ABGM2 mouse model (Gm2a-/-). ssAAV9-GM2A was administered at 1-day (neonatal) or 6-weeks of age (adult-stage). The results demonstrated that, in comparison to Gm2a-/- mice that received a vehicle injection, the treated mice had reduced GM2 accumulation within the central nervous system and had long-term persistence of vector genomes in the brain and liver. This proof-of-concept study is a step forward towards the development of a clinically therapeutic approach for the treatment of patients with ABGM2.

Biochemical Correction of GM2 Ganglioside Accumulation in AB-Variant GM2 Gangliosidosis.

GM2 gangliosidosis is a group of genetic disorders that result in the accumulation of GM2 ganglioside (GM2) in brain cells, leading to progressive central nervous system (CNS) atrophy and premature death in patients. AB-variant GM2 gangliosidosis (ABGM2) arises from loss-of-function mutations in the GM2 activator protein (GM2AP), which is essential for the breakdown of GM2 in a key catabolic pathway required for CNS lipid homeostasis. In this study, we show that intrathecal delivery of self-complementary adeno-associated virus serotype-9 (scAAV9) harbouring a functional human GM2A transgene (scAAV9.hGM2A) can prevent GM2 accumulation in in GM2AP-deficient mice (Gm2a-/- mice). Additionally, scAAV9.hGM2A efficiently distributes to all tested regions of the CNS within 14 weeks post-injection and remains detectable for the lifespan of these animals (up to 104 weeks). Remarkably, GM2AP expression from the transgene scales with increasing doses of scAAV9.hGM2A (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 × 1011 vector genomes (vg) per mouse), and this correlates with dose-dependent correction of GM2 accumulation in the brain. No severe adverse events were observed, and comorbidities in treated mice were comparable to those in disease-free cohorts. Lastly, all doses yielded corrective outcomes. These data indicate that scAAV9.hGM2A treatment is relatively non-toxic and tolerable, and biochemically corrects GM2 accumulation in the CNS-the main cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with ABGM2. Importantly, these results constitute proof-of-principle for treating ABGM2 with scAAV9.hGM2A by means of a single intrathecal administration and establish a foundation for future preclinical research.

CRISPR/nCas9-Based Genome Editing on GM2 Gangliosidoses Fibroblasts via Non-Viral Vectors.

The gangliosidoses GM2 are a group of pathologies mainly affecting the central nervous system due to the impaired GM2 ganglioside degradation inside the lysosome. Under physiological conditions, GM2 ganglioside is catabolized by the ß-hexosaminidase A in a GM2 activator protein-dependent mechanism. In contrast, uncharged substrates such as globosides and some glycosaminoglycans can be hydrolyzed by the ß-hexosaminidase B. Monogenic mutations on HEXA, HEXB, or GM2A genes arise in the Tay-Sachs (TSD), Sandhoff (SD), and AB variant diseases, respectively. In this work, we validated a CRISPR/Cas9-based gene editing strategy that relies on a Cas9 nickase (nCas9) as a potential approach for treating GM2 gangliosidoses using in vitro models for TSD and SD. The nCas9 contains a mutation in the catalytic RuvC domain but maintains the active HNH domain, which reduces potential off-target effects. Liposomes (LPs)- and novel magnetoliposomes (MLPs)-based vectors were used to deliver the CRISPR/nCas9 system. When LPs were used as a vector, positive outcomes were observed for the ß-hexosaminidase activity, glycosaminoglycans levels, lysosome mass, and oxidative stress. In the case of MLPs, a high cytocompatibility and transfection ratio was observed, with a slight increase in the ß-hexosaminidase activity and significant oxidative stress recovery in both TSD and SD cells. These results show the remarkable potential of CRISPR/nCas9 as a new alternative for treating GM2 gangliosidoses, as well as the superior performance of non-viral vectors in enhancing the potency of this therapeutic approach.

GM2 gangliosidosis AB variant: first case of late onset and review of the literature.

AB variant is the rarest form of GM2 gangliosidosis, neurodegenerative diseases caused by lysosomal accumulation of GM2 gangliosides. Less than thirty cases are referenced in the literature, and to date, no late-onset form has been described. Our proband is a 22-year-old male with spinocerebellar ataxia and lower limbs motor deficiency. His symptoms started at the age of 10. A genetic analysis revealed two mutations in the GM2A gene encoding the GM2 activator protein (GM2-AP), an essential co-factor of hexosaminidase A. Both mutations, GM2A:c.79A > T:p.Lys27* and GM2A:c.415C > T:p.Pro139Ser, were inherited respectively from his father and his mother. The nonsense mutation was predicted to be likely pathogenic, but the missense mutation was of unknown significance. To establish the pathogenicity of this variant, we studied GM2 accumulation and GM2A gene expression. Electron microscopy and immunofluorescence performed on patient's fibroblasts did not reveal any lysosomal accumulation of GM2. There was also no difference in GM2A gene expression using RT-qPCR, and both mutations were found on cDNA Sanger sequencing. Measurement of plasma gangliosides by liquid-phase chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry showed an accumulation of GM2 in our patient's plasma at 83.5 nmol/L, and a GM2/GM3 ratio at 0.066 (median of negative control at 30.2 nmol/L [19.7-46.8] and 0.019 respectively). Therefore, the association of both p.Lys27* and p.Pro169Ser mutations leads to a GM2-AP functional deficiency. Whereas the first mutation is more likely to be linked with infantile form of GM2 gangliosidosis, the hypomorphic p.Pro169Ser variant may be the first associated with a late-onset form of AB variant.

Two patients from Turkey with a novel variant in the GM2A gene and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVES: GM2 gangliosidosis is a rare form of inborn errors of metabolism including Tay-Sachs disease, Sandhoff disease, and GM2 activator deficiency. GM2 activator protein deficiency is an ultra-rare form of GM2 gangliosidosis. To date, 16 cases of GM2 activator protein deficiency have been reported in the literature, and among them, 11 cases were the infantile form of the disease. Here we report the first two patients from Turkey with the infantile form of the disease with a novel likely pathogenic variant. CASE PRESENTATION: A boy of eight months old presented to the metabolic department with very mild neurological deterioration, although he had achieved early developmental milestones at the appropriate time. The parents also had a daughter who had lost skills progressively before one year of age. The boy was evaluated and bilateral cherry-red spots were found with no abnormality in either metabolic screening including ß-hexosaminidase or cranial magnetic resonance imaging. A novel homozygous likely pathogenic variant in GM2A was detected in a next-generation sequence panel revealing GM2 activator protein deficiency. His sister was investigated after he was diagnosed with GM2 activator deficiency and it was found that she had the same variant as her brother. CONCLUSIONS: This case report emphasizes that in the event of normal ß-hexosaminidase activity, GM2 activator protein deficiency could be underdiagnosed, and further molecular analysis should be performed. To the best of our knowledge, this boy is one of the youngest patient diagnosed with very mild symptoms. With this novel pathogenic variant, these patients have expanded the mutation spectrum of GM2 activator protein deficiency.

A label-free immunosensor for the detection of a new lung cancer biomarker, GM2 activator protein, using a phosphomolybdic acid/polyethyleneimine coated gold nanoparticle composite.

In this work, we report, for the first time, the construction of a label-free electrochemical immunosensor for highly sensitive detection of a new lung cancer biomarker, GM2 activator protein (GM2AP). A polyethyleneimine-coated gold nanoparticle (PEI-AuNP) and phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) modified electrode is developed as a novel redox platform for GM2AP detection. A PEI-AuNP film-modified screen-printed carbon electrode, as a signal amplifier support, was successfully fabricated for the adsorption of PMA redox molecules and is used for signal amplification. Under the optimized conditions, GM2AP detection is based on a decrease in the current response of PMA redox probes proportionally relative to an amount of the immunocomplex. Our sensor exhibits two linear ranges of 0.005-25 and 25-400 ng mL-1 with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.51 pg mL-1. The immunosensor is successfully applied for the determination of GM2AP in both human urine and serum samples. The proposed sensor offers the advantages of simple fabrication, low cost, rapid analysis, satisfactory stability, high selectivity and sensitivity, and good reproducibility. The LOD of the biosensor is approximately 2863 and 1804 fold lower than the clinically relevant levels in human urine and serum, respectively. Our strategy can be used as an alternative non-invasive clinical analysis method for lung cancer screening.

GM2 Gangliosidoses: Clinical Features, Pathophysiological Aspects, and Current Therapies.

GM2 gangliosidoses are a group of pathologies characterized by GM2 ganglioside accumulation into the lysosome due to mutations on the genes encoding for the ß-hexosaminidases subunits or the GM2 activator protein. Three GM2 gangliosidoses have been described: Tay-Sachs disease, Sandhoff disease, and the AB variant. Central nervous system dysfunction is the main characteristic of GM2 gangliosidoses patients that include neurodevelopment alterations, neuroinflammation, and neuronal apoptosis. Currently, there is not approved therapy for GM2 gangliosidoses, but different therapeutic strategies have been studied including hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, enzyme replacement therapy, substrate reduction therapy, pharmacological chaperones, and gene therapy. The blood-brain barrier represents a challenge for the development of therapeutic agents for these disorders. In this sense, alternative routes of administration (e.g., intrathecal or intracerebroventricular) have been evaluated, as well as the design of fusion peptides that allow the protein transport from the brain capillaries to the central nervous system. In this review, we outline the current knowledge about clinical and physiopathological findings of GM2 gangliosidoses, as well as the ongoing proposals to overcome some limitations of the traditional alternatives by using novel strategies such as molecular Trojan horses or advanced tools of genome editing.

Cerebrospinal fluid endo-lysosomal proteins as potential biomarkers for Huntington's disease.

Molecular markers derived from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) represent an accessible means of exploring the pathobiology of Huntington's disease (HD) in vivo. The endo-lysosomal/autophagy system is dysfunctional in HD, potentially contributing to disease pathogenesis and representing a potential target for therapeutic intervention. Several endo-lysosomal proteins have shown promise as biomarkers in other neurodegenerative diseases; however, they have yet to be fully explored in HD. We performed parallel reaction monitoring mass spectrometry analysis (PRM-MS) of multiple endo-lysosomal proteins in the CSF of 60 HD mutation carriers and 20 healthy controls. Using generalised linear models controlling for age and CAG, none of the 18 proteins measured displayed significant differences in concentration between HD patients and controls. This was affirmed by principal component analysis, in which no significant difference across disease stage was found in any of the three components representing lysosomal hydrolases, binding/transfer proteins and innate immune system/peripheral proteins. However, several proteins were associated with measures of disease severity and cognition: most notably amyloid precursor protein, which displayed strong correlations with composite Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale, UHDRS Total Functional Capacity, UHDRS Total Motor Score, Symbol Digit Modalities Test and Stroop Word Reading. We conclude that although endo-lysosomal proteins are unlikely to have value as disease state CSF biomarkers for Huntington's disease, several proteins demonstrate associations with clinical severity, thus warranting further, targeted exploration and validation in larger, longitudinal samples.

Combined use of GM2AP and TCP1-eta urinary levels predicts recovery from intrinsic acute kidney injury.

Deficient recovery from acute kidney injury (AKI) has immediate and long-term health, clinical and economic consequences. Pre-emptive recovery estimation may improve nephrology referral, optimize decision making, enrollment in trials, and provide key information for subsequent clinical handling and follow-up. For this purpose, new biomarkers are needed that predict outcome during the AKI episode. We hypothesized that damage pattern-specific biomarkers are expected to more closely associate to outcome within distinct subpopulations (i.e. those affected by specific pathological processes determining a specific outcome), as biomarker pleiotropy (i.e. associated to phenomena unrelated to AKI) introduced by unselected, heterogeneous populations may blur statistics. A panel of urinary biomarkers was measured in patients with AKI and their capacity to associate to normal or abnormal recovery was studied in the whole cohort or after sub-classification by AKI etiology, namely pre-renal and intrinsic AKI. A combination of urinary GM2AP and TCP1-eta best associates with recovery from AKI, specifically within the sub-population of renal AKI patients. This two-step strategy generates a multidimensional space in which patients with specific characteristics (i.e. renal AKI patients with good or bad prognosis) can be identified based on a collection of biomarkers working serially, applying pathophysiology-driven criteria to estimate AKI recovery, to facilitate pre-emptive and personalized handling.

Differential Urinary Proteome Analysis for Predicting Prognosis in Type 2 Diabetes Patients with and without Renal Dysfunction.

Renal dysfunction, a major complication of type 2 diabetes, can be predicted from estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and protein markers such as albumin concentration. Urinary protein biomarkers may be used to monitor or predict patient status. Urine samples were selected from patients enrolled in the retrospective diabetic kidney disease (DKD) study, including 35 with good and 19 with poor prognosis. After removal of albumin and immunoglobulin, the remaining proteins were reduced, alkylated, digested, and analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively with a nano LC-MS platform. Each protein was identified, and its concentration normalized to that of creatinine. A prognostic model of DKD was formulated based on the adjusted quantities of each protein in the two groups. Of 1296 proteins identified in the 54 urine samples, 66 were differentially abundant in the two groups (area under the curve (AUC): p-value < 0.05), but none showed significantly better performance than albumin. To improve the predictive power by multivariate analysis, five proteins (ACP2, CTSA, GM2A, MUC1, and SPARCL1) were selected as significant by an AUC-based random forest method. The application of two classifiers-support vector machine and random forest-showed that the multivariate model performed better than univariate analysis of mucin-1 (AUC: 0.935 vs. 0.791) and albumin (AUC: 1.0 vs. 0.722). The urinary proteome can reflect kidney function directly and can predict the prognosis of patients with chronic kidney dysfunction. Classification based on five urinary proteins may better predict the prognosis of DKD patients than urinary albumin concentration or eGFR.

Designing new diagnostic systems for the early detection of tobacco-associated chronic renal damage in patients of a primary care centre in Salamanca, Spain: an observational, prospective study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Tobacco causes kidney damage that can progress to chronic kidney disease. However, the diagnostic parameters used in clinics are not effective in identifying smokers at risk. Our first objective is to more effectively detect subclinical renal damage in smokers. In addition, we hypothesise that tobacco consumption can predispose smokers to renal damage on exposure to other potentially nephrotoxic events (drugs, diagnostic procedures and so on). We will test this hypothesis in our second objective by investigating whether certain predisposition markers (GM2 ganglioside activator protein (GM2AP), transferrin and t-gelsolin) are able to detect smokers who are predisposed to kidney damage. Finally, in our third objective, we will study whether smoking cessation reduces subclinical and/or predisposition to renal damage. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: For our first objective, a prospective cross-sectional study will be carried out with patients from a primary healthcare centre. The influence of tobacco on renal damage, in patients both with and without additional risk factors, will be studied using a panel of early biomarkers (albuminuria, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase, kidney injury molecule-1 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin). For our second objective, a prospective longitudinal study will be carried out with patients recruited for our first objective. We will study whether certain predisposition biomarkers (GM2AP, transferrin and t-gelsolin) are able to detect smokers predisposed to renal damage. For our third objective, a prospective longitudinal study will be carried out with patients from a smoking cessation unit. We will study the evolution of the markers described above following smoking cessation. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study has been approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of the Healthcare Area of Salamanca. All study participants will sign an informed consent form in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki and the WHO standards for observational studies. Results will be presented at conferences and submitted to peer-reviewed journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03850756.

GM2-GM3 gangliosides ratio is dependent on GRP94 through down-regulation of GM2-AP cofactor in brain metastasis cells.

GRP94 is an ATP-dependent chaperone able to regulate pro-oncogenic signaling pathways. Previous studies have shown a critical role of GRP94 in brain metastasis (BrM) pathogenesis and progression. In this work, an untargeted lipidomic analysis revealed that some lipid species were altered in GRP94-deficient cells, specially GM2 and GM3 gangliosides. The catalytic pathway of GM2 is affected by the low enzymatic activity of ß-Hexosaminidase (HexA), responsible for the hydrolysis of GM2 to GM3. Moreover, a deficiency of the GM2-activator protein (GM2-AP), the cofactor of HexA, is observed without alteration of gene expression, indicating a post-transcriptional alteration of GM2-AP in the GRP94-ablated cells. One plausible explanation of these observations is that GM2-AP is a client of GRP94, resulting in defective GM2 catabolic processing and lysosomal accumulation of GM2 in GRP94-ablated cells. Overall, given the role of gangliosides in cell surface dynamics and signaling, their imbalance might be linked to modifications of cell behaviour acquired in BrM progression. This work indicates that GM2-AP could be an important factor in ganglioside balance maintenance. These findings highlight the relevance of GM3 and GM2 gangliosides in BrM and reveal GM2-AP as a promising diagnosis and therapeutic target in BrM research.

Identification and characterization of the Onchocerca volvulus Excretory Secretory Product Ov28CRP, a putative GM2 activator protein.

Onchocerca volvulus is the nematode pathogen responsible for human onchocerciasis also known as "River blindness", a neglected tropical disease that affects up to 18 million people worldwide. Helminths Excretory Secretory Products (ESPs) constitute a rich repertoire of molecules that can be exploited for host-parasite relationship, diagnosis and vaccine studies. Here, we report, using a range of molecular techniques including PCR, western blot, recombinant DNA technology, ELISA, high performance thin-layer chromatography and mass spectrometry that the 28 KDa cysteine-rich protein (Ov28CRP) is a reliable component of the O. volvulus ESPs to address the biology of this parasite. We showed that (1) Ov28CRP is a putative ganglioside GM2 Activator Protein (GM2AP) conserved in nematode; (2) OvGM2AP gene is transcriptionally activated in all investigated stages of the parasitic life cycle, including larval and adult stages; (3) The full-length OvGM2AP was detected in in-vitro O. volvulus ESPs of adult and larval stages; (4) the mass expressed and purified recombinant OvGM2AP purified from insect cell culture medium was found to be glycosylated at asparagine 173 and lacked N-terminal signal peptide sequence; (5) the recombinant OvGM2AP discriminated serum samples of infected and uninfected individuals; (6) OvGM2AP competitively inhibits MUG degradation by recombinant ß-hexosaminidase A but not MUGS, and could not hydrolyze the GM2 to GM3; (7) humoral immune responses to the recombinant OvGM2AP revealed a negative correlation with ivermectin treatment. Altogether, our findings suggest for the first time that OvGM2AP is an antigenic molecule whose biochemical and immunological features are important to gain more insight into our understanding of host-parasite relationship, as well as its function in parasite development at large.

Membrane lipids and their degradation compounds control GM2 catabolism at intralysosomal luminal vesicles.

The catabolism of ganglioside GM2 is dependent on three gene products. Mutations in any of these genes result in a different type of GM2 gangliosidosis (Tay-Sachs disease, Sandhoff disease, and the B1 and AB variants of GM2 gangliosidosis), with GM2 as the major lysosomal storage compound. GM2 is also a secondary storage compound in lysosomal storage diseases such as Niemann-Pick disease types A-C, with primary storage of SM in type A and cholesterol in types B and C, respectively. The reconstitution of GM2 catabolism at liposomal surfaces carrying GM2 revealed that incorporating lipids into the GM2-carrying membrane such as cholesterol, SM, sphingosine, and sphinganine inhibits GM2 hydrolysis by ß-hexosaminidase A assisted by GM2 activator protein, while anionic lipids, ceramide, fatty acids, lysophosphatidylcholine, and diacylglycerol stimulate GM2 catabolism. In contrast, the hydrolysis of the synthetic, water-soluble substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl-6-sulfo-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-ß-d-glucopyranoside was neither significantly affected by membrane lipids such as ceramide or SM nor stimulated by anionic lipids such as bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate added as liposomes, detergent micelles, or lipid aggregates. Moreover, hydrolysis-inhibiting lipids also had an inhibiting effect on the solubilization and mobilization of membrane-bound lipids by the GM2 activator protein, while the stimulating lipids enhanced lipid mobilization.

GWAS and network analysis of co-occurring nicotine and alcohol dependence identifies significantly associated alleles and network.

Alcohol dependence (AD) and nicotine dependence (ND) co-occur frequently (AD+ND). We integrated SNP-based, gene-based, and protein-protein interaction network analyses to identify shared risk genes or gene subnetworks for AD+ND in African Americans (AAs, N = 2,094) and European Americans (EAs, N = 1,207). The DSM-IV criterion counts for AD and ND were modeled as two dependent variables in a multivariate linear mixed model, and analyzed separately for the two populations. The most significant SNP was rs6579845 in EAs (p < 1.29 × 10-8 ) in GM2A, which encodes GM2 ganglioside activator, and is a cis-expression quantitative locus that affects GM2A expression in blood and brain tissues. However, this SNP was not replicated in our another small sample (N = 678). We identified a subnetwork of 24 genes that contributed to the AD+ND criterion counts. In the gene-set analysis for the subnetwork in an independent sample, the Study of Addiction: Genetics and Environment project (predominately EAs), these 24 genes as a set differed in AD+ND versus control subjects in EAs (p = .041). Functional enrichment analysis for this subnetwork revealed that the gene enrichment involved primarily nerve growth factor pathways, and cocaine and amphetamine addiction. In conclusion, we identified a genome-wide significant variant at GM2A and a gene subnetwork underlying the genetic trait of shared AD+ND. These results increase our understanding of the shared (pleiotropic) genetic risk that underlies AD+ND.

Glycosphingolipid GM2 Induces Invasiveness in Irradiation-tolerant Lung Cancer Cells.

Glycans, including glycosphingolipids, are broadly expressed in plasma membranes and play important roles in cell-cell interactions. Recently, it has been revealed that glycans participate in the regulation of malignant phenotypes of cancer cells, e.g. growth and invasion. However, their roles in irradiation-tolerant cancer cells have not yet been elucidated. In this study, we show that specific glycosphingolipids are highly expressed in invasive, irradiation-tolerant lung cancer cells. Particularly, the glycosphingolipid GM2 contributes to the development of an invasive phenotype in these lung cancer cells. Our results suggest that glycosphingolipids, including GM2, are implicated in the regulation of invasiveness in irradiation-tolerant lung cancer cells and may therefore serve as potential therapeutic targets for lung cancers following radiotherapy.Key words: glycosphingolipids, GM2, invasion, lung cancer cells, radiotherapy.

Crystal structure of native ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase isolated from Aspergillus oryzae sheds light onto its substrate specificity, high stability, and regulation by propeptide.

ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase from the fungus Aspergillus oryzae is a secreted extracellular enzyme that cleaves chitobiose into constituent monosaccharides. It belongs to the GH 20 glycoside hydrolase family and consists of two N-glycosylated catalytic cores noncovalently associated with two 10-kDa O-glycosylated propeptides. We used X-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry to determine the structure of A. oryzae ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase isolated from its natural source. The three-dimensional structure determined and refined to a resolution of 2.3 Å revealed that this enzyme is active as a uniquely tight dimeric assembly further stabilized by N- and O-glycosylation. The propeptide from one subunit forms extensive noncovalent interactions with the catalytic core of the second subunit in the dimer, and this chain swap suggests the distinctive structural mechanism of the enzyme's activation. Unique structural features of ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase from A. oryzae define a very stable and robust framework suitable for biotechnological applications. The crystal structure reported here provides structural insights into the enzyme architecture as well as the detailed configuration of the active site. These insights can be applied to rational enzyme engineering. DATABASE: Structural data are available in the PDB database under the accession number 5OAR. ENZYME: ß-N-acetylhexosaminidase (EC 3.2.1.52).

Expression of the GM2 activator protein in mouse testis.

The GM2-activator protein (GM2-AP), revealed by Li et al. in 1973 in human liver, was initially identified as a protein cofactor that stimulated ß-hexosaminidase A to hydrolyze N-acetylgalactosamine from GM2 ganglioside. This cofactor was found to be missing in human variant AB Tay-Sachs disease. Over the years, the GM2-AP has also been shown to be involved in kidney vesicular transport, lipid presentation by CD1 molecule to T-cells, and interaction of human sperm with zona pellucida. Since the expression of the GM2-AP via mRNA detection in mouse tissues was found to be the highest in testis, we became interested in the localization of the GM2-AP at cellular level in mouse testis during spermatogenesis. Using immunohistochemical analysis and electron microscopy, we found that the GM2-AP was predominantly localized in the basal cytoplasm and the attenuated processes of Sertoli cells. The stained structure appeared to be lysosomes. The most interesting finding was the association of the GM2-AP with the acrosomal apparatus in early spermatids. A modest to intense staining was observed in some acrosomal granules and acrosomal caps. The GM2-AP seemed to disappear from acrosomal caps in the later stage of spermatids, in which the nucleus became elongated and condensed. These results suggest that the GM2-AP may be involved in the normal functions of Sertoli cells and play important roles during the development of acrosomal caps in the early spermatids.

Rare Variant of GM2 Gangliosidosis through Activator-Protein Deficiency.

GM2 gangliosidosis, AB variant, is a very rare form of GM2 gangliosidosis due to a deficiency of GM2 activator protein. We report on two patients with typical clinical features suggestive of GM2 gangliosidosis, but normal results for hexosaminidase A and hexosaminidase B as well as their corresponding genes. Genetic analysis of the gene encoding the activator protein, the GM2A gene, elucidated the cause of the disease, adding a novel mutation to the spectrum of GM2 AB variant. This report points out that in typical clinical constellations with normal enzyme results, genetic diagnostic for activator protein defects should be performed.

Tailored Synthesis of 162-Residue S-Monoglycosylated GM2-Activator Protein (GM2AP) Analogues that Allows Facile Access to a Protein Library.

A synthetic protocol for the preparation of 162-residue S-monoglycosylated GM2-activator protein (GM2AP) analogues bearing various amino acid substitutions for Thr69 has been developed. The facile incorporation of the replacements into the protein was achieved by means of a one-pot/N-to-C-directed sequential ligation strategy using readily accessible middle N-sulfanylethylanilide (SEAlide) peptides each consisting of seven amino acid residues. A kinetically controlled ligation protocol was successfully applied to the assembly of three peptide segments covering the GM2AP. The native chemical ligation (NCL) reactivities of the SEAlide peptides can be tuned by the presence or absence of phosphate salts. Furthermore, NCL of the alkyl thioester fragment [GM2AP (1-31)] with the N-terminal cysteinyl prolyl thioester [GM2AP (32-67)] proceeded smoothly to yield the 67-residue prolyl thioester, with the prolyl thioester moiety remaining intact. This newly developed strategy enabled the facile synthesis of GM2AP analogues. Thus, we refer to this synthetic protocol as "tailored synthesis" for the construction of a GM2AP library.