Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.2.1.23 (beta-galactosidase)
 14,648 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We described a case of late-infantile form of galactosialidosis. This male patient was a product of normal pregnancy. His parents were first cousins. He first sat at eight months, walked and talked at two years of age. His gait gradually became unsteady and he was diagnosed as spastic paraparesis at the age of five years. Abnormally slow learning was first pointed out at seven years of age. At the age of nine years, we evaluated him in detail at our university hospital. Physical examination revealed a short stature for his age, slightly coarse face, short neck, funnel chest, genu, pes and hallucis valgus. Corneal clouding, hernia and angiokeratoma were not found. Neurological examination showed mental retardation, bilateral optic atrophy without cherry-red spots, and spastic and slightly ataxic gait. Slight muscular atrophy with weakness was also seen in the extremities, more remarkable in the lower limbs. Deep tendon reflexes were hyperactive with bilateral ankle clonus and no extensor planter response. Routine examination of blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid were normal except for approximately 10% lymphocytes containing cytoplasmic vacuoles. X-ray films of the backbone exhibited vertebral plana with anterior breaking at the second lumbar vertebra level. The electroencephalography showed the multiple spike and slow wave complexes. Brain CT depicted the atrophy of cerebellum. The activities of sialidase and beta-galactosidase were markedly reduced in white blood cells and cultured skin fibroblasts in this patient. His urinary excretion of sialyloligosaccharides increased.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
 ...
PMID:[Late-infantile form galactosialidosis with psychomotor retardation and spastic paraparesis]. 251 61

Sphingolipidoses are an heterogeneous group of inherited disorders of lipid metabolism affecting primarily the central nervous system. These disorders occur chiefly in the pediatric population, and the degenerative nature of the disease processes is generally characterized by diffuse and progressive involvement of neurones (gray matter) with psychomotor retardation and myoclonus or of fiber tracts (white matter) with weakness and spasticity. Biochemical research has identified the defects in the sphingolipidoses to specific lysosomal enzymes. For example, Niemann-Pick disease lacks sphingomyelinase; Krabbe's disease lacks galactocerebrosidase; Gaucher's disease lacks beta-D-glucosidase; metachromatic leukodystrophy lacks sulfatase; Tay-Sachs disease lacks hexosaminidase A; and generalized gangliosidosis lacks beta-galactosidase. Although there are no currently available modes of rendering corrective therapy in these disorders, a definitive diagnosis is possible both antepartum as well as postpartum. This information provides a sound and accurate basis for genetic counseling.
 ...
PMID:Sphingolipidoses. 555 2

This report describes a third mucopolysaccharidosis in animals: canine mucopolysaccharidosis VII. The affected dog was the offspring of a father-daughter mating. Weakness in the rear legs was evident at 8 weeks of age and became progressively worse. He had a large head, a shortened maxilla, and corneal granularities. Most joints were extremely lax, easily subluxated, with joint capsules that were swollen and fluctuant. The dog was alert and had apparently normal pain perception. At 13 months of age, there was radiographic evidence of extensive skeletal disease including bilateral femoral head luxation, abnormalities in the shape and density of the carpal and tarsal bones, radiolucent lesions of the epiphyseal regions of most long bones, and cervical vertebral dysplasia and platyspondylia. The electrophoretic pattern of precipitated glycosaminoglycans indicated a predominance of chondroitin sulfate. The animal died suddenly from gastric dilatation. There was generalized hepatomegaly, thickening of the atrioventricular heart valves, and generalized polyarthropathy. Vacuolated cytoplasm was observed in hepatocytes, keratocytes, fibroblasts, chondrocytes and cells of the synovial membrane, retinal pigment epithelium, and cardiac valves. Neurons had cytoplasmic vacuoles. Electron microscopy demonstrated membrane-bound cytoplasmic inclusions in polymorphonuclear leukocytes, hepatocytes, synovium, heart valves and spleen. The activities of 12 lysosomal hydrolases were determined in liver from the affected and control dogs: beta-glucuronidase (EC 3.2.1.31), beta-hexosaminidases A and B (EC 3.2.1.30), alpha-hexosaminidase (EC 3.2.1.-), alpha-L-iduronidase (EC 3.2.1.76), alpha-galactosidase A (EC 3.2.1.22), beta-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23), arylsulfatases A and B (EC 3.1.6.1), acid alpha-mannosidase (EC 3.2.1.24), acid beta-mannosidase (EC 3.2.1.25), and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine-6-sulfate sulfatase (EC 3.1.6.-).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
 ...
PMID:Beta-glucuronidase deficiency in a dog: a model of human mucopolysaccharidosis VII. 643 80

Hypotonia and weakness developed in a 12-month-old boy whose psychomotor development had previously been normal. The muscle biopsy demonstrated a disparity in the mean diameters of type 1 and type 2 fibers and satisfied major histologic criteria for diagnosis of congenital fiber type disproportion (CFTD). However, deterioration of motor and mental function, which developed subsequently, strongly suggested progressive encephalopathy. Examination of leukocyte cerebral enzymes at 15 months of age revealed a complete lack of galactosylceramide-beta-galactosidase. Selective type 1 fiber atrophy with type 1 fiber predominance has been observed in various conditions, including Krabbe disease. We report an additional case of Krabbe leukodystrophy associated with CFTD. The finding on the molecular level will resolve the dilemma of whether CFTD is a congenital myopathy or whether these patterns of disproportion may result from a number of different processes that interfere with the maturation of the developing motor unit.
 ...
PMID:Association of Krabbe leukodystrophy and congenital fiber type disproportion. 885 9

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an X-linked recessive muscle disease characterized by a lack of dystrophin expression. Myoblast transplantation and gene therapy have the potential of restoring dystrophin, thus decreasing the muscle weakness associated with this disease. In this study we present data on the myoblast mediated ex vivo gene transfer of full-length dystrophin to mdx (dystrophin deficient) mouse muscle as a model for autologous myoblast transfer. Both isogenic primary mdx myoblasts and an immortalized mdx cell line were transduced with an adenoviral vector that has all viral coding sequences deleted and encodes beta-galactosidase and full-length dystrophin. Subsequently, these transduced myoblasts were injected into dystrophic mdx muscle, where the injected cells restored dystrophin, as well as dystrophin-associated proteins. A greater amount of dystrophin replacement occurred in mdx muscle following transplantation of mdx myoblasts isolated from a transgenic mouse overexpressing dystrophin suggesting that engineering autologous myoblasts to express high amounts of dystrophin might be beneficial. The ex vivo approach possesses attributes that make it useful for gene transfer to skeletal muscle including: (1) creating a reservoir of myoblasts capable of regenerating and restoring dystrophin to dystrophic muscle; and (2) achieving a higher level of gene transfer to dystrophic muscle compared with adenovirus-mediated direct gene delivery. However, as observed in direct gene transfer studies, the ex vivo approach also triggers a cellular immune response which limits the duration of trans-gene expression.
 ...
PMID:Ex vivo gene transfer using adenovirus-mediated full-length dystrophin delivery to dystrophic muscles. 953 61

This report concerns a 10-month-old boy, admitted to the Veterans General Hospital-Kaohsiung with generalized tonic convulsion and aspiration pneumonia. He was found to have had developmental regression, progressive hypotonia and hepatosplenomegaly since four months of age. Physical examination revealed a large head circumference (97th percentile), frontal bossing, depressed nasal bridge, hepatosplenomegaly, broad hands and short fingers. Neurologic examination showed poor control of eye movement, profound hypotonia, muscle weakness, brisk deep tendon reflexes and Babinski's sign. Hypoplasia of the vertebral bodies with anterior beaking, wedge-shaped metacarpals, spatulated ribs and a J-shaped sella turcica were displayed on bone radiographs. Cranial computerized tomography scans showed diffuse brain atrophy, dilated ventricles and calcification of the bilateral basal ganglia. Vacuolated lymphocytes were noted in a peripheral blood smear. Type 1 GM1 gangliosidosis was diagnosed based on a deficiency of beta-galactosidase activity. To our knowledge, basal ganglia calcification in type 1 GM1 gangliosidosis has never been reported in the literature. We suggest that type 1 GM1 gangliosidosis be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with an early onset of neurologic decline, organomegaly and basal ganglia calcification.
 ...
PMID:Type 1 GM1 gangliosidosis with basal ganglia calcification: a case report. 1006 11

NFH-LacZ transgenic mice are characterized by expression of a non-endogenous fusion protein between a truncated form of mouse NFH (neurofilament of heavy molecular weight) and the complete Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase protein. These transgenic mice were compared to their respective controls on two background strains (C3H and FVB) in several sensorimotor tests. NFH-LacZ mice were deficient in tests requiring balance and equilibrium in a manner generally independent of genetic background. In particular, NFH-LacZ mice fell more quickly than controls from two stationary beams and had fewer rears in an open-field. The transgenic mice were also impaired during the initial trials of sensorimotor learning on the rotorod. We conclude that despite the absence of overt signs of sensorimotor weakness in their home cage, the disruption of the NFH gene, causing neurofilament accumulations in the cell body and diminished axonal calibers of motoneurons, is sufficient to cause motor deficits that resemble the early stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
 ...
PMID:Sensorimotor functions in transgenic mice expressing the neurofilament/heavy-LacZ fusion protein on two genetic backgrounds. 1204 62

Dose-dependent co-expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) in the cytoplasm of forebrain neurons of two independent mouse lines resulted in growth retardation, weakness, and premature lethality. In primary motor cortex and striatum, apoptosis, glial fibrillary acidic protein proliferation, and cell loss were found. In addition, we observed aggregations of EGFP and beta-gal that colocalized with ubiquitin. GFP is unlikely to be toxic per se, as a third mouse line that expressed twice as much GFP in the cytoplasm of forebrain neurons as the two affected lines was normal. Cytoplasmic aggregations of EGFP and beta-gal occurred in affected and phenotypically normal mice suggesting a storage function rather than being detrimental. We successfully prolonged survival of affected mice with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GCSF) and the antibiotic minocycline. These compounds could protect neurons from EGFP and beta-gal-induced dysfunction, as demise of mice started after treatment was discontinued.
 ...
PMID:Neuronal co-expression of EGFP and beta-galactosidase in mice causes neuropathology and premature death. 1547 68

We report a case of lysosomal storage disease diagnosed by lysosomal enzyme assay in a two year old boy with a history of gradual onset of weakness of body, poor vision, flaccid neck and spasticity in all four limbs with hyper-reflexia. On fundus examination cherry red spots were noted at macula. On performing lysosomal enzyme assay, beta-galactosidase level was considerably low. This indicates that the child is affected by lysosomal storage disease most likely GM1 gangliosidosis. The diagnosis is important because the disease is rare and it may be missed as the symptoms are similar to other neurological conditions and the diagnosis can help with future conception.
 ...
PMID:Lysosomal storage disease. 2079 66