Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.2.1.31 (beta-glucuronidase)
 7,680 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Non-immune hydrops fetalis caused by beta-glucuronidase deficiency (mucopolysaccharidosis VII). Study of a family with 3 affected siblings. We describe a family case of beta-glucuronidase deficiency with 3 consecutively affected siblings. The three fetuses showed hydrops at a very early stage. In the first and second pregnancy the hydrops was visible on ultrasound scan in the first trimester. In the second pregnancy this was highly suggestive for recurrence. The diagnosis of mucopolysaccharidosis type VII was suggested after pathologic examination of the first fetus and placenta, and confirmed by deficient beta-glucuronidase activity in cultured skin fibroblasts. In the second, as well as in the third pregnancy a prenatal biochemical diagnosis was possible on cultured chorionic villus cells. The third pregnancy was terminated before hydrops was visible on ultrasound scan. Pathologic findings in the 3 fetuses were similar. Vacuolated macrophages were found in all tissues, but were most prominent in placenta, liver, lymph nodes and bone marrow.
 ...
PMID:Non-immune hydrops fetalis caused by beta-glucuronidase deficiency (mucopolysaccharidosis VII). Study of a family with 3 affected siblings. 883 Nov 29

We describe the neuropathology in mucopolysaccharidosis type VII (MPS VII) mice with a recessively inherited deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme beta-glucuronidase. Affected animals have a shortened life span, are dysmorphic, dwarfed and have clinical evidence of behavioral and memory deficiencies. Widespread lysosomal distention with glycosaminoglycan accumulation affects most viscera. In the central nervous system there is progressive accumulation of lysosomal storage in neurons, glia and mesenchymal tissue. The morphological character and the amount of lysosomal storage varies among neuronal groups. In the hippocampus, regional variation in the abundance of lysosomal storage in the MPS VII mice correlates with regional variation in the amount of beta-glucuronidase activity in normal mice. The MPS VII mouse provides a well-defined genetic system for the analysis of the neuropathology of MPS VII and is an attractive model on which to test the effects of potential therapies for lysosomal storage disease on the central nervous system.
 ...
PMID:Neuropathology of murine mucopolysaccharidosis type VII. 896 Mar 13

In previous studies, we have shown that a herpesvirus vector can transfer a therapeutic cellular gene (beta-glucuronidase) from peripheral sites of inoculation into the central nervous system in mice with a model neurodegenerative disease caused by a deficiency of this enzyme (mucopolysaccharidosis type VII, Sly disease). The vector corrects the enzymatic deficiency in transduced cells but the number of cells corrected is too low to alter the pathology of the disease. The recombinant vector virus, which has the foreign gene substituted into the viral LAT locus, had reduced pathogenicity after corneal inoculation compared to the wild-type virus from which it was derived (HSV-1 strain 17+). We therefore attempted to increase the number of corrected cells in the MPS VII brain by increasing the inoculating dose of the vector. However, the vector was acutely pathogenic in the diseased mice at doses that were non-pathogenic in normal littermates. The pathogenic effect of the vector virus in the mutants could be blocked by passive immunization with human gamma-globulin containing anti-HSV-1 antibodies on the day of infection but not when given at the peak of viral replication (day 4). However, effective protection also blocked transduction by the vector, thereby abrogating the effects of increased vector dosage. The effect was virus specific because inoculation of a high dose of a non-pathogenic variant of strain 17+ virus (1716) directly into the brains of MPS VII mice was not lethal. We found no apparent differences in the acute inflammatory response in mutant versus normal animals. These data suggest that the increased susceptibility to vector virulence was related to the overall compromised state of health of the diseased animals, which is further supported by the observations that the mutant mice are more sensitive to stress and to anesthetics than normal littermates. These findings indicate that adverse effects of gene transfer vectors for genetic diseases may not be fully apparent when tested in normal animals.
 ...
PMID:Increased susceptibility to the pathogenic effects of wild-type and recombinant herpesviruses in MPS VII mice compared to normal siblings. 897 24

Mucopolysaccharidosis type VII (Sly syndrome) is a lysosomal storage disease caused by inherited deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme beta-glucuronidase. A murine model of this disorder has been well characterized and used to study a number of forms of experimental therapies, including gene therapy. We produced recombinant adenovirus that expresses human beta-glucuronidase and administered this recombinant adenovirus to beta-glucuronidase-deficient mice intravenously. The beta-glucuronidase activities in liver and spleen were elevated to 40% and 20%, respectively, of the heterozygote enzymatic level at day 16. Expression persisted for at least 35 days. Pathological abnormalities of these tissues were also improved, and the elevated levels of urinary glycosaminoglycans were reduced in treated mice. However, the beta-glucuronidase activity in kidney and brain was not significantly increased. After administration of the recombinant adenovirus directly into the lateral ventricles of mutant mice, the beta-glucuronidase activity in crude brain homogenates increased to 30% of heterozygote activity. Histochemical demonstration of beta-glucuronidase activity in brain revealed that the enzymatic activity was mainly in ependymal cells and choroid. However, in some regions, the adenovirus-mediated gene expression was also evident in brain parenchyma associated with vessels and in the meninges. These results suggest that adenovirus-mediated gene delivery might improve the central nervous system pathology of mucopolysaccharidosis in addition to correcting visceral pathology.
 ...
PMID:Adenovirus-mediated gene transfer and expression of human beta-glucuronidase gene in the liver, spleen, and central nervous system in mucopolysaccharidosis type VII mice. 903 45

We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and direct sequencing of the coding region of the beta-glucuronidase cDNA and gene to detect mutations causing beta-glucuronidase enzyme deficiency in five MPS VII patients. Four patients presented with hydrops fetalis, one with an early infantile form of the disease. Genetic heterogeneity of MPS VII alleles was further confirmed in this study. Recurrent mutations were observed in patients of related origin. Previously unknown alleles detected were RII0X, F361delta9, 1270 + 1G-->A, S52F and 1480delta4. Reverse transcription/PCR analysis of the 1270 + 1G-->A messenger showed aberrant splicing: inclusion of intron 7 or skipping of exons 6-7 and 9. Messenger RNA transcribed from the R110X and 1480delta4 alleles was unstable. We detected a 2154A/G change in the 3' non-coding region of the gene, in the neighbourhood of the two consensus polyadenylation sites. 3'-Rapid amplification of cDNA ends/PCR of fibroblast cDNA revealed equal usage of two alternative polyadenylation sites. The 2154A/G substitution did not influence adenylation-site choice, nor the amount of stable messenger produced. The finding that 2 out of 30 normal controls carried the 2154G allele indicated that the 2154A/G substitution is a harmless polymorphism. The S52F and F361delta9 cDNAs were constructed in vitro and used to transfect COS cells transiently. Both mutations completely abolished enzyme activity.
 ...
PMID:Molecular analysis of the beta-glucuronidase gene: novel mutations in mucopolysaccharidosis type VII and heterogeneity of the polyadenylation region. 909 34

The inherited deficiency of beta-glucuronidase activity causes the lysosomal storage disorder mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type VII (Sly disease). The sequential catabolism of glycosaminoglycans in lysosomes is blocked, and undegraded substrates accumulate in cells of many tissues, including neurons and glia in the brain. To evaluate the deficient metabolic pathway, primary cultures of mixed brain cells were established from newborn MPS VII mice. beta-Glucuronidase levels and glycosaminoglycan accumulation were studied in normal, carrier, and MPS VII cells. Retroviral vector-mediated transfer of a normal beta-glucuronidase cDNA corrected the enzymatic deficiency in MPS VII cells and restored glycosaminoglycan catabolism to normal. High levels of beta-glucuronidase expression were sustained in vector-corrected nondividing glial cell cultures for >2 months. These studies provide an in vitro model for evaluating somatic gene transfer in neural cells affected in mucopolysaccharidoses.
 ...
PMID:Glycosaminoglycan storage in cultured neonatal murine mucopolysaccharidosis type VII neuroglial cells and correction by beta-glucuronidase gene transfer. 910 35

We demonstrated previously that short term administration of recombinant beta-glucuronidase to newborn mice with mucopolysaccharidosis type VII reduced lysosomal storage in many tissues. Lysosomal storage accumulated gradually after cessation of enzyme replacement therapy. Mice alive at 1 yr of age had decreased bone deformities and less lysosomal storage in cortical neurons. Here we compare the effects of long term enzyme replacement initiated either at birth or at 6 wk of age, and of enzyme administration initiated at birth followed by syngeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) at 5 wk of age. Several mice from each treatment group lived to at least 1 yr of age. Liver and spleen samples had beta-glucuronidase levels ranging from 2.4 to 19.8% of normal and showed a parallel decrease in lysosomal storage. The combination of enzyme replacement therapy followed by BMT reduced lysosomal distension in meninges, corneal fibroblasts, and bone when compared with treatment with enzyme alone. Mice treated at birth had less lysosomal storage in some neurons of the brain and the skeletal dysplasia was less severe when compared to mice whose treatment was delayed until 6 wk of age. We conclude that both enzyme replacement alone and early enzyme replacement followed by BMT have long term positive effects on murine mucopolysaccharidosis type VII. In addition, treatment started at birth is far more effective than treatment initiated in young adults.
 ...
PMID:Murine mucopolysaccharidosis type VII: long term therapeutic effects of enzyme replacement and enzyme replacement followed by bone marrow transplantation. 912 3

The clan GH-A is a group of more than 200 proteins representing nine established families of glycosyl hydrolases that act on a large variety of substrates. This clan includes five enzymes implicated in lysosomal storage diseases: beta-glucuronidase (Sly disease), beta-glucocerebrosidase (Gaucher disease), beta-galactosidase (Landing disease and Morquito type B disease), beta-mannosidase (mannosidosis) and alpha-L-iduronidase (Hurler-Scheie disease). Examination of known 3D structures from some families of the clan allowed us to deduce structural and functional features shared by these proteins. We then used the hydrophobic cluster analysis method to study the protein sequences of the entire clan. Our results reveal that, despite low levels of sequence identity, all the proteins of the clan (including the aforementioned lysosomal enzymes) likely share a similar catalytic domain consisting of an (alpha/beta)8 barrel with conserved functional amino acids located at the C-terminal ends of six of the eight strands constituting the beta-barrel. Interestingly, several mutations reported to be responsible for lysosomal storage diseases are located within these conserved regions of the lysosomal enzyme catalytic domains.
 ...
PMID:Active-site motifs of lysosomal acid hydrolases: invariant features of clan GH-A glycosyl hydrolases deduced from hydrophobic cluster analysis. 913 34

A deficiency of beta-glucuronidase (GUSB) causes the multisystem progressive degenerative syndrome, mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type VII (Sly disease), which includes mental retardation. Animal homologues of MPS VII (ref. 3, 4) are models for testing somatic gene transfer approaches to treat the central nervous system in this and other lysosomal storage disorders. Previous attempts to correct murine MPS VII by gene therapy have successfully treated lesions in some organs but not in the brain. Other experimental modalities have forestalled some disease progression in the brain, but only if done at birth, before the onset of severe lesions, when the animals are phenotypically normal. We tested whether therapeutic amounts of GUSB could be delivered to the diseased adult brain by transplanting cells engineered to super-secrete the normal enzyme for export to surrounding neural tissues. Lysosomal distention was cleared from neurons and glial cells in the vicinity of the grafts, showing that the secreted enzyme could reach the diseased cells and reverse lesions in the severely diseased brain. The ability to correct established lesions will be important for the treatment of many lysosomal storage diseases affecting the brain, because most patients are not diagnosed until lesions are advanced enough to affect phenotype or developmental milestones in early childhood, and some forms of the diseases do not become apparent until later in life.
 ...
PMID:Decreased lysosomal storage in the adult MPS VII mouse brain in the vicinity of grafts of retroviral vector-corrected fibroblasts secreting high levels of beta-glucuronidase. 921 92

Mucopolysaccharidosis type VII (MPS VII) is caused by a deficiency in the lysosomal enzyme beta-glucuronidase resulting in the accumulation of undegraded glycosaminoglycans in many tissues. A murine model of MPS VII shares many of the clinical, biochemical and histopathological features of human MPS VII and has provided an opportunity to study novel therapeutic approaches in a system with a uniform genetic background. Retroviral mediated gene therapy directed to the hematopoietic system or to artificial neo-organs resulted in low levels of enzyme in several tissues and reduced lysosomal storage in the liver and spleen. Partial correction of the disease in the eye was observed following an intravitreal injection of recombinant adenovirus. Neither retroviral nor adenoviral mediated gene transfer techniques resulted in a systemic reduction of lysosomal storage. Here we discuss several novel gene transfer approaches designed to increase the systemic levels of beta-glucuronidase in the MPS VII mouse.
 ...
PMID:Gene therapy for murine mucopolysaccharidosis type VII. 926 50


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>