Glycosphingolipids Are Modulators of Disease Pathogenesis in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Glycosphingolipids are modulators of disease pathogenesis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis James C. Dodgea,1, Christopher M. Treleavena, Joshua Pachecoa, Samantha Coopera,ChannaBaoa, Marissa Abrahama, Mandy Cromwella, S. Pablo Sardia, Wei-Lien Chuanga, Richard L. Sidmanb,1,2,SengH.Chenga, and Lamya S. Shihabuddina aRare Diseases Science, Genzyme, a Sanofi Company, Framingham, MA 01701; and bBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215 Contributed by Richard L. Sidman, May 7, 2015 (sent for review January 12, 2015; reviewed by David V. Schaffer) Recent genetic evidence suggests that aberrant glycosphingolipid mediates the hydrolysis of Cer, are linked to forms of spinal metabolism plays an important role in several neuromuscular muscular atrophy that are not caused by the more frequent mu- diseases including hereditary spastic paraplegia, hereditary sen- tations in the survival motor neuron 1 gene (non-5q SMA) (15). sory neuropathy type 1, and non-5q spinal muscular atrophy. Here, Moreover, hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP), a disease with cor- we investigated whether altered glycosphingolipid metabolism is ticospinal tract and in some cases, spinal cord MN degeneration, a modulator of disease course in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). is attributed to mutations in GM2 synthase (16) and the non- Levels of ceramide, glucosylceramide, galactocerebroside, lactosyl- lysosomal glucosylceramidase, GBA2 (17). Last, patients with adult- ceramide, globotriaosylceramide, and the gangliosides GM3 and onset Tay-Sachs disease (GM2 gangliosidosis), a disease triggered GM1 were significantly elevated in spinal cords of ALS patients. by a deficiency in hexosaminidase (HEX), a lysosomal enzyme Moreover, enzyme activities (glucocerebrosidase-1, glucocerebrosi- that hydrolyzes GM2 to GM3, have been reported in some in- dase-2, hexosaminidase, galactosylceramidase, α-galactosidase, and stances to display a disease phenotype that closely mimics ALS β-galactosidase) mediating glycosphingolipid hydrolysis were also (18–20).
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