Tetrahydrobiopterin Deficiency
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Blau et al.: Tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency Pteridines Vol. 4, 1993. pp. 1-10 Review Tetrahydrobiopterin Deficiency: From Phenotype to Genotype* Nenad Blau i! §, Beat Thonyi!, Claus W. Heizmann i!, and Jean-Louis Dhondt t :I Division of Clinical Chemistry. University Children's Hospital. Steinwiesstr. 75. CH-8032 ZUlich. Switzerland tCentre Hospitalier Sanit-Philbert Faculte Libre de Medecine. Lomme Cedex, France (Received January 10. 1993) Summary As a result of the selective screening worldwide during the last 18 years, approximately 250 patients with tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency were discovered. Most patients suffer from 6-pyruvoyl tetrahydropterin synthase deficiency (58%), followed by dihydropteridine reductase deficiency (35%), GTP cyclohydrolase I deficiency (3%), and "primapterinuria" (4%). The patients can be treated with neurotransmitter precursors, as well as with tetrahydrobiopterin. However, data on long term treatment are still scarce and it is therefore of great value to investigate all newborns with even mild hyperphenylalaninemia. Cloning of the enzymes involved in the biosynthesis and regeneration of tetrahydrobiopterin makes them to be easily accessible for biochemical and biological studies. So far, all proteins expressed heterologous are active in E. coli. Cloning of the wild type gene and mutant analysis of patients allow the rapid identification of the defective gene on the molecular level. Key words: Tetrahydrobiopterin, Deficiency, Hyperphenylalaninemia, Gene cloning, DNA. In troducti on Early detection of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) defi nine to tyrosine: tyrosine-3-hydroxylase and trypto ciency became essential soon after it was recognized phan-5-hydroxylase are the rate-limiting enzymes in that a number of patients with hyperphenylalanin the biosynthesis of catecholamines and serotonin, emia (HPA) show progressive neurological illness de respectively (4). Thus. any defect in the biosynthesis spite treatment with a low-phenylalanine diet (I. 2). or regeneration of BH4 will result in a deficiency The di sease was initially named "malignant phenyl of biogenic amine neurotransmitters accompanied ketonuria (PKU)" because some of these patients by HPA. died early. The first patients with BH4 deficiency About 250 patients with BH4 deficiency were dis were described as "a genetic variant of PKU" (3) covered world-wide in the last 18 years (5,6). Be and were later characterized as suffering from a de cause of the different clinical and biochemical seve fect in the regeneration of BH4. BH4 is known to rity, this group of diseases was originally named "atyp be the natural cofactor of three aromatic amino acid ical PKU". a term which today is reserved for mild oxidase: phenylalanine-4-hydroxylase (PAH). tyro forms of PAH deficiency. sine-3-hydroxylase. and tryptophan-5-hydroxylase. Although a wide range of metabolic defects may PAH is responsible for the conversion of phenylala- exist, the term "typical" or "atypical" form will be used according to the actual need to treat, or not § Author to whom correspondence should he addressed. *lJedicated to ProfCssor Max Viscontini on the occasion of to treat, the patients. his KOth hirthday. Ptcridincs / Vol. 4 I No. I 2 Blau et af.: Tetrahydrohiopterin deficiency a 0 PTPS 58% "'~N GTPCH ... ~N"r-r-r-O<,OPPP ~~NJlNJI ~ HoN~NJL~) ~: 7,8-0Ihydroneopterin triphosphate ~Q 2H.o ~ H~ ;TPsf:oppp ~ 0 ~ 0 0 6-Pyruvoyl tetrahydropterln Total GTP N "II GTPCH 3% NAQPH jr-r-~' NADPH :t.:jc 246 patients PHS/PCD 4% NADU "" N ~ H H U AOP + ~orCR SR ~~ 0 H SR ~Z ';l fl :t__ JlNj~-L-CH, 4-------' "'~ .. Jl j~-~-Oi, H,N N N H:.N~N ~ H 6-Lactoyl tetrahydropterln H 1'-OH-2'-Dxopropyl SR SR or AR tetrahydropterin Figure 3. Results of the screening for tetrahydrohiopterin dcti ciency collected from the international register. NA~ :jc0 ~ H H *GADPII NAOP-t N' I NADP HN j9-r-0l, HoN...l.N ~ CH OH 5,6,7,8-T etrahydrobiopterin claimed that neopterin may play an active role in the cell-mediated immune response, cell prolifera tion, and differentiation, in one of these patients all Figure l. Biosynthesis of tetrahydrohiopterin including possi hie metabolic detects in hyperphenylalaninemia (Hi' ). GTPCH: humoral and cellular functions tested were found GTP cyclohydrolase I: PTPS: 6-pyruvoyl tetrahydropterin to be normal. In cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) neopte synthase: SR: sepiapterin rcductase: AR: aldose reductase: CR: rin, biopterin, isoxanthopterin, pterin, as well as the carhonyl reductase. neurotransmitter metabolites, homovanillic acid (HVA) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA), were generally low. This enzyme deficiency is rare, with 7 patients detected so far (Fig. 3). 6-Pyruvoyl-tetrahydropterin synthase (PTPS) defi ciency (9) is the most common and heterogeneous -~) variant with about 144 patients diagnosed all over YS- ' 7 7 the world, corresponding to about 58% of all patients )l _~ j&.-~-CH 3 with a BH4 deficiency (Fig. 3). Patients with severe, H,N N ! 4 a -pe roxy-Ie ITah yd robiopte rin partial or peripheral, and transient forms have been reported (10). 7,8-Dihydroneopterin triphosphate can not be converted to 6-pyruvoyl tetrahydropterin (Fig. o H 1), resulting in an accumulation of 7,8-dihydroneo A~~) L-t-Oi' .-~-- H,N N ~ pterin triphosphate in tissue of these patients. This Tyr 4a-Hydroxy-telrahydrobiopterin (4a-Carbinolamine) intermediate is readily dephosphotylated by pyro phosphatase and excreted as dihydroneopterin and Figure 2. Phenylalanine hydroxylating system including possi its oxidation product, neopterin. High concentrations hie metabolic defects in hyperphenylalaninemia (Ii' ). PAH: of neopterin, monapterin (isomer of neopterin), and phenylalanine-4-hydroxylase: DHPR: dihydropteridine reduc 3' -hydroxysepiapterin, and only traces of biopterin tase: PHS/ PCD: PAH stimulating protein/pterin-4a-carhinol are found in the urine of the patients with PTPS amine dehydratase. deficiency. In servere (typical) forms of PTPS defi ciency the neurotransmitter status in the CSF is sim Biochemical observation ilar to that in patients with GTPCH deficiency. In the peripheral or partial (atypical) forms of PTPS So far four molecular diseases have been known deficiency, normal levels of neurotransmitter meta to cause HPA including the classic form with a bolites are measured. It is therefore of practical im defect in the apoenzyme of PAH. Patients with the portance to find out whether or not the patient be 3 variants suffer primarily from BH4 deficiency, ei longs to this type of PTPS deficiency and thus may ther by one of the two defects in the biosynthesis need different treatment (see below). The transient (Fig. I) or one in regeneration (Fig. 2) of the cofac form of PTPS deficiency may be due to a matura tor (7). They are all inherited autosomal recessive. tion delay of BH4 biosynthesis. In GTP cyclohydrolase I (GTPCH) deficiency (8), In dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) deficiency the enzyme catalyzing the first step in the biosyn (II), the second most common form of BH4 deficien thesis of BH4 is deficient and no pterins are synthe cy (88 patients detected; Fig. 3), quinonoid-dihyd sized. These patients are characterized by a neopte robiopterin formed during the hydroxylation of rin and biopterin deficiency. Although it has been phenylalanine to tyrosine accumulates, and the Pteridines / Vol. 4 / No. I Blau 1'1 al.: Tctrahydrohiopterin dcticicncy amount of BH4 synthesized on the de novo pathway convulsions (grand mal or myoclonic attacks), distur is insufficient for the normal function of hepatic bances of tone and posture, drowsiness, irritahility, PAH (Fig. 2). Similarly, as in the case of PTPS abnormal movements, recurrent hyperthermia with and GTPCH deficiencies, these patients are mostly out infection, hypersalivation, swallowing difficul characterized by a depletion of catecholamines and ties. Diunml fluctuation of alertness and neurologic serotonin (12). Since quinonoid-dihydrohiopterin symptoms are also reported. Microcephaly is observ tautomerized readily to 7,8-dihydrohiopterin, patients ed in both diseases but with a higher incidence with DHPR deficiency excrete high amounts of total in PTPS deficiency (S2%) than in DHPR deficiency bioptelin (7,8-dihydrohiopterin and hiopterin). In (33%). However, in 13 out of 2S DHPR deficient addition, owing to the lack of BH4 in these patients, patients for whom repeated measurements with in there is no feedback inhihition of GTPCH and thus creasing age were available, evolution of head circum neopterin biosynthesis is generally activated. ference to progressive microcephaly was observed, Primapterinuria is the recently discovered valiant whether patients were treated or not. of HPA characterized hy the excretion of the 7-sub stituted pterins, primapterin (7-biopterin) and ana Arypical forms pterin (7-neopterin) in the patient's urine (13, 14). Prima pterinuria differs from classic PKU and other vari Atypical PTPS deficiency: The absence of clinical ants of BH4 deficiency because obviously these pa signs theoretically defines atypical forms. However, tients do not need any treatment. Nine patients have in 2 cases neonatal hypotonia was noticed, 2 were been detected so far (Fig. 3). The first patients were mentally retarded, 1 had local signs on the EEG, described by Dhondt et al. (IS) and Blaskovics and and I presented with acute but transient symptoms Giudici (16). A loading test with BH4 was the first (behaviour prohlems. neurovegetative signs, sleeping indication that primapterin