No abstract

Acetyl-CoA: alpha-glucosaminide N-acetyltransferase (N-acetyltransferase) is an integral lysosomal membrane protein which catalyses the transfer of acetyl groups from acetyl-CoA on to the terminal glucosamine in heparin and heparan sulphate chains within the lysosome. In vitro, the enzyme is capable of acetylating a number of mono- and oligo-saccharides derived from heparin, provided that a non-reducing terminal glucosamine is present. We have prepared highly enriched lysosomal membrane fractions from human placenta by a combination of differential centrifugation and density-gradient centrifugation in Percoll. This preparation was used to investigate the kinetics of the enzyme with three acetyl-acceptor substrates, i.e. glucosamine and a disaccharide and a tetrasaccharide derived from heparin, each containing a terminal glucosamine residue. The enzyme showed a pH optimum at 6.5, extending to 8.0 for the mono- and di-saccharide substrates but falling off sharply above pH 6.5 for the tetrasaccharide substrate. We identified two distinct Km values for the glucosamine substrate at both pH 7.0 and pH 5.0, whereas the tetrasaccharide substrate displayed only a single Km value at each pH. The Km values were found to be highly pH-dependent, and at pH 5.0 the values for the acetyl-acceptor substrates showed a decreasing trend as the size of the substrate increased, suggesting that the enzyme recognizes an extended region of the non-reducing terminus of the heparin or heparan sulphate polysaccharides. Double-reciprocal analysis, isotope exchange between N-acetylglucosamine and glucosamine, and inhibition studies with desulpho-CoA indicate that the enzyme operates by a random-order ternary-complex mechanism. Product inhibition studies display a complex pattern of dead-end inhibition. Taken in context with what is known about lysosomal utilization and physiological levels of acetyl-CoA, these results suggest that in vivo the enzyme operates via a random-order ternary-complex mechanism which involves the utilization of cytosolic acetyl-CoA to transfer acetyl groups on to the terminal glucosamine residues of heparin within the lysosome.

Background: In recent years, there have been significant advances in the development of enzyme replacement and other therapies for lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs). Early diagnosis, before the onset of irreversible pathology, has been demonstrated to be critical for maximum efficacy of current and proposed therapies. In the absence of a family history, the presymptomatic detection of these disorders ideally can be achieved through a newborn screening program. One approach to the development of such a program is the identification of suitable screening markers. In this study, the acid α-glucosidase protein was evaluated as a marker protein for Pompe disease and potentially for other LSDs. Methods: Two sensitive immunoquantification assays for the measurement of total (precursor and mature) and mature forms of acid α-glucosidase protein were used to determine the concentrations in plasma and dried blood spots from control and LSD-affected individuals. Results: In the majority of LSDs, no significant increases above control values were observed. However, individuals with Pompe disease showed a marked decrease in acid α-glucosidase protein in both plasma and whole blood compared with unaffected controls. For plasma samples, this assay gave a sensitivity of 95% with a specificity of 100%. For blood spot samples, the sensitivity was 82% with a specificity of 100%. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that it is possible to screen for Pompe disease by screening the concentration of total acid α-glucosidase in plasma or dried blood spots.

No abstract

Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis databases have been generated for a range of tissue cell and fluid types, from a number of species. A major difficulty in the development of such databases is the large number of proteins present in even a single cell type (> 10,000) and the low levels of many of these proteins. One approach to overcome these difficulties is to fractionate the cell into its organelles and generate individual databases for each subcellular component. This has the added advantage of assigning a cellular location to each protein identified. Here we report the development of a two-dimensional gel electrophoresis database of lysosomal proteins.