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BACKGROUND There is interest in newborn screening and diagnosis of lysosomal storage diseases because of the development of treatment options that improve clinical outcome. Assays of lysosomal enzymes with high analytical range (ratio of assay response from the enzymatic reaction divided by the assay response due to nonenzymatic processes) are desirable because they are predicted to lead to a lower rate of false positives in population screening and to more accurate diagnoses. METHODS We designed new tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) assays that give the largest analytical ranges reported to date for the use of dried blood spots (DBS) for detection of mucopolysaccharidoses type II (MPS-II), MPS-IVA, and MPS-VI. For comparison, we carried out fluorometric assays of 6 lysosomal enzymes using 4-methylumbelliferyl (4MU)-substrate conjugates. RESULTS The MS/MS assays for MPS-II, -IVA, and -VI displayed analytical ranges that are 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than those for the corresponding fluorometric assays. The relatively small analytical ranges of the 4MU assays are due to the intrinsic fluorescence of the 4MU substrates, which cause high background in the assay response. CONCLUSIONS These highly reproducible MS/MS assays for MPS-II, -IVA, and -VI can support multiplex newborn screening of these lysosomal storage diseases. MS/MS assays of lysosomal enzymes outperform 4MU fluorometric assays in terms of analytical range. Ongoing pilot studies will allow us to gauge the impact of the increased analytical range on newborn screening performance.

Background We have expanded the use of tandem mass spectrometry combined with liquid chromatography (HPLC-MS/MS) for multiplex newborn screening of seven lysosomal enzymes in dried blood spots (DBS). The new assays are for enzymes responsible for the mucopolysaccharidoses MPS-I, -II, -IIIB, -IVA, -VI, and −VII) and type 2 neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (LINCL). Methods New substrates were prepared and characterized for tripeptidyl peptidase 1 (TPP1), α-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAGLU), and lysosomal β-glucuronidase (GUSB). These assays were combined with previously developed assays to provide a multiplex HPLC-MS/MS assay of seven lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs). Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) of ion dissociations for enzyme products and deuterium-labeled internal standards was used to quantify the enzyme activities. Results Deidentified DBS samples from 62 non-affected newborns were analyzed to simultaneously determine (run time 2 min per DBS) the activities of TPP1, NAGLU, and GUSB, along with those for α-iduronidase (IDUA) iduronate-2-sulfatase (I2S), N-acetylgalactosamine-6-sulfatase (GALNS), and N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase (ARSB). The activities measured in the 7-plex format showed analytical ranges of 102-909 that clearly separated healthy infants from affected children. Conclusions The new multiplex assay provides a robust comprehensive newborn screening assay for the mucopolysaccharidoses, which is the most rapid method reported to date. The method is shown to be expandable to include additional LSDs including neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. The assay is also useful for biochemical diagnosis and prognosis studies.

BACKGROUND Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by deficiency in arylsulfatase A activity, leading to accumulation of sulfatide substrates. Diagnostic and monitoring procedures include demonstration of reduced arylsulfatase A activity in peripheral blood leukocytes or detection of sulfatides in urine. However, the development of a screening test is challenging because of instability of the enzyme in dried blood spots (DBS), the widespread occurrence of pseudodeficiency alleles, and the lack of available urine samples from newborn screening programs. METHODS We measured individual sulfatide profiles in DBS and dried urine spots (DUS) from MLD patients with LC-MS/MS to identify markers with the discriminatory power to differentiate affected individuals from controls. We also developed a method for converting all sulfatide molecular species into a single species, allowing quantification in positive-ion mode upon derivatization. RESULTS In DBS from MLD patients, we found up to 23.2-fold and 5.1-fold differences in total sulfatide concentrations for early- and late-onset MLD, respectively, compared with controls and pseudodeficiencies. Corresponding DUS revealed up to 164-fold and 78-fold differences for early- and late-onset MLD patient samples compared with controls. The use of sulfatides converted to a single species simplified the analysis and increased detection sensitivity in positive-ion mode, providing a second option for sulfatide analysis. CONCLUSIONS This study of sulfatides in DBS and DUS suggests the feasibility of the mass spectrometry method for newborn screening of MLD and sets the stage for a larger-scale newborn screening pilot study.

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Tandem mass spectrometry for the multiplex and quantitative analysis of enzyme activities in dried blood spots on newborn screening cards has emerged as a powerful technique for early assessment of lysosomal storage diseases. Here we report the design and process-scale synthesis of substrates for the enzymes α-l-iduronidase, iduronate-2-sulfatase, and N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase that are used for newborn screening of mucopolysaccharidosis types I, II, and VI. The products contain a bisamide unit that is hypothesized to readily protonate in the gas phase, which improves detection sensitivity by tandem mass spectrometry. The products contain a benzoyl group, which provides a useful site for inexpensive deuteration, thus facilitating the preparation of internal standards for the accurate quantification of enzymatic products. Finally, the reagents are designed with ease of synthesis in mind, thus permitting scale-up preparation to support worldwide newborn screening of lysosomal storage diseases. The new reagents provide the most sensitive assay for the three lysosomal enzymes reported to date as shown by their performance in reactions using dried blood spots as the enzyme source. Also, the ratio of assay signal to that measured in the absence of blood (background) is superior to all previously reported mucopolysaccharidosis types I, II, and VI assays.

Objective: The first live and large-scale newborn screening program of multiple mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) was developed in Taiwan. The initial cutoff values, rates of screen positives, and genotypes were evaluated. Study Design: More than 100,000 dried blood spots (DBSs) were collected consecutively as part of the national Taiwan newborn screening programs. Enzyme activities were measured by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) from DBS punches. Genotypes were obtained when a second newborn screening specimen again had a reduced enzyme activity. Additional clinical evaluation was then initiated based on enzyme activity and/or genotype. Results: Molecular genetic analysis for cases with low enzyme activity revealed 5 newborns with pathogenic IDUA mutations, 3 newborns with pathogenic IDS mutations, and one newborn was a carrier of an ARSB mutation. Several variants of unknown pathogenic significance were also identified, most likely causing pseudodeficiency. Conclusions: The highly robust MS/MS-based enzyme assays for MPS I, MPS II and MPS VI allow for high throughput newborn screening for these lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs). Optimized cutoff values combined with second tier testing could largely eliminate false positive results. Accordingly, newborn screening for these LSDs is possible.

Objective-To test, in a newborn screening (NBS) laboratory, the performance of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to assay 5 enzymatic activities in dried blood spots (DBS) for NBS of 5 lysosomal storage diseases (mucopolysaccharidosis [MPS]-II, MPS-IIIB, MPS-IVA, MPS-VI, and MPS-VII).Study design-Three mm punches from de-identified DBS were obtained from the Washington NBS laboratory and submitted to the 5-plex LC-MS/MS assay. Screen cut-offs were established by analyzing the enzymatic activity in patients confirmed to have the MPS disorder. DNA sequencing of the relevant gene was performed on a second DBS punch for all samples with enzyme activity below 10% of the mean daily activity. Results-(1)For MPS-II, 18 below cut-off samples, 1 pathogenic genotype, and 2 "high risk" genotypes; (2) For MPS-IIIB, no below cut-off samples; (3) For MPS-IVA, (4) For MPS-VI, 4 below cut-off samples and no high-risk genotypes; (5) MPS-VII, 1 below cut-off sample confirmed by genotype and clinical report to be affected.