title: Infantile and fetal globoid cell leukodystrophy: analysis of galactosylceramide and galactosylsphingosine.
abstract: Galactosylceramide and galactosylsphingosine (psychosine) were assayed in tissues from infants and fetuses with globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD). Galactosylceramide concentrations were not increased in nervous tissues or other organs. Using a sensitive assay method, we found galactosylsphingosine accumulations in GLD tissues, both infantile and fetal, which suggests that GLD is a generalized galactosylsphingosine storage disease. High galactosylsphingosine levels were observed in the brain, spinal cord, and sciatic nerve of infants with GLD and in the spinal cord of a fetus with GLD, where lesions characteristic to GLD were noted. In tissues without morphological changes, such as somatic organs and the brain in fetal GLD, galactosylsphingosine concentrations were low. These results suggest that a close relationship exists between galactosylsphingosine accumulation and the pathogenesis of GLD. The finding that galactosylsphingosine, but not galactosylceramide, accumulates in the tissue of GLD can be explained by our previous observation that galactosylceramide, but not galactosylsphingosine, is readily hydrolyzed by an intact galactosylceramidase II, which is genetically distinct from galactosylceramidase I.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamanaka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002554:Cerebrosides / Q000032:analysis*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D005699:Galactosylceramides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007965:Leukodystrophy, Globoid Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011609:Psychosine / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000032:analysis; D013110:Sphingosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000032:analysis; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D002554:Cerebrosides; D005699:Galactosylceramides; D011609:Psychosine; D013110:Sphingosine