hymecromone and Mucopolysaccharidosis-I

The lack of methodological uniformity in enzyme assays has been a long-standing difficulty, a problem for bench researchers, for the interpretation of clinical diagnostic tests, and an issue for investigational drug review. Illustrative of the problem, α-L-iduronidase enzyme catalytic activity is frequently measured with the substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl-α-L-iduronide (4MU-iduronide); however, final substrate concentrations used in different assays vary greatly, ranging from 25 μM to 1425 μM (Km ≈ 180 μM) making it difficult to compare results between laboratories. In this study, α-L-iduronidase was assayed with 15 different substrate concentrations. The resulting activity levels from the same specimens varied greatly with different substrate concentrations but, as a group, obeyed the expectations of Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Therefore, for the sake of improved comparability, it is proposed that α-L-iduronidase enzyme assays should be conducted either (1) under substrate saturating conditions; or (2) when concentrations are significantly below substrate saturation, with results standardized by arithmetic adjustment that considers Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The approach can be generalized to many other enzyme assays.

Topics: Calibration; Enzyme Assays; Humans; Hymecromone; Iduronidase; Kinetics; Mucopolysaccharidosis I; Quality Control

Three major clinical subgroups are usually distinguished in Mucopolysaccharidosis type I: Hurler (MPS IH, severe presentation), Hurler-Scheie (MPS IH/S, intermediate) and Scheie (MPS IS, mild). To facilitate treatment with hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation, early diagnosis is important for MPS IH patients. Although screening for MPS I in newborns would allow detection at an early age, it may be difficult to predict the phenotype on the basis of the genotype in these infants. Extra diagnostic tools are thus required. Based on the hypothesis that distinct MPS I phenotypes may result from differences in residual α-l-iduronidase (IDUA) activity, we modified the common IDUA assay using the substrate 4-methylumbelliferyl-α-l-iduronide to allow quantification of low IDUA activity in MPS I fibroblasts. Enzyme incubation was performed with high protein concentrations at different time points up to 8h. Mean residual IDUA activity was 0.18% (range 0-0.6) of the control value in MPS IH fibroblasts (n=5); against 0.27% (range 0.2-0.3) in MPS IH/S cells (n=3); and 0.79% (range 0.3-1.8) in MPS IS fibroblasts (n=5). These results suggest that residual IDUA activity and severity of the MPS I phenotype are correlated. Two MPS IS patients with rare (E276K/E276K) or indefinite (A327P/unknown) IDUA genotypes had residual IDUA activity in the MPS IS range, illustrating the usefulness of our approach. IDUA(E276K) was very unstable at 37°C, but more stable at 23°C, suggesting thermal instability. We conclude that this procedure for determining residual IDUA activity in fibroblasts of MPS I patients may be helpful to predict MPS I phenotype.

Topics: Cell Line; Early Diagnosis; Fibroblasts; Humans; Hymecromone; Iduronidase; Infant, Newborn; Mucopolysaccharidosis I; Mutation

It has been previously demonstrated that the enzyme alpha-L-iduronidase (IDUA) of patients with MPS I shows a different biochemical behavior in each of the three clinical forms of these. In heterozygotes, its biochemical behavior has been recently established in leukocyte and plasma samples, demonstrating that it is possible to distinguish individuals heterozygous for MPS I within an unselected population.. We evaluated the effect of copper chloride, EDTA and sodium chloride on the activity of the enzyme alpha-L-iduronidase in the plasma of normal individuals and of MPS I heterozygotes and observed the type of inhibition caused, the Ki, the apparent Km and the apparent Vmax for each inhibitor.. Sodium chloride inhibited the enzyme in normal individuals and in 40% of the heterozygotes evaluated and activated it in 60% of heterozygotes. The remaining compounds inhibited IDUA in both heterozygotes and normal individuals.. We detected significant differences capable of differentiating MPS I heterozygotes from normal individuals by simply adding sodium chloride, EDTA or copper chloride to the incubation medium at the time of IDUA activity determination, with a potential use in carrier detection protocols.

Topics: Biomarkers; Chelating Agents; Copper; Edetic Acid; Heterozygote; Humans; Hymecromone; Iduronidase; Indicators and Reagents; Kinetics; Mucopolysaccharidosis I; Reference Values; Sodium Chloride

Topics: Diagnosis, Differential; Heterozygote; Humans; Hymecromone; Iduronidase; Mucopolysaccharidosis I; Phenotype

The following glycosides of 4-trifluoromethylumbelliferone: alpha-D-mannopyranoside, alpha-L-fucopyranoside, alpha-D-glucopyranoside, beta-D-glucopyranoside, alpha-D-galactopyranoside, beta-D-galactopyranoside, alpha-L-iduronide and beta-D-glucuronide were studied. 4-Trifluoromethylumbelliferyl glycosides were shown to be substrates for glycosidases. Some of them were cleaved even better than the corresponding methylumbelliferyl glycosides. 4-Trifluoromethylumbelliferyl glycosides were applied for revealing the corresponding enzyme deficiencies upon diagnosis of Gaucher and Hurler diseases as well as GM1 gangliosidosis and alpha-mannosidosis. 4-Trifluoromethylumbelliferone released after enzymatic hydrolysis of 4-trifluoromethylumbelliferyl glycosides exhibits more contrast yellow fluorescence in UV-light than the blue one of methylumbelliferone upon exposure of enzyme activity on solid supports. Therefore 4-trifluoromethylumbelliferyl glycosides are convenient substrates for revealing glycosidase activity directly in tissue samples, e.g. in placenta, and thus for fast prenatal diagnosis of lysosomal diseases.

Topics: Clinical Enzyme Tests; Female; Gaucher Disease; Glycoside Hydrolases; Glycosides; Humans; Hymecromone; Leukocytes; Lysosomes; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Male; Mucopolysaccharidosis I

Results are presented of alpha-L-iduronidase assays in the leukocytes of normal individuals, patients with Hurler disease and heterozygous carriers. The assays were carried out using 4-methylumbelliferyl-alpha-L-iduronide and 4-trifluoromethylumbelliferyl-alpha-L-iduronide as substrates. It was shown that 4-trifluoromethylumbelliferyl-alpha-L-iduronide, along with the commonly used 4-methylumbelliferyl-alpha-L-iduronide, can serve as a specific substrate for alpha-L-iduronidase and is therefore suitable for demonstrating the enzyme deficiency in patients with Hurler disease, as well as the decrease of enzyme activity in heterozygous disease carriers. Using the two substrates a prenatal diagnosis of Hurler disease in a fetus was made on the basis of the lack of enzyme activity in amniotic fluid cell cultures. The diagnosis was confirmed by the results of alpha-L-iduronidase activity assay in fetal liver and kidney. It was found that 4-trifluoromethylumbelliferyl-alpha-L-iduronide is highly efficient for the rapid detection of alpha-L-iduronidase deficiency directly in pieces of tissues and in placenta, which is important for the prenatal diagnosis of Hurler disease.

Topics: Amniotic Fluid; Cells, Cultured; Female; Humans; Hymecromone; Iduronidase; Leukocytes; Mucopolysaccharidosis I; Placenta; Pregnancy; Prenatal Diagnosis

Using 4-methylumbelliferyl-alpha-L-iduronide as a substrate, alpha-L-iduronidase activity was measured in leukocytes and in lymphoblastoid cells obtained from patients with alpha-L-iduronidase deficiency and from obligate heterozygotes for this disease. There was complete discrimination between alpha-L-iduronide in leukocytes and in lymphoblastoid cells from the patients and controls. However, overlap was observed between values of the activity in the obligate heterozygotes and those in the controls. 4-Methylumbelliferyl-alpha-L-iduronidase activity because of greater sensitivity, easier assay procedure and shorter incubation period.

Topics: Female; Fluorometry; Glycoside Hydrolases; Humans; Hymecromone; Iduronic Acid; Iduronidase; Male; Mucopolysaccharidoses; Mucopolysaccharidosis I; Umbelliferones

4-Methylumbelliferyl-alpha-l-iduronide provided a more sensitive method than phenyl-alpha-l-iduronide for the estimation of alpha-l-iduronidase in cultured cells and could be used to diagnose Hurler's disease. The 4-methylumbelliferyl derivative was no more useful than the phenyl derivative for the detection of heterozygotes. All ten lysosomal enzymes tested could be used as reference enzymes when cell extracts were prepared by freeze/thawing in formate buffer pH 3.5 containing 150 mmol/l sodium chloride.

Topics: Amniotic Fluid; Clinical Enzyme Tests; Female; Fibroblasts; Genetic Carrier Screening; Glycoside Hydrolases; Humans; Hydrolases; Hymecromone; Iduronic Acid; Iduronidase; Kinetics; Mucopolysaccharidosis I; Pregnancy; Skin; Substrate Specificity; Umbelliferones; Uronic Acids

Topics: Amniocentesis; Cells, Cultured; Clinical Enzyme Tests; Female; Glycoside Hydrolases; Humans; Hymecromone; Iduronidase; Mucopolysaccharidosis I; Pregnancy; Prenatal Diagnosis

A fluorogenic substrate for alpha-L-iduronidase, 4-methylumbelliferyl alpha-L-iduronide, has been newly synthesized and the enzyme activity has been measured in urine samples obtained from normal persons and patients suffering from mucopolysaccharidosis. Urine samples derived from a patient with Scheie syndrome showed greatly reduced activity compared with a normal adult at a similar age. This patient exhibited a high level of urinary excretion of dermatan sulfate and heparan sulfate, which could be interpreted in terms of her low alpha-L-iduronidase activity. The use of the fluorogenic substrate has some advantages over existing methods because of the high sensitivity and the relative ease of handling, and it should be useful not only for diagnosis but also for following the purification process of the enzyme.

Topics: Adult; Child, Preschool; Dermatan Sulfate; Female; Fluorometry; Glycoside Hydrolases; Heparitin Sulfate; Humans; Hymecromone; Iduronic Acid; Iduronidase; Male; Middle Aged; Mucopolysaccharidoses; Mucopolysaccharidosis I