Biomedical subjects

Ulrich Matzner

Publications and source records attributed to Ulrich Matzner.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Enzyme replacement improves nervous system pathology and function in a mouse model for metachromatic leukodystrophy.

A deficiency of arylsulfatase A (ASA) causes the lysosomal storage disease metachromatic leukodystrophy, which is characterized by accumulation of the sphingolipid 3-O-sulfogalactosylceramide (sulfatide). Sphingolipid storage results in progressive demyelination and severe neurologic symptoms. The disease is lethal, and curative therapy is not available. To assess the therapeutic potential of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), ASA knockout mice were treated by intravenous injection of recombinant human ASA. Plasma levels of ASA declined with a half-time of approximately 40 min, and enzyme was detectable in tissues within minutes after injection. The uptake of injected enzyme was high into liver, moderate into peripheral nervous system (PNS) and kidney and very low into brain. The apparent half-life of endocytosed enzyme was approximately 4 days. A single injection led to a time- and dose-dependent decline of the excess sulfatide in PNS and kidney by up to 70%, but no reduction was seen in brain. Four weekly injections with 20 mg/kg body weight not only reduced storage in peripheral tissues progressively, but also were surprisingly effective in reducing sulfatide storage in brain and spinal cord. The histopathology of kidney and central nervous system was ameliorated. Improved neuromotor coordination capabilities and normalized peripheral compound motor action potential demonstrate the benefits of ERT on the nervous system function. Enzyme replacement may therefore be a promising therapeutic option in this devastating disease.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Quantitative genotyping of single-nucleotide polymorphisms by allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization on DNA microarrays.

Genotyping of SNPs (single-nucleotide polymorphisms) has challenged the development of several novel techniques. Most of these methods have been introduced to discriminate binary SNPs in diploid species. In the present study, the quantitative genotyping of SNPs in natural DNA pools of a polyploid organism via DNA microarrays was analysed. Three randomly selected SNP loci were genotyped in the tetraploid species potato (Solanum tuberosum). For each SNP, 24 oligomers were designed, 12 with forward and 12 with reverse orientation. They contained the polymorphic site at one of the positions 11, 14 and 17. Several steps of optimizations were performed, including the 'materials' used and the establishment of hybridization conditions. Glass surfaces were either epoxy- or aldehyde-modified, and allele-specific oligonucleotides contained either SH or NH2 groups. Hybridization stringency conditions were established by varying the concentration of formamide in the hybridization buffer. For SNP BA213c14t7/403, the quantitative discrimination between all four different naturally occurring genotypes could be demonstrated.

Chromosome Mapping↗

PubMed2005

Gene therapy of metachromatic leukodystrophy.

Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is a lysosomal storage disease that is caused by a deficiency of arylsulfatase A (ASA). The deficiency results in the intralysosomal accumulation of the acidic sphingolipid 3-O-sulfogalactosyl-ceramide (sulfatide). Patients suffer from progressive demyelination and die from multiple neurological deficits. Curative treatment is not available. ASA bears mannose 6-phosphate residues which function as recognition markers in endosome/lysosome-specific targeting pathways. The endocytic targeting route can be exploited to deliver exogenous ASA to the lysosomes of ASA-deficient cells. ASA knockout mice, which develop a disorder related to MLD, have therefore been treated by ex vivo and in vivo gene therapy. Following transplantation of bone marrow cells overexpressing ASA from a retroviral vector, donor-type cells secrete ASA, which is endocytosed by recipient cells. The enzyme transfer results in the metabolic cross-correction of recipient cells and the improvement of biochemical, histological and clinical parameters. For the transfer of the ASA cDNA to non-dividing cells, adenovirus, adeno-associated virus and lentivirus vectors have been constructed. Such vectors might be particularly advantageous for direct ASA gene delivery to the brain, which is the main site of disease in MLD.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Gene therapy: prospects for glycolipid storage diseases.

Lysosomal storage diseases comprise a group of about 40 disorders, which in most cases are due to the deficiency of a lysosomal enzyme. Since lysosomal enzymes are involved in the degradation of various compounds, the diseases can be further subdivided according to which pathway is affected. Thus, enzyme deficiencies in the degradation pathway of glycosaminoglycans cause mucopolysaccharidosis, and deficiencies affecting glycopeptides cause glycoproteinosis. In glycolipid storage diseases enzymes are deficient that are involved in the degradation of sphingolipids. Mouse models are available for most of these diseases, and some of these mouse models have been used to study the applicability of in vivo gene therapy. We review the rationale for gene therapy in lysosomal disorders and present data, in particular, about trials in an animal model of metachromatic leukodystrophy. The data of these trials are compared with those obtained with animal models of other lysosomal diseases.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Secretion of phosphomannosyl-deficient arylsulphatase A and cathepsin D from isolated human macrophages.

The transfer of macrophage-secreted arylsulphatase A (ASA) to enzyme-deficient brain cells is part of the therapeutic concept of bone marrow transplantation in lysosomal storage diseases. Here we have investigated this transfer in vitro. The uptake of (125)I-labelled recombinant human ASA purified from ASA-overexpressing mouse embryonic fibroblasts deficient for mannose 6-phosphate (M6P) receptors in a mouse ASA-deficient astroglial cell line was completely inhibited by M6P. In contrast, when ASA-deficient astroglial cells were incubated with secretions of [(35)S]methionine-labelled human macrophages or mouse microglia, containing various lysosomal enzymes, neither ASA nor cathepsin D (CTSD) were detected in acceptor cells. Co-culturing of metabolically labelled macrophages with ASA-deficient glial cells did not result in an M6P-dependent transfer of ASA or CTSD between these two cell types. In secretions of [(33)P]phosphate-labelled macrophages no or weakly phosphorylated ASA and CTSD precursor polypeptides were found, whereas both intracellular and secreted ASA from ASA-overexpressing baby hamster kidney cells displayed (33)P-labelled M6P residues. Finally, the uptake of CTSD from secretions of [(35)S]methionine-labelled macrophages in rat hepatocytes was M6P-independent. These data indicated that lysosomal enzymes secreted by human macrophages or a mouse microglial cell line cannot be endocytosed by brain cells due to the failure to equip newly synthesized lysosomal enzymes with the M6P recognition marker efficiently. The data suggest that other mechanisms than the proposed M6P-dependent secretion/recapture of lysosomal enzymes might be responsible for therapeutic effects of bone marrow transplantation in the brain.

Animals↗