Effect of bone marrow transplantation on enzyme levels and clinical course in the neurologically affected twitcher mouse.

The effect of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) was investigated in the neurologically affected twitcher mouse, a model for human Krabbe's disease. Twitcher mice have a hereditary deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme galactosylceramidase, which causes growth delay, tremor, and paralysis of the hind legs. Death occurs at 30-40 d of age. After BMT galactosylceramidase activity increased to donor levels in hemopoietic organs. In lung, heart, and liver, galactosylceramidase activity rose to levels intermediate between those of twitcher and normal mice. Increased galactosylceramidase activity in liver parenchymal cells indicated uptake of the donor enzyme by recipient cells of nonhemopoietic origin. Enzyme activity also increased in kidney tissue. BMT resulted in a gradual increase in galactosylceramidase activity in the central nervous system to 15% of normal donor levels. A 5-6-fold increase in galactosylceramidase activity was found in the peripheral nervous system. This increase in enzyme activity was accompanied by a partial alleviation of neurological symptoms. In particular, paralysis of the hind legs was prevented by BMT. BMT led to a modest restoration of growth and prolonged survival. In several cases, the mice survived for more than 100 d, but eventually all animals died with severe neurological disease.

Bone marrow transplantation has a significant effect on enzyme levels and storage of glycosaminoglycans in tissues and in isolated hepatocytes of mucopolysaccharidosis type VII mice.

The effect of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) on enzyme and glycosaminoglycan levels of various tissues and isolated parenchymal cells of lethally irradiated gusmps/gusmps mice was studied. These mice have an inherited deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme beta-glucuronidase with less than 1% of normal enzyme activity present in all tissues and represent a model of human mucopolysaccharidosis type VII. Tissues were evaluated 200 d after BMT and liver parenchymal cells 300 d after BMT. Normal levels of beta-glucuronidase activities were present in spleen and peripheral blood leukocytes of gusmps/gusmps mice that underwent transplantations. Intermediate activities were found in lung (73%), kidney (4%), liver (10%), heart (53%), muscle (55%), brain (6%), and liver parenchymal cells (10% of normal controls). A concomitant decrease in activity of the secondarily increased enzyme beta-hexosaminidase was observed. BMT also led to a substantial reduction in storage of glycosaminoglycans in lung (130 to 100%), heart (350 to 106%), kidney (439 to 217%), brain (177 to 91%), liver (613 to 125%), and liver parenchymal cells (443 to 161% of normal controls). These findings were supported by electron microscopy. A normalization of the storage process was seen in the visceral organs spleen and liver and in the histiocytes of the heart. The kidney showed variable improvement depending on the cell type. In the brain, a substantial improvement of neuronal storage was observed, but BMT apparently had no effect on storage in glial cells. The subcellular localization of beta-glucuronidase was investigated in liver parenchymal cells of mice that underwent transplantation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)