Liposome-encapsulated mannose-1-phosphate therapy improves global N-glycosylation in different congenital disorders of glycosylation.

Phosphomannomutase 2 (PMM2) converts mannose-6-phospahate to mannose-1-phosphate; the substrate for GDP-mannose, a building block of the glycosylation biosynthetic pathway. Pathogenic variants in the PMM2 gene have been shown to be associated with protein hypoglycosylation causing PMM2-congenital disorder of glycosylation (PMM2-CDG). While mannose supplementation improves glycosylation in vitro, but not in vivo, we hypothesized that liposomal delivery of mannose-1-phosphate could increase the stability and delivery of the activated sugar to enter the targeted compartments of cells. Thus, we studied the effect of liposome-encapsulated mannose-1-P (GLM101) on global protein glycosylation and on the cellular proteome in skin fibroblasts from individuals with PMM2-CDG, as well as in individuals with two N-glycosylation defects early in the pathway, namely ALG2-CDG and ALG11-CDG. We leveraged multiplexed proteomics and N-glycoproteomics in fibroblasts derived from different individuals with various pathogenic variants in PMM2, ALG2 and ALG11 genes. Proteomics data revealed a moderate but significant change in the abundance of some of the proteins in all CDG fibroblasts upon GLM101 treatment. On the other hand, N-glycoproteomics revealed the GLM101 treatment enhanced the expression levels of several high-mannose and complex/hybrid glycopeptides from numerous cellular proteins in individuals with defects in PMM2 and ALG2 genes. Both PMM2-CDG and ALG2-CDG exhibited several-fold increase in glycopeptides bearing Man6 and higher glycans and a decrease in Man5 and smaller glycan moieties, suggesting that GLM101 helps in the formation of mature glycoforms. These changes in protein glycosylation were observed in all individuals irrespective of their genetic variants. ALG11-CDG fibroblasts also showed increase in high mannose glycopeptides upon treatment; however, the improvement was not as dramatic as the other two CDG. Overall, our findings suggest that treatment with GLM101 overcomes the genetic block in the glycosylation pathway and can be used as a potential therapy for CDG with enzymatic defects in early steps in protein N-glycosylation.

Treatment of congenital disorders of glycosylation: An overview.

While the identification and diagnosis of congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) have rapidly progressed, the available treatment options are still quite limited. Mostly, we are only able to manage the disease symptoms rather than to address the underlying cause. However, recent years have brought about remarkable advances in treatment approaches for some CDG. Innovative therapies, targeting both the root cause and resulting manifestations, have transitioned from the research stage to practical application. The present paper aims to provide a detailed overview of these exciting developments and the rising concepts that are used to treat these ultra-rare diseases.

In vitro treatment with liposome-encapsulated Mannose-1-phosphate restores N-glycosylation in PMM2-CDG patient-derived fibroblasts.

PMM2-CDG is the most common congenital disorder of glycosylation (CDG). Patients with this disease often carry compound heterozygous mutations of the gene encoding the phosphomannomutase 2 (PMM2) enzyme. PMM2 converts mannose-6-phosphate (M6P) to mannose-1-phosphate (M1P), which is a critical upstream metabolite for proper protein N-glycosylation. Therapeutic options for PMM2-CDG patients are limited to management of the disease symptoms, as no drug is currently approved to treat this disease. GLM101 is a M1P-loaded liposomal formulation being developed as a candidate drug to treat PMM2-CDG. This report describes the effect of GLM101 treatment on protein N-glycosylation of PMM2-CDG patient-derived fibroblasts. This treatment normalized intracellular GDP-mannose, increased the relative glycoprotein mannosylation content and TNFα-induced ICAM-1 expression. Moreover, glycomics profiling revealed that GLM101 treatment of PMM2-CDG fibroblasts resulted in normalization of most high mannose glycans and partial correction of multiple complex and hybrid glycans. In vivo characterization of GLM101 revealed its favorable pharmacokinetics, liver-targeted biodistribution, and tolerability profile with achieved systemic concentrations significantly greater than its effective in vitro potency. Taken as a whole, the results described in this report support further exploration of GLM101's safety, tolerability, and efficacy in PMM2-CDG patients.