Glucocerebrosidase haploinsufficiency in A53T α-synuclein mice impacts disease onset and course.

Mutations in GBA1 encountered in Gaucher disease are a leading risk factor for Parkinson disease and associated Lewy body disorders. Many GBA1 mutation carriers, especially those with severe or null GBA1 alleles, have earlier and more progressive parkinsonism. To model the effect of partial glucocerebrosidase deficiency on neurological progression in vivo, mice with a human A53T α-synuclein (SNCAA53T) transgene were crossed with heterozygous null gba mice (gba+/-). Survival analysis of 84 mice showed that in gba+/-//SNCAA53T hemizygotes and homozygotes, the symptom onset was significantly earlier than in gba+/+//SNCAA53T mice (p-values 0.023-0.0030), with exacerbated disease progression (p-value <0.0001). Over-expression of SNCAA53T had no effect on glucocerebrosidase levels or activity. Immunoblotting demonstrated that gba haploinsufficiency did not lead to increased levels of either monomeric SNCA or insoluble high molecular weight SNCA in this model. Immunohistochemical analyses demonstrated that the abundance and distribution of SNCA pathology was also unaltered by gba haploinsufficiency. Thus, while the underlying mechanism is not clear, this model shows that gba deficiency impacts the age of onset and disease duration in aged SNCAA53T mice, providing a valuable resource to identify modifiers, pathways and possible moonlighting roles of glucocerebrosidase in Parkinson pathogenesis.

Lysosomal storage and impaired autophagy lead to inflammasome activation in Gaucher macrophages.

Gaucher disease, the inherited deficiency of lysosomal glucocerebrosidase, is characterized by the presence of glucosylcer-amide macrophages, the accumulation of glucosylceramide in lysosomes and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines. However, the connection between this lysosomal storage and inflammation is not clear. Studying macrophages derived from peripheral monocytes from patients with type 1 Gaucher disease with genotype N370S/N370S, we confirmed an increased secretion of interleukins IL-1ß and IL-6. In addition, we found that activation of the inflammasome, a multiprotein complex that activates caspase-1, led to the maturation of IL-1ß in Gaucher macrophages. We show that inflammasome activation in these cells is the result of impaired autophagy. Treatment with the small-molecule glucocerebrosidase chaperone NCGC758 reversed these defects, inducing autophagy and reducing IL-1ß secretion, confirming the role of the deficiency of lysosomal glucocerebrosidase in these processes. We found that in Gaucher macrophages elevated levels of the autophagic adaptor p62 prevented the delivery of inflammasomes to autophagosomes. This increase in p62 led to activation of p65-NF-kB in the nucleus, promoting the expression of inflammatory cytokines and the secretion of IL-1ß. This newly elucidated mechanism ties lysosomal dysfunction to inflammasome activation, and may contribute to the massive organomegaly, bone involvement and increased susceptibility to certain malignancies seen in Gaucher disease. Moreover, this link between lysosomal storage, impaired autophagy, and inflammation may have implications relevant to both Parkinson disease and the aging process. Defects in these basic cellular processes may also provide new therapeutic targets.

Macrophage models of Gaucher disease for evaluating disease pathogenesis and candidate drugs.

Gaucher disease is caused by an inherited deficiency of glucocerebrosidase that manifests with storage of glycolipids in lysosomes, particularly in macrophages. Available cell lines modeling Gaucher disease do not demonstrate lysosomal storage of glycolipids; therefore, we set out to develop two macrophage models of Gaucher disease that exhibit appropriate substrate accumulation. We used these cellular models both to investigate altered macrophage biology in Gaucher disease and to evaluate candidate drugs for its treatment. We generated and characterized monocyte-derived macrophages from 20 patients carrying different Gaucher disease mutations. In addition, we created induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived macrophages from five fibroblast lines taken from patients with type 1 or type 2 Gaucher disease. Macrophages derived from patient monocytes or iPSCs showed reduced glucocerebrosidase activity and increased storage of glucocerebroside and glucosylsphingosine in lysosomes. These macrophages showed efficient phagocytosis of bacteria but reduced production of intracellular reactive oxygen species and impaired chemotaxis. The disease phenotype was reversed with a noninhibitory small-molecule chaperone drug that enhanced glucocerebrosidase activity in the macrophages, reduced glycolipid storage, and normalized chemotaxis and production of reactive oxygen species. Macrophages differentiated from patient monocytes or patient-derived iPSCs provide cellular models that can be used to investigate disease pathogenesis and facilitate drug development.

Is Parkinson disease associated with lysosomal integral membrane protein type-2?: challenges in interpreting association data.

Several genetic risk factors have been identified for Parkinson disease (PD), including mutations in glucocerebrosidase (GBA1). Recently, two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) described as SCARB2 SNPs were reported to be associated with PD. SCARB2 is an attractive candidate gene for PD as it encodes for lysosomal integral membrane protein type 2 (LIMP-2), a protein involved in transporting glucocerebrosidase from the ER to the lysosome. The first SNP, rs6812193, located 64 kb upstream of SCARB2, was identified in a Parkinson disease Genome Wide Association study of Americans with European ancestry (p = 7.6 × 10(-10), OR = 0.84), but was not replicated in a study in the Han Chinese. The second SNP, rs6825004, located within intron 2 of SCARB2 was reported in an association study of Parkinson disease in Greece (p = 0.02, OR = 0.68). We explored whether the two SNPs impact SCARB2 expression or LIMP-2 protein levels, testing fifteen control samples. First, the genotypes for each subject were determined for both SNPs using a Taqman assay. Then, RNA and protein were extracted from the corresponding cell pellets. Neither the relative RNA expression by real-time PCR, nor LIMP-2 levels on Western blots correlated with SNP genotype. Thus, these two reported SNPs may not be related to SCARB2 and demonstrate the challenges in interpreting some association studies. While LIMP-2 could still play a role in PD pathogenesis, this study does not provide evidence that the SNPs identified are in fact related to LIMP-2.

A germline or de novo mutation in two families with Gaucher disease: implications for recessive disorders.

Gaucher disease (GD) is an autosomal recessive storage disorder that most commonly results from the inheritance of one identifiable mutant glucocerebrosidase (GBA1) allele from each parent. Here, we report two cases of type 2 GD resulting from the inheritance of one identifiable paternal mutant allele and one allele that likely resulted from a maternal germline mutation. Germline mutations or mosiacism are not generally associated with autosomal recessive disorders. The probands from the two unrelated families had the same maternal mutation, leu444pro, that we propose resulted from a de novo maternal germline mutation occurring at this known 'hotspot' for mutation. This first report of a germline mutation for a common point mutation leu444pro (c.1448 T>C;p.leu483pro) in GD has significant implications for molecular diagnostics and genetic counseling in recessive disorders.

The neurobiology of glucocerebrosidase-associated parkinsonism: a positron emission tomography study of dopamine synthesis and regional cerebral blood flow.

Mutations in GBA, the gene encoding glucocerebrosidase, the enzyme deficient in Gaucher disease, are common risk factors for Parkinson disease, as patients with Parkinson disease are over five times more likely to carry GBA mutations than healthy controls. Patients with GBA mutations generally have an earlier onset of Parkinson disease and more cognitive impairment than those without GBA mutations. We investigated whether GBA mutations alter the neurobiology of Parkinson disease, studying brain dopamine synthesis and resting regional cerebral blood flow in 107 subjects (38 women, 69 men). We measured dopamine synthesis with (18)F-fluorodopa positron emission tomography, and resting regional cerebral blood flow with H(2)(15)O positron emission tomography in the wakeful, resting state in four study groups: (i) patients with Parkinson disease and Gaucher disease (n = 7, average age = 56.6 ± 9.2 years); (ii) patients with Parkinson disease without GBA mutations (n = 11, 62.1 ± 7.1 years); (iii) patients with Gaucher disease without parkinsonism, but with a family history of Parkinson disease (n = 14, 52.6 ± 12.4 years); and (iv) healthy GBA-mutation carriers with a family history of Parkinson disease (n = 7, 50.1 ± 18 years). We compared each study group with a matched control group. Data were analysed with region of interest and voxel-based methods. Disease duration and Parkinson disease functional and staging scores were similar in the two groups with parkinsonism, as was striatal dopamine synthesis: both had greatest loss in the caudal striatum (putamen Ki loss: 44 and 42%, respectively), with less reduction in the caudate (20 and 18% loss). However, the group with both Parkinson and Gaucher diseases showed decreased resting regional cerebral blood flow in the lateral parieto-occipital association cortex and precuneus bilaterally. Furthermore, two subjects with Gaucher disease without parkinsonian manifestations showed diminished striatal dopamine. In conclusion, the pattern of dopamine loss in patients with both Parkinson and Gaucher disease was similar to sporadic Parkinson disease, indicating comparable damage in midbrain neurons. However, H(2)(15)O positron emission tomography studies indicated that these subjects have decreased resting activity in a pattern characteristic of diffuse Lewy body disease. These findings provide insight into the pathophysiology of GBA-associated parkinsonism.