Ceramidase and ceramide synthesis in human kidney and cerebellum. Description of a new alkaline ceramidase.

It has been shown that tissues of patients with Farber's disease characteristically lack acid (pH 4.0) ceramidase. In normal cerebellum, however, ceramide cleavage and the reverse reaction, free fatty acid-dependent ceramide synthesis, both occur not only at pH 4.0 but also at pH 9.0, although normal kidney exhibits these activities only at pH 4.0. Both tissues are capable of snythesizing ceramide via an acyl-COA-dependent pathway at neutral pH. The synthetic analog of ceramide, N-oleoyl-ethanolamine, is a potent inhibitor of ceramidase.

Progressive nodular histiocytoma.

Extensive evaluation of the condition of a 9-year-old girl with a previously undescribed proliferative histocytic syndrome showed normal serum and tissue lipid values, which rule out the known lipid storage diseases. Clinically and histologically the case is inconsistent with any of the recognized xanthomatoses or histiocytic abnormalities.

[Ultrastructural aspects of peripheral nerve lesions in one case of Farber's disease]. / Aspects ultrastructuraux des lésions du nerf périphérique dans un cas de maladie de Farber

The patient is a girl who had amyotrophia, dyspnea and juxta-articular nodes. She died at the age of 14 months. Ultrastructural examination of a sural nerve biopsy revealed anormal inclusions in the cytoplasm of numerous myelinated fibres. They are round or oval, and empty, sometimes with a great diameter. Some histiocytes show also such bodies. These are different from those seen in the other neurolipidosis.

Farber's disease (lysosomal acid ceramidase deficiency).

The patient presented with progressive joint deformity, a hoarse voice, subsequent cachexia, and myoclonic seizures. She was first seen aged 22 months and died aged 6 years. A diagnosis of Farber's disease was made by demonstrating a deficiency of acid ceramidase both in leucocytes and fibroblasts.

Dorfman-Chanarin syndrome. A case report and a review.

Dorfman-Chanarin syndrome in two sisters of Jewish Iraqi origin is reported. This heritable disorder of the metabolism of neutral lipids was manifested by congenital ichthyosis, vacuoles in the leukocytes, and variable involvement of liver, muscle, central nervous system, and the auditory system. In two asymptomatic members of the family leukocyte vacuoles were found as the only sign of the syndrome. Clinical, pathologic, ultrastructural, and biochemical findings are described. Previous reported cases are reviewed.

Farber's disease as a ceramidosis: clinical, radiological and biochemical aspects.

A case of Farber's disease associated with athyreosis is reported in a Belgian infant born from consanguineous parents. A detailed clinical observation made from the early onset of symptoms until death of the patient at age of 22 months, together with radiological, morphological and biochemical data confirmed the diagnosis of Farber's disease and its specific storage process. Cultured fibroblast studies disclosed an abnormal catabolism of ceramides, presumably related to the deficiency in lysosomal ceramidase. Family history confirms that the disease is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait.

The cellular lesions of Farber's disease and their experimental reproduction in tissue culture.

In a case of Farber's disease, lysosomal inclusions were shown to contain lamellar, rectilinear, or curvilinear material. In tissue culture, when fibroblasts from the patient were overloaded with ceramides containing nonhydroxylated fatty acids a lysosomal accumulation of small curvilinear structures identical with those observed at autopsy were seen. These inclusions persisted for several weeks after the cells were replaced in a normal culture medium. Normal fibroblasts overloaded in the same experimental conditions showed identical, although less numerous, lysosomal inclusions, which disappeared rapidly in a ceramide-free culture medium. No inclusions were found after overloading normal or pathologic fibroblasts with ceramides containing hydroxylated fatty acids.

[Differential diagnosis of congenital lipidoses by lipid analyses of body fluids, biopsy and autopsy tissue]. / Differentialdiagnose angeborener Lipidosen durch Lipidanalysen von Körperflüssigkeiten, Biopsie- und Autopsiegewebe

1. Presentation of the commomly used procedures for the extraction and separation of total lipids, glycolipids and phosholipids from fresh and formalin-fixed organs tissues (brain, liver, spleen, kidney) as well as from serum, CSF and urine. II. Description of the qualitative and quantitative analysis of individual lipid fractions (glycolipids, gangliosides, phospholipids, neutral lipids) by thin-layer chromatograhy and photodensitometry. III. Results of investigations performed on biopsy material, autopsy material, serum and urine in the following diseases: 1. Infantile, juvenile and adult Gaucher's disease: accumulation of glucocerebroside in liver and spleen. 2. Infantile and adult Niemann-Pick disease: accumulation of sphingomyelin in liver, spleen, kidney and lung. 3. Fabry's disease: increased urinary excretion of trihexosyl-ceramide and dihexosyl-ceramide. 4. Infantile and adult metachromatic leukodystrophy: accumulation of sulfatides in the central and peripheral nervous system and kidney, increased urinary excretion of sulfatides. 5. Austin's variant of metachromatic leukodystrophy: besides an increase of sulfatides in the white matter of brain accumulation of glycolipids in the cerebral cortex. 6. Tay-Sachs disease (GM2-gangliosidosis): cerebral accumulation of GM2-ganglioside and trihexosylceramide (enzyme variant B), additional visceral accumulation (liver, spleen, kidney) of tetrahexosyl-ceramide = globoside (enzyme variant 0). 7. Infantile generalized GM1-gangliosidosis: cerebral (and visceral) accumulation of GM1-ganglioside and tetrahexosyl-ceramide. 8. Late infantile GM1-gangliosidosis: Cerebral accumulation of GM1-ganlioside and tetrahexosylceramide. 9. GM3-gangliosidosis (lactosyl-ceramidosis): neuronal accumulation of lactosyl-ceramide, GM2-ganglioside and GM3-ganglioside. 10. Refsum's disease: demonstration of phytanic acid esters of cholesterol in serum.

High performance liquid chromatography of ceramides: application to analysis in human tissues and demonstration of ceramide excess in Farber's disease.

Conditions have been determined for the benzoylation of ceramides containing nonhydroxy and hydroxy fatty acids, and a high performance liquid chromatography system for the separation and measurement of these derivatives has been devised that is capable of good resolution and high sensitivity. These methods have been used to determine quantitatively the levels of ceramides in human tissues, and in serum and urine, and to demonstrate elevated amounts of ceramide in Farber's disease urine and tissues.