Zellweger syndrome (ZS) disorders are autosomal recessive peroxisomal biogenesis diseases mainly characterized by neonatal onset severe neurodevelopmental delay, profound hypotonia, craniofacial dysmorphism, hepatic dysfunction, polyneuropathy and loss of hearing and vision. There is a wide genetic heterogeneity that while most ZS disorders are rapidly progressive and incurable, and patients ra...

PEX13 is an integral membrane protein on the peroxisome that regulates peroxisomal matrix protein import during peroxisome biogenesis. Mutations in PEX13 and other peroxin proteins are associated with Zellweger syndrome spectrum (ZSS) disorders, a subtype of peroxisome biogenesis disorder characterized by prominent neurological, hepatic, and renal abnormalities leading to neonatal death. The la...

Associations among the acrocentric chromosomes of man were first described by FergusonSmith & Handmaker (1961) and Harnden (1961). Various investigators have suggested that such associations, in conjunction with other prominent heteropycnotic secondary constrictions, play a role in the organization of nucleoli (Schultz & St Lawrence, 1949; Ohno et al. 1961; Hungerford, 1964 ; Ferguson-Smith, 19...

Zellweger syndrome (ZS) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder, resulting from an impairment in peroxisome function. It is characterized by craniofacial dysmorphism and neurological abnormalities, and involves several systems, which may complicate dental and anesthesia management. The case of a 7-year-old girl diagnosed with ZS is described with emphasis on oral manifestations, oral rehabilitat...

Defects in PEX genes impair peroxisome assembly and multiple metabolic pathways confined to this organelle, thus providing the biochemical and molecular bases of the peroxisome biogenesis disorders (PBD). PBD are divided into two types--Zellweger syndrome spectrum (ZSS) and rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata (RCDP). Biochemical studies performed in blood and urine are used to screen for the P...

This article reviews the majority of Congenital Anomalies of the Kidney and Urinary Tract (CAKUT) with emphasis in Pediatric Pathology describing and illustrating lesions as varied as ureteral duplications, ureteropelvic junction obstruction, horseshoe kidney, posterior urethral valve and prune belly syndrome, obstructive renal dysplasia, nonmotile ciliopathies and several syndromes associated ...

We describe an HPLC method for measurement of ratios of concentrations of very-long-chain fatty acids (VLCFA) in plasma. The method, which involves ultraviolet detection of p-bromophenacyl derivatives of fatty acids, is validated by comparison with a gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) method. The correlation between the ratios of 24-carbon fatty acids to 22-carbon fatty acids (C24/C...

Pay mutants of the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica fail to assemble functional peroxisomes. One mutant strain, pay5-1, lacks normal peroxisomes and instead contains irregular vesicular structures surrounded by multiple unit membranes. The pay5-1 mutant is not totally deficient in peroxisomal matrix protein targeting, as a subset of matrix proteins continues to localize to a subcellular fraction enric...

Peroxisomes are small and abundant membrane-bound organelles that contain enzymes for a variety of metabolic functions, including ß-oxidation of fatty acids, synthesis of plasmalogens and bile acids, and H2O2 production (1, 2). A group of human genetic diseases involves peroxisomal disorders (3) derived from two type of alterations: i) defects in a single peroxisomal enzyme, as found in X-Linke...