A procedure is described for the preparation of Tay-Sachs ganglioside specifically labeled in the sialic acid portion of the molecule. Rat brain gangliosides were labeled biosynthetically by the intracranial injection of N-acetyl-(3)H-D-mannosamine. Radioactive gangliosides were isolated and selectively degraded with bacterial neuraminidase and rat liver beta-galactosidase to Tay-Sachs ganglios...

The metabolism of Tay-Sachs ganglioside, Cer-Glc-Gal(NeuAc)-GalNAc (G& was investigated by using GNIZ specifically labeled with 3H in the NeuAc moiety or with W in GalNAc. There are two possible pathways for the catabolism of GM2 in brain, initiated via GMM-sialidase or GM2hexosaminidase. The products of the sialidase reaction were identified and are Cer-Glc-Gal-GalNAc and NeuAc; the hexosamini...

To assess the feasibility of screening the single Jewish population for Tay-Sachs disease (TSD), a questionnaire examining the knowledge of and attitudes toward TSD and genetic screening was sent to 348 Yale University Jewish undergraduates. Of those students responding (63 percent), 78 percent were able to answer general genetic questions correctly while only 1.9 percent could answer specific ...

Tay-Sachs disease is an autosomal recessive disorder affecting the central nervous system. The disorder results from mutations in the gene encoding the alpha-subunit of beta-hexosaminidase A, a lysosomal enzyme composed of alpha and beta polypeptides. Seventy-eight mutations in the Hex A gene have been described and include 65 single base substitutions, one large and 10 small deletions, and two...

To develop a novel enzyme replacement therapy for neurodegenerative Tay-Sachs disease (TSD) and Sandhoff disease (SD), which are caused by deficiency of β-hexosaminidase (Hex) A, we designed a genetically engineered HEXB encoding the chimeric human β-subunit containing partial amino acid sequence of the α-subunit by structure-based homology modeling. We succeeded in producing the modified HexB ...

Tay’s syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive disorder, characterized by icthyosiform erythroderma, trichothiodystrophy, brittle hair and nails, intellectual impairment, decreased fertility, short stature, progerialike facies and photosensitivity [1-3]. There is no specific treatment for this genetic disorder. However, some authors reported control of ichthyosis in a case of Tay’s syndrome by topi...

Hexosaminidase A is present in relatively low concentrations in cell-free amniotic fluids from pregnancies with Tay-Sachs fetuses. This isoenzyme was determined by an immunological procedure, radial immunodiffusion, by which hexosaminidase A can be directly and specifically detected, even in the presence of excess amounts of hexosaminidase B. No hexosaminidase A could be detected by the same pr...

Tay-Sachs disease is an inherited disorder in which the alpha chain of the lysosomal enzyme beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase A bears the mutation. Ashkenazi Jews are found to be carriers for a severe type of Tay-Sachs disease, the classic form, 10 times more frequently than the general population. Ashkenazi Jewish patients with classic Tay-Sachs disease have appeared to be clinically and biochemical...