Impaired homeostasis of lysosomal Ca(2+) causes lysosome dysfunction and lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs), but the mechanisms by which lysosomes acquire and refill Ca(2+) are not known. We developed a physiological assay to monitor lysosomal Ca(2+) store refilling using specific activators of lysosomal Ca(2+) channels to repeatedly induce lysosomal Ca(2+) release. In contrast to the prevailing...

A 7-month-old Balinese cat with progressive neurological dysfunction had histopathological lesions of brain, liver, kidney, spleen, and lung consistent with a lysosomal storage disease. Ultrastructural examination revealed lysosomal hypertrophy with membranous inclusions. Hepatic sphingomyelin and cholesterol were elevated 10 times normal, and total phospholipids were increased 3.6 fold. Sphing...

Lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) are infrequent to rare conditions caused by mutations that lead to a disruption in the usual sequential degradation of macromolecules or their transit within the cell. Gaucher disease (GD), a lipidosis, is among the most common LSD, with an estimated incidence of 1 in 40,000 among the Caucasian, non-Jewish population. Studies have indicated an increased freque...

There are over 70 human diseases that are caused by defects in various aspects of lysosomal function. Until 20 years ago, the only specific therapy available for lysosomal storage disorders was allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplantation. Over the last two decades, there has been remarkable progress and there are now licensed treatments for seven of these diseases. In some cases, a choice...

Autophagy is a complex pathway regulated by numerous signaling events that recycles macromolecules and can be perturbed in lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs). The concept of LSDs, which are characterized by aberrant, excessive storage of cellular material in lysosomes, developed following the discovery of an enzyme deficiency as the cause of Pompe disease in 1963. Great strides have since been m...

Biochemical disorders in lysosomal storage diseases consist of the interruption of metabolic pathways involved in the recycling of the degradation products of one or several types of macromolecules. The progressive accumulation of these primary storage products is the direct consequence of the genetic defect and represents the initial pathogenic event. Downstream consequences for the affected c...

157 in the delivery room, and the normal newborn with a number of very pertinent sections about the situations in which the neonate finds himself in most serious trouble. The chapter on assessment of gestational age, for example, has both pictures and charts which will allow the physician to compare the physical examination in the patient with established standards. Pictures are of excellent qu...

Lysosomes are ubiquitous intracellular organelles that have an acidic internal pH, and play crucial roles in cellular clearance. Numerous functions depend on normal lysosomes, including the turnover of cellular constituents, cholesterol homeostasis, downregulation of surface receptors, inactivation of pathogenic organisms, repair of the plasma membrane and bone remodeling. Lysosomal storage dis...

Small molecule chaperones are a promising therapeutic approach for the Lysosomal Storage Disorders (LSDs). Here, we report the discovery of a new series of non-iminosugar glucocerebrosidase inhibitors with chaperone capacity, and describe their structure activity relationship (SAR), selectivity, cell activity phamacokinetics.

BACKGROUND There are 45 known genetic diseases that impair the lysosomal degradation of macromolecules. The loss of a single lysosomal hydrolase leads to the accumulation of its undegraded substrates in tissues and increases of related glycoconjugates in urine, some of which can be detected by screening of free oligosaccharides (FOS) in urine. Traditional 1-dimensional TLC for urine oligosaccha...