Exp Mol Med.  2015 Mar;47(3):e153. 10.1038/emm.2014.128.

Loss of glucocerebrosidase 1 activity causes lysosomal dysfunction and alpha-synuclein aggregation

• Bae EJ
• Yang NY
• Lee C
• Lee HJ
• Kim S
• Sardi SP
• Lee SJ

• KMID: 2155418
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/emm.2014.128

Abstract

Lysosomal dysfunction is a common pathological feature of neurodegenerative diseases. GTP-binding protein type A1 (GBA1) encodes beta-glucocerebrosidase 1 (GCase 1), a lysosomal hydrolase. Homozygous mutations in GBA1 cause Gaucher disease, the most common lysosomal storage disease, while heterozygous mutations are strong risk factors for Parkinson's disease. However, whether loss of GCase 1 activity is sufficient for lysosomal dysfunction has not been clearly determined. Here, we generated human neuroblastoma cell lines with nonsense mutations in the GBA1 gene using zinc-finger nucleases. Depending on the site of mutation, GCase 1 activity was lost or maintained. The cell line with GCase 1 deficiency showed indications of lysosomal dysfunction, such as accumulation of lysosomal substrates, reduced dextran degradation and accumulation of enlarged vacuolar structures. In contrast, the cell line with C-terminal truncation of GCase 1 but with intact GCase 1 activity showed normal lysosomal function. When alpha-synuclein was overexpressed, accumulation and secretion of insoluble aggregates increased in cells with GCase 1 deficiency but did not change in mutant cells with normal GCase 1 activity. These results demonstrate that loss of GCase 1 activity is sufficient to cause lysosomal dysfunction and accumulation of alpha-synuclein aggregates.

MeSH Terms

Cell Line
Enzyme Activation/genetics
Gene Knockout Techniques
Gene Order
Genetic Loci
Glucosylceramidase/genetics/*metabolism
Humans
Lysosomes/*metabolism
Mutation
*Protein Aggregation, Pathological/genetics
Protein Binding
Zinc Fingers
alpha-Synuclein/chemistry/*metabolism
Glucosylceramidase
alpha-Synuclein