Abstract
Galactosaemia due to UDPgalactose 4-epimerase (GALE; EC 5.1.3.2) deficiency is known to be a relatively rare autosomal recessive disorder. Up to now it has been divided into two forms, an extremely rare generalized form with a severe clinical course and a benign peripheral form that is confined to red cells (Gitzelmann 1972; Holton et al 1981; Sardharwalla et al 1988; Segal and Berry 1995). There are, however, recent descriptions of patients with the peripheral form of GALE deficiency developing juvenile cataracts or mental retardation (Endres and Shin 1990; Schulpis et al 1993; Alano et al 1998). We report here expression of the GALE enzyme in various tissues, especially in the lens, and different clinical pictures in patients we have diagnosed during the last 5 years.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Alano A, Almashanu S, Chinsky JM et al (1998) Molecular characterization of a unique patient with epimerase-deficiency galactosaemia. J Inherit Metab Dis 21: 341–350.
Endres W, Shin YS (1990) Cataract and metabolic disease. J Inherit Metab Dis 13: 509–516.
Gitzelmann R (1972) Deficiency of uridine diphosphate galactose-4–epimerase in blood cells of an apparently healthy infant. Helv Paediatr Acta 27: 125–130.
Holton JB, Gillett MG, MacFaul R, Young R (1981) Galactosaemia: a new severe variant due to uridine diphosphate galactose-4–epimerase. Arch Dis Child 56: 885–887.
Jakobs C, Douwes AC, Endres W, Shin YS (1990) Plasma polyol levels in patients with cataracts. J Inherit Metab Dis 13: 517–522.
Maceratesi P, Daude N, Dallapicolla B, et al (1998) Human UDP-galactose 4@-epimerase gene and identiFIcation of FIve missense mutations. Mol Genet Metab 63: 26–30.
Quimby BB, Alano S, Almashanu S, DeSandro AM, Cowan TM, Fridovich-Keil JL (1997) Characterization of two mutations associated with epimerase-deFIciency galactosemia, by use of a yeast expression system for human UDP-galactose-1–epimerase. Am J Hum Genet 61: 590–598.
Sardharwalla IB, Wraith JE, Bridge C, Fowler B, Roberts SA (1988) A patient with severe type of epimerase deFIciency galactosemia. J Inherit Metab Dis 11: 249–251.
Schulpis KH, Michelakakis H, Charokopos E, Papakonstantinou E, Messarritakis J, Shin YS (1993) UDPgalactose 4–epimerase deFIciency in a boy with a trisomy 21. J Inherit Metab Dis 16: 903–904.
Segal S, Berry GT (1995) Disorders of galactose metabolism. In Scriver CR, Beaudet AL, Sly WS, Valle D, eds. The Metabolic Bases of Inherited Diseases,7th edn. New York: McGraw-Hill, 453–480.
Shin YS (1990) Galactose metabolites and disorders of galactose metabolism. In: Hommes FA, ed. Techniques in Diagnostic Human Biomedical Genetics New York: Wiley-Liss, 267–284.
Vetter V, Shin YS (1995) Lens sorbitol dehydrogenase deficiency in a patient with congenital cataract. Eur J Pediatr 154: 389–391.
Wohlers TM, Christacos NC, Herreman MT, Fridovich-Keil JL (1999) IdentiFIcation and characterization of a mutation in the human UDP-galactose-4–epimerase gene associated with generalized epimerase deFIciency galactosemia. Am J Hum Genet 64: 462–470.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Shin, Y.S., Korenke, GC., Huppke, P. et al. UDPgalactose epimerase in lens and fibroblasts: Activity expression in patients with cataracts and mental retardation. J Inherit Metab Dis 23, 383–386 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005699719068
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005699719068