GM2-gangliosidosis, AB variant

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GM2-gangliosidosis, AB variant is a rare inherited disorder that causes progressive destruction of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It has a similar pathology to Sandhoff disease and Tay-Sachs disease.

Signs and symptoms of the AB variant begin in infancy. Infants with this disorder typically appear normal until the age of 3 to 6 months, when development slows and muscles used for movement weaken. Affected infants lose motor skills such as turning over, sitting, and crawling. As the disease progresses, infants develop seizures, vision and hearing loss, mental retardation, and paralysis. An eye abnormality called a cherry-red spot, which can be identified with an eye examination, is characteristic of this disorder. Children with the AB variant usually live only into early childhood.

Mutations in the GM2A gene cause GM2-gangliosidosis, AB variant. The GM2A gene provides instructions for making a protein called the GM2 activator. This protein is required for the normal function of beta-hexosaminidase A, a critical enzyme in the nervous system that breaks down a fatty substance called GM2 ganglioside. If mutations disrupt the activity of the GM2 activator, beta-hexosaminidase A cannot perform its normal function. As a result, GM2 ganglioside can accumulate to toxic levels in the brain and spinal cord. Progressive damage caused by the buildup of GM2 ganglioside leads to the destruction of nerve cells, which causes the severe medical problems characteristic of the AB variant. This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern.

See also

• Sandhoff disease
• Tay-Sachs disease

This article incorporates public domain text from The U.S. National Library of Medicine

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Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content

Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .