Biochemistry and Genetics of Tay-Sachs Disease

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Abstract
Tay-Sachs disease is one of the few neurodegenerative diseases of known cause. It results from mutations of theHEXAgene encoding the a subunit of β-hexosaminidase, producing a destructive ganglioside accumulation in lysosomes, principally in neurons. With the determination of the protein sequence of the α and β subunits, deduced from cDNA sequences, the complex pathway of subcellular and lysosomal processing of the enzyme has been determined. More recently, detailed knowledge of the gene structure has allowed the determination of specific mutations causing Tay-Sachs disease. The high incidence of the disease in Ashkenazi Jews is attributed predominantly to three mutations present in high frequency, while in non-Jews some two dozen mutations have been identified thus far. The cataloguing of mutations has important implications for carrier screening and prenatal diagnosis for Tay-Sachs disease.