Overexpression rescues the mutant phenotype of L176F mutation causing beta-glucuronidase deficiency mucopolysaccharidosis in two Mennonite siblings.

Two beta-glucuronidase-deficient Mennonite siblings were found to be homozygous for a mutation in exon 3 of the beta-glucuronidase gene that produces a Leu-->Phe substitution (L176F). The siblings also have the previously described benign polymorphism, P649L. Although their cultured fibroblasts contained 1.5-2.2% of normal beta-glucuronidase activity, transient expression of the L176F/P649L cDNA in COS cells produced nearly as much enzyme activity as the wild-type control cDNA. The L176F/P649L enzyme was as stable as wild-type enzyme following endocytosis by fibroblasts and delivery to lysosomes, but was more labile to heat inactivation at 65 degrees C. To study the mutant enzyme at lower levels of expression, we stably transfected mouse mucopolysaccharidosis type VII cells with the L176F/P649L cDNA and selected single-copy cell lines. Metabolic labeling with [35S]methionine revealed that cell lines expressing the mutant enzyme activity at low levels (7-10% of the wild type) actually produced the same amount of enzyme protein as the cell lines expressing the more active wild-type enzyme. However, the cell lines expressing four times this much mutant enzyme protein produced 150-200% as much enzyme activity as the cell line expressing the single-copy wild-type cDNA. These data suggest that overexpression can drive the folding reaction or the self-association of mutant monomers to form active tetramers and, at least partially, correct the beta-glucuronidase deficiency seen at low levels of expression with certain missense mutations.