Retrovirus vectors were constructed to transfer and express the cDNA of the human lysosomal acid hydrolase beta-glucuronidase (GUSB) under control of the human GUSB promoter. Expression of the transcription unit (minigene) was evaluated in a GUSB-negative cell line established from a mouse with the lysosomal storage disease mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) type VII. A vector designed to transfer single copies of the minigene (N2H beta H) expressed normal levels of GUSB activity in the deficient cells. GUSB expression was increased to several times greater than normal by inserting the minigene into a double-copy vector (DCH beta H), which places one copy of the transcription unit upstream of the retrovirus promoter in both the 3' and 5' long terminal repeats (LTRs) of the integrated provirus. The specific activity of GUSB and a control normal lysosomal enzyme, alpha-galactosidase (GLA), were higher in normal and in vector-corrected cells from confluent cultures than in subconfluent dividing cells. The ratios of GUSB to GLA were similar at all phases of cell growth, but the level of GUSB expression from the double copy vector was several-fold higher than from the single copy vector. To determine if this effect was controlled by the GUSB promoter, a vector was constructed using the thymidine kinase (TK) promoter to drive the human GUSB cDNA (NTK beta H). The levels of GUSB in cells corrected with this vector exhibited the same cell density dependent pattern as when the GUSB promoter was used, indicating that the variation in enzymatic activity was not a function of the GUSB promoter.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The postmortem biochemical and pathological findings in the first patient reported with mucopolysaccharidosis VII are described. Clinical, radiographic, and biochemical features of this 19-yr-old black man were initially reported in 1973 when, at age 2 1/2 yr his enzymatic defect, deficiency of beta-glucuronidase, was identified. The autopsy findings are now described with biochemical data further characterizing the enzyme deficiency and resultant glycosaminoglycan accumulation. He had dysostosis multiplex and extensive cardiovascular lesions including arterial stenosis, and marked fibrous thickening of the atrioventricular and aortic valves. Microscopic evidence of lysosomal storage was found in bone, cartilage, arteries and cardiac valves, liver, spleen, lymph nodes, eyes, adrenal, pituitary, and the central nervous system. In the brain, storage was localized to specific regions, primarily intraneuronal, and appeared ultrastructurally as delicate whorled filamentous accumulations in lysosomes. Similar filamentous storage also occurred in medial cells of the aorta. Multiple postmortem tissues contained only trace amounts of beta-glucuronidase and elevated glycosaminoglycans, predominantly chondroitin 4- and 6-sulfate.

Recombinant mouse beta-glucuronidase administered intravenously to newborn mice with mucopolysaccharidosis type VII (MPS VII) is rapidly cleared from the circulation and localized in many tissues. Here we determine the tissue distribution of injected enzyme and describe its effects on the histopathology in 6-wk-old MPS VII mice that received either one injection of 28,000 U recombinant beta-glucuronidase at 5 wk of age or received six injections of 28,000 U given at weekly intervals beginning at birth. These mice were compared with untreated 6-wk-old MPS VII mice. The single injection decreased lysosomal distention in the fixed tissue macrophage system. MPS VII mice that received multiple injections had 27.8, 3.5, and 3.3% of normal levels of beta-glucuronidase in liver, spleen, and kidney, respectively. Brain had detectable beta-glucuronidase, ranging from 2.0-12.1% of normal. Secondary elevations of alpha-galactosidase and beta-hexosaminidase in brain, spleen, liver, and kidney were decreased compared with untreated MPS VII mice. Although no improvement was observed in chondrocytes, glia, and some neurons, the skeleton had less clinical and pathological evidence of disease and the brain had reduced lysosomal storage in meninges and selected neuronal groups. These data show that recombinant beta-glucuronidase treatment begun in newborn MPS VII mice provides enzyme to most tissues and significantly reduces or prevents the accumulation of lysosomal storage during the first 6 wk of life. Whether therapy begun later in life can achieve this level of correction remains to be established.

Recent studies suggest that chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans in the retinal interphotoreceptor matrix (IPM) play a role in maintaining photoreceptor viability. We report herein studies on the retinas from mice with mucopolysaccharidosis type VII (MPS VII), a storage disorder resulting from virtual absence of beta-glucuronidase, an enzyme that is involved in the lysosomal degradation of chondroitin sulfate and other beta-glucuronide-containing proteoglycans. The distribution of IPM chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans was examined by immunohistochemistry and lectin-based histochemistry, and compared with the morphology of photoreceptor and retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells at various ages in MPS VII-affected mice. A number of lectins and antibodies were employed that react with epitopes of IPM chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans, including Triticum vulgaris agglutinin (WGA), Arachis hypogaea agglutinin (PNA), Phaseolus vulgaris agglutinin (PHA-L), and an antibody directed against chondroitin 6-sulfate (AC6S). In MPS VII-affected animals, slight shortening of photoreceptor outer segments occurs between postnatal months 1 and 8. This is associated with changes in the distribution of some of the IPM chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans and hypertrophy of the retinal pigmented epithelium due to the accumulation of cytoplasmic membrane-bounded vesicles. WGA- and PHA-L-, but not AC6S-binding glycoconjugates accumulate within the RPE of affected mice during this time. Immunoreactive chondroitin 6-sulfate is not observed within the RPE of affected animals, probably since the antibody employed does not label free chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycan fragments. A loss of the normal apical-basal distribution of chondroitin 6-sulfate and PHA-L-binding IPM proteoglycans is apparent by 4 postnatal months. In contrast, WGA-binding proteoglycan remains uniformly distributed through 8 months. Pyknotic photoreceptor nuclei are observed in months 2-5 and photoreceptor loss is observed by 6 months. Cone photoreceptor loss appears to occur prior to that of rod photoreceptors. These observations suggest that the absence of beta-glucuronidase in the RPE of MPS VII mice may lead to an altered distribution of at least some IPM chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans. The resultant changes in the biochemical composition and/or physical structure of the IPM may affect subsequently its photoreceptor cell-supportive function leading to photoreceptor degeneration.

We have sequenced 4.2 kb of the 5' flanking region of the human beta-glucuronidase gene, compared this sequence to the 5' upstream sequence reported for the murine gene, determined the transcription start sites of the human gene, and studied expression of human minigene deletion constructs in COS cells. The 200 bp immediately 5' to the translation initiation codon have a high G + C content (72%) and contain no TATA box, two properties commonly associated with "housekeeping genes." The sequence 5' to -200 bp contains seven Alu repetitive elements which account for more than 50% of this flanking sequence. From deletion analysis of minigene constructs, 200 bp of 5' sequence appeared sufficient for maximal expression in transfected COS cells. S1 nuclease protection analysis showed that transcription initiates from a cluster of sites around -30 bp in all tissues examined. In some cases, a low but detectable level of transcription also initiates 126 bp upstream of the ATG. Inspection of the sequence surrounding both start sites revealed some similarity to the recently described "initiator" transcriptional control element (S.T. Smale and D. Baltimore (1989), Cell 57: 103-113). Comparison of the 5'flanking sequence with that available from the murine beta-glucuronidase gene reveals only one 28-bp highly conserved region, which surrounds the -126 start site.

The gusmps/gusmps mouse has no beta-glucuronidase activity and develops murine mucopolysaccharidosis type VII (MPS VII). The clinical and pathologic abnormalities are similar to those found in humans with severe MPS VII. Mutant mice are dysmorphic, dwarfed, and have a shortened life span. Pathologic findings include widespread lysosomal storage. To determine whether bone marrow transplantation (BMT) corrects these abnormalities, genetically identical mutant animals were given syngeneic bone marrow transplants using cells from +/+ mice. Initial experiments showed that levels of beta-glucuronidase activity in recipient tissues correlated with the amount of radiation administered before BMT. Two groups of mice given BMT therapy were observed for periods of 1 and 2 years, respectively. These mice were evaluated using a combination of clinical, biochemical, histochemical, and pathologic analyses. Spleen, liver, cornea, and glomerular mesangial cells showed essentially complete correction at all radiation doses. Storage was partially corrected in meninges and perivascular cells in brain, and in renal tubular epithelial cells at the higher radiation doses. Life span in BMT-treated animals was increased approximately three-fold, approaching that seen in normal mice after BMT. These results support the position that BMT has a place in the therapeutic regimen for MPS VII.

Mouse L cells deficient in expression of the murine cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor/insulin-like growth factor II receptor (CI-MPR/IGF-IIR) were stably transfected with a plasmid containing the cDNA for the human receptor. Transfected cells expressed high levels of the human receptor which functioned in the transport of lysosomal enzymes and was capable of binding 125I-IGF-II, both at the cell surface and intracellularly. Cell surface binding of 125I-IGF-II by the receptor could be inhibited by pretreatment of cells with antibodies to the receptor or by coincubation with the lysosomal enzyme, beta-glucuronidase. Expression of the receptor conferred on transfected cells the ability to internalize and degrade 125I-IGF-II. Cells transfected with the parental vector and those expressing the human CI-MRP/IGF-IIR were found to express an atypical binding site for IGF-II that was distinct from the CI-MPR/IGF-IIR and the type I IGF-receptor. The availability of two cell lines, one of which overexpresses the human CI-MPR/IGF-IIR and one deficient in expression of the murine receptor, may help in the analysis of the role of the receptor in mediating the biological effects of IGF-II. They should also be useful in examining the significance of binding of ligands, such as transforming growth factor-beta 1 precursor and proliferin to this receptor.

We have isolated a cosmid clone that contains GUSB, the human gene encoding beta-glucuronidase. The 21-kb gene contains 12 exons ranging from 85 to 376 bp in length. Exon 6 corresponds to the 153-bp deletion in the shorter of two types of cDNAs reported earlier, supporting the hypothesis that this cDNA arose by alternate splicing leading to exon skipping. The insert contains 4.2 kb of sequence upstream from the first exon and 6 kb 3' of the last exon. The clone expresses human beta-glucuronidase in stably transformed rat XCtk- cells. Comparison of the human gene organization with that recently reported for the murine beta-glucuronidase gene revealed that the intron/exon boundaries are identical. In the splice junctions, the most highly conserved regions are those identified as consensus sequences, and these are at least as highly conserved as bases encoding the translated portion of the gene.

We recently described a murine model for mucopolysaccharidosis VII in mice that have an inherited deficiency of beta-glucuronidase (beta-D-glucuronoside glucuronosohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.31). Affected mice, of genotype gusmps/gusmps, present clinical manifestations similar to those of humans with mucopolysaccharidosis VII (Sly syndrome) and are shown here to have secondary elevations of other lysosomal enzymes. The mucopolysaccharidosis VII phenotype in both species includes dwarfism, skeletal deformities, and premature death. Lysosome storage is visualized within enlarge vesicles and correlates biochemically with accumulation of undegraded and partially degraded glycosaminoglycans. In this report we describe the consequences of introducing the human beta-glucuronidase gene, GUSB, into gusmps/gusmps mice that produce virtually no murine beta-glucuronidase. Transgenic mice homozygous for the mucopolysaccharidosis VII mutation expressed high levels of human beta-glucuronidase activity in all tissues examined and were phenotypically normal. Biochemically, both the intralysosomal storage of glycosaminoglycans and the secondary elevation of other acid hydrolases were corrected. These findings demonstrate that the GUSB transgene is expressed in gusmps/gusmps mice and that human beta-glucuronidase corrects the murine mucopolysaccharidosis storage disease.

This report describes the clinical and pathologic alterations found in mice that have a recessively inherited, essentially complete deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme beta-glucuronidase. Affected animals have a shortened life span and are dysmorphic and dwarfed. Abnormal gait and decreased joint mobility correlate with glycosaminoglycan accumulation in articular tissue and cartilaginous and bony lesions result in extensive skeletal deformation. In these enzyme-deficient animals, lysosomes, distended by fine fibrillar and granular storage material, are particularly prominent in the macrophage system but also occur in other tissues including the skeletal and central nervous systems. The clinical and pathologic abnormalities in these mutant mice closely parallel those identified in humans with mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS). Therefore, these mice provide a well-defined genetic system for the analysis of the pathophysiology of mucopolysaccharidosis type VII, which has many features in common with the other MPS. The mutant mice provide an attractive animal model to test potential therapies for lysosomal storage disease.

We have cloned and sequenced the full-length cDNA for the human cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor from four overlapping clones. The 9104-nucleotide sequence contains 7473 nucleotides which encode a protein of 2491 amino acids. The amino acid sequence includes a putative signal sequence of 40 amino acids, an extracytoplasmic domain consisting of 15 homologous repeat sequences of 134-167 amino acids, a transmembrane region of 23 amino acids, and a cytoplasmic domain of 164 amino acids. The predicted molecular size is greater than 270 kDa. Repeats 7-15 of the extracytoplasmic domain of the human receptor are highly homologous with the sequence recently reported for the partial cDNA for the bovine receptor (Lobel, P., Dahms, N. M., Breitmeyer, J., Chirgwin, J. M., and Kornfeld, S. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 2233-2237). The nucleotide sequence for the full-length cDNA and the deduced amino acid sequence for the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor, which are reported here, are strikingly similar (99.8% identical at the nucleotide level and 99.4% identical at the amino acid level) to those recently reported for the human insulin-like growth factor II receptor from HepG2 hepatoma cells (Morgan, D. O., Edman, J.D., Standring, D. N., Fried, V. A., Smith, M. C., Roth, R. A., and Rutter, W. J. (1987) Nature 329, 301-307). These findings support the suggestion that the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor for lysosomal enzymes is a multifunctional binding protein which is identical with the insulin-like growth factor II receptor. A cDNA construct containing the full coding sequence for the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor in the expression vector pSVL was used to transfect COS cells. Expression of the cDNA in transfected COS cells produced a cell-surface protein which co-migrated on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with authentic human receptor, bound to an affinity column and was specifically eluted with mannose 6-phosphate, mediated cell-surface binding and endocytosis of beta-glucuronidase, and targeted the endocytosed enzyme to lysosomes.

A cDNA for rat liver beta-glucuronidase was isolated, its sequence determined and its expression after transfection into COS cells studied. The deduced amino acid sequence of the rat liver clone showed 77% homology with that from the cDNA for human placental beta-glucuronidase and 47% homology with that deduced from the cDNA for Escherichia coli beta-glucuronidase. Several differences were found between the cDNA from rat liver and that previously reported from rat preputial gland. Only one change leads to an amino acid difference in the mature enzyme. A chimeric clone was constructed by using a fragment encoding the first 18 amino acid residues of the signal sequence from the human placental cDNA clone and a fragment from the rat clone encoding four amino acid residues of the signal sequence, all 626 amino acid residues of the mature rat enzyme, and all of the 3′ untranslated region. After transfection into COS cells the chimeric clone expressed beta-glucuronidase activity that was specifically immunoprecipitated by antibody to rat beta-glucuronidase. The Mr value of 76,000 of the expressed gene product was characteristic of the glycosylated rat enzyme. It was proteolytically processed in COS cells to Mr 75,000 6 h after metabolic labelling. At least 50% of the expressed enzyme was secreted at 60 h post-transfection, but the secreted enzyme did not undergo proteolytic processing. These results provide evidence that the partial cDNA isolated from a rat liver library contains the complete coding sequence for the mature rat liver enzyme and that the chimeric signal sequence allows normal biosynthesis and processing of the transfected rat liver enzyme in COS cells.

We recently reported the cDNA cloning, sequence, and expression of the human cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor (hCI-MPR) (Oshima, A., Nolan, C. M., Kyle, J. W., Grubb, J. H., and Sly, W. S. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 2553-2562). The sequence of the hCI-MPR was virtually identical to that of the human insulin-like growth factor II receptor cDNA (Morgan, D. O., Edman, J. C., Standring, D. N., Fried, V. A., Smith, M. C., Roth, R. A., and Rutter, W. J. (1987) Nature 329, 301-307). To test the role of the putative bifunctional receptor in intracellular sorting of acid hydrolases, we studied its effect on lysosomal enzyme transport following gene transfer to receptor-negative cells. Receptor-negative mouse P388D1 cells were transfected with a cDNA construct containing the entire coding sequence of hCI-MPR under the control of the mouse metallothionine I promoter. Stable transformants were isolated and characterized. The expressed hCI-MPR was localized in membranes including the plasma membrane, bound mannose 6-phosphate containing ligands, and mediated endocytosis which could be specifically blocked by mannose 6-phosphate. We next measured the effect of the expressed hCI-MPR on intracellular and secreted acid hydrolases. The intracellular activity of the lysosomal marker enzymes beta-glucuronidase and beta-hexosaminidase increased up to 2-fold following transformation. In addition, expression of the receptor greatly reduced the fraction of acid hydrolases secreted. These phenotypic changes in the transformed cell lines support the proposed role of the cation-independent mannose 6-phosphate receptor in intracellular sorting and targeting of lysosomal enzymes.

We report here the cDNA sequence for human placental beta-glucuronidase (beta-D-glucuronoside glucuronosohydrolase, EC 3.2.1.31) and demonstrate expression of the human enzyme in transfected COS cells. We also sequenced a partial cDNA clone from human fibroblasts that contained a 153-base-pair deletion within the coding sequence and found a second type of cDNA clone from placenta that contained the same deletion. Nuclease S1 mapping studies demonstrated two types of mRNAs in human placenta that corresponded to the two types of cDNA clones isolated. The NH2-terminal amino acid sequence determined for human spleen beta-glucuronidase agreed with that inferred from the DNA sequence of the two placental clones, beginning at amino acid 23, suggesting a cleaved signal sequence of 22 amino acids. When transfected into COS cells, plasmids containing either placental clone expressed an immunoprecipitable protein that contained N-linked oligosaccharides as evidenced by sensitivity to endoglycosidase F. However, only transfection with the clone containing the 153-base-pair segment led to expression of human beta-glucuronidase activity. These studies provide the sequence for the full-length cDNA for human beta-glucuronidase, demonstrate the existence of two populations of mRNA for beta-glucuronidase in human placenta, only one of which specifies a catalytically active enzyme, and illustrate the importance of expression studies in verifying that a cDNA is functionally full-length.