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Understanding HSAN1: Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy Type 1

HSAN1 is a dominantly inherited peripheral neuropathy characterized by severe sensory loss in the extremities, leading to various symptoms such as loss of sensation, reflexes, muscle weakness, and potential amputations. This condition is caused by mutations in genes SPTLC1 and SPTLC2, affecting the production of sphingolipids crucial for cell structure and signaling. The accumulation of deoxysphingoid bases due to altered enzyme activity leads to neurotoxic effects, which may be addressed through serine supplementation. A pilot study is set to examine the impact of serine on HSAN1 patients.

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Understanding HSAN1: Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy Type 1

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  1. HSAN1: Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy Type 1 2004 Dennis Kunkel Microscopy, Inc.

  2. What is HSAN1? Hereditary Sensory and Autonomic Neuropathy Type 1 • Dominantly inherited peripheral neuropathy • Characterized by severe sensory loss (ie. temperature, pressure, pain) • Starts in the extremities, usually in the feet first

  3. Symptoms of HSAN1: • Loss of sensation (pain, temperature, pressure) in the feet and hands • Loss of reflexes in hands and feet • Painless skin injuries that lead to: • chronic ulcers • osteomyelitis (bone infection and inflammation) • Peripheral muscle wasting and weakness • Lightening pains (sharp or shooting pains) • Amputations • Motor impairment Onset of disease usually occurs in the late teens to 2nd decade of life

  4. What Normally Happens to Relay Sensory Info? Sensory neurons carry information about the environment, such aspressure, touch, temperature, and painto the spinal cord. From there, signals get carried to the brain to tell the body what sensation is being detected. SENSORY NEURON sensory info going to spinal cord

  5. In people with HSAN1, loss of sensory neuron function eventually leads to a loss of sensory perception Since the neurons responsible for relaying the messages received in the skin are no longer present or functioning, no messages (ie. pain, pressure, temperature) can be transmitted

  6. Genes are pieces of DNA (genetic instructions for making living organisms) Genes contain information to make specific Proteins (ie. enzymes) What Causes HSAN1? HSAN1 has been found to be caused by mutations in the genes, SPTLC1 and SPTLC2

  7. SPTLC1 SPTLC2 What Do These Genes Do? SPTLC1 and SPTLC2encode two subunits of the enzyme, Serine Palmitoyltransferase (SPT) Serine Palmitoyltransferase (SPT)

  8. Palmitoyl CoA + Serine SPT 3-ketodihydrosphingosine dihydrosphingosine dihydroceramide ceramide sphingomyelin glucosylceramide What Does SPT Do? Pathway for Sphingolipid Production: SPT completes the first and rate-limiting step in the production of sphingolipids (see circle in diagram) (sphingolipids)

  9. What are Sphingolipids? Sphingolipids play an important role in cell structure and signaling… …especially in neurons

  10. What Happens in HSAN1? Based on findings in humans and mice, HSAN1 is thought to be caused by the accumulation of two atypical deoxysphingoid bases (DSBs) DSBs

  11. What Causes DSBs? DSBs are caused by an alteration is SPT substrate specificity: serine alanine SPT serine SPT glycine Normal SPT picks up the amino acid, serine, during the first step of sphingolipid synthesis Mutated SPT picks up other amino acids, like glycine and alanine, in addition to serine

  12. The Result? The formation of DSBs that can’t be degraded or converted into complex sphingolipids

  13. What Happens to the DSBs ? These DSBs accumulate in the cell where they have been shown to have pronounced neurotoxic effects

  14. What Could This Mean for HSAN1 Patients? Treatment with a serine supplement • Mutated SPT has better chance of picking up serine instead of alternate amino acids • Prevention of the formation and accumulation of the toxic DSBs = halt in disease progression?

  15.  Pilot study using serine supplementation in a small subset of HSAN1 patients is about to begin  Under the direction of Dr. Robert Brown, UMASS Medical Center, and Dr. Florian Eichler, Massachusetts General Hospital.

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