Galactosylceramidase

Galactosylceramidase (GALC) (also known as galactocerebrosidase) is a hydrolase ^[1] that removes galactose from ceramide derivatives (reference). Galactosylceramidase in humans is encoded by the gene GALC, and mutations in this gene are associated with Krabbe disease, or globoid cell leukodystrophy ^[2].

Structure

X-ray diffraction data () from mouse models indicates that GALC is an estimated 77 kDa protein consisting of 656 residues, which form a secondary structure containing 12 α-helices and 41 β-strands. Each β-strand contains three to eleven residues.

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Function

Disease

Defects in this enzyme cause the disease known in humans as Krabbe disease (or globoid cell leukodystrophy). Krabbe disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by widespread demyelination caused by reduced or mutated function of GALC^[2]. The deficiency of GALC leads to the accumulation of the neurotoxic metabolite 1-β-d-galactosylsphingosine (psychosine) in the central nervous system. Psychosine causes the destruction of epithelial actin structures. A common authentic model for this disease is the twitcher mouse model ^[3].

Relevance