Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB (MPSIIIB) is a lysosomal storage disease (LSD) characterized by accumulation of heparan sulfate oligosaccharides (HSO), which results in progressive mental retardation, neurodegeneration and premature death in children. The underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Coming to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of MPSIIIB has become a necessity to assess the efficacy of gene therapy treatment regarding loss of neuronal plasticity, and to define the best conditions for treatment. To address the link between HSO accumulation and downstream pathological events, new cell models of MPSIIIB were created. First, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSc) were generated from fibroblasts of affected children, followed by differentiation of patient-derived iPSc into a neuronal progeny. Second, a HeLa cell model was created in which expression of shRNAs directed against a-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAGLU), the deficient enzyme in MPSIIIB, is induced by tetracycline. Success in the isolation of these different models was pointed by the presence of cardinal features of MPSIIIB cell pathology. Studies in these models showed that: I) HSO excreted in the extracellular matrix modifies cell perception of environmental cues, affecting downstream signalling pathways with consequences on the Golgi morphology. II) Accumulation of intracellular storage vesicles, a hallmark of LSDs is due to overexpression of the cis-Golgi protein GM130 and subsequent Golgi alterations. It is likely that these vesicles are abnormal lysosomes formed in the cis- and medial-Golgi which are misrouted at an early step of lysosome biogenesis, giving rise to a dead-end compartment. III) Other cell functions controlled by GM130 are affected, including centrosome morphology and microtubule nucleation. These data point to possible consequences on cell polarization, cell migration and neuritogenesis.

Clostridium perfringens is a gram positive spore forming anaerobe and a causative agent of gas gangrene, necrotic enteritis (pig-bel) and food poisoning in humans and other animals. This organism secretes a battery of exotoxins during the course of infection as well as a variety of virulence factors which may help to potentiate the activities of the toxins. Among these virulence factors is the μ-toxin, a family 84 glycoside hydrolase which acts to degrade hyaluronan, a component of human connective tissue. C. perfringens has 53 open reading frames encoding glycoside hydrolases. About half of these glycoside hydrolases are predicted to be secreted. Among these are CpGH84C, a paralogue of the μ-toxin, and CpGH89. CpGH89 shares sequence similarity to the human α-N-acetylglucosaminidase, NAGLU, in which mutations can cause a devastating genetic disease called mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB. One striking feature of the secreted glycoside hydrolase enzymes of C. perfringens is their modularity, with modules predicted to be dedicated to catalysis, carbohydrate-binding, protein-protein interactions and cell wall attachment. The extent of the modularity is remarkable, with some enzymes containing up to eight ancillary modules. In order to help understand the role of carbohydrate-active enzymes produced by bacterial pathogens, this thesis will focus on the structure and function of the modular extracellular glycoside hydrolase enzymes secreted by the disease causing bacterium, C. perfringens. These structure function studies examine two family 32 CBMs (carbohydrate-binding modules), one from the μ-toxin and the other from CpGH84C. As well we examine the complete structure of CpGH84C in order to help further our understanding of the structure of carbohydrate-active enzymes as a whole. Finally, the catalytic module of CpGH89 is characterized and its relationship to the human NAGLU enzyme is discussed.

La mucopolysaccharidose IIIB (MPSIIIB) est une maladie de surcharge lysosomale (MSL) causée par une accumulation d’oligosaccharides d’héparane sulphate (OHS), induisant chez les enfants atteints un retard mental progressif, une neurodégénérescence et une mort prématurée. Les mécanismes physiopathologiques impliqués sont mal compris. Il est nécessaire d’élucider ces mécanismes, afin d’évaluer l’efficacité d’un traitement par thérapie génique en regard de la perte de la plasticité neuronale, et pour définir les meilleures conditions de traitement. Pour cela, de nouveaux modèles cellulaires de la maladie ont été créés. Des cellules souches pluripotentes induites ont été générées à partir de fibroblastes de patients, lesquelles ont ensuite été différenciées en une lignée neuronale. Un modèle HeLa a également été créé dans lequel l’expression de shRNAs dirigés contre la a-N-acétylglucosaminidase (NAGLU), l’enzyme manquante dans la MPSIIIB, est induite par la tétracycline. Ces modèles ont été isolés avec succès, et présentent les caractéristiques pathologiques fondamentales de la MPSIIIB. L’étude de ces modèles a montré que : I) Les OHS excrétés dans la matrice extracellulaire modifient la perception cellulaire des signaux environnementaux, affectant les voies de signalisation en aval avec des conséquences sur la morphologie du Golgi. II) L’accumulation de vésicules de stockage intracellulaires qui caractérisent les MSLs est due à la surexpression de la protéine cis-golgienne GM130 et aux altérations du Golgi qui en résultent. Ces vésicules sont possiblement des lysosomes anormaux formés dans le Golgi cis et médian qui sont déroutés à une étape précoce de la biogenèse du lysosome, donnant naissance à un compartiment « cul-de-sac ». III) D’autres fonctions cellulaires contrôlées par GM130 sont affectées dont la morphologie du centrosome ou la nucléation des microtubules. Ces données suggèrent de possibles conséquences sur la polarisation et la migration cellulaire, et la neuritogenèse. / Mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB (MPSIIIB) is a lysosomal storage disease (LSD) characterized by accumulation of heparan sulfate oligosaccharides (HSO), which results in progressive mental retardation, neurodegeneration and premature death in children. The underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Coming to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of MPSIIIB has become a necessity to assess the efficacy of gene therapy treatment regarding loss of neuronal plasticity, and to define the best conditions for treatment. To address the link between HSO accumulation and downstream pathological events, new cell models of MPSIIIB were created. First, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSc) were generated from fibroblasts of affected children, followed by differentiation of patient-derived iPSc into a neuronal progeny. Second, a HeLa cell model was created in which expression of shRNAs directed against a-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAGLU), the deficient enzyme in MPSIIIB, is induced by tetracycline. Success in the isolation of these different models was pointed by the presence of cardinal features of MPSIIIB cell pathology. Studies in these models showed that: I) HSO excreted in the extracellular matrix modifies cell perception of environmental cues, affecting downstream signalling pathways with consequences on the Golgi morphology. II) Accumulation of intracellular storage vesicles, a hallmark of LSDs is due to overexpression of the cis-Golgi protein GM130 and subsequent Golgi alterations. It is likely that these vesicles are abnormal lysosomes formed in the cis- and medial-Golgi which are misrouted at an early step of lysosome biogenesis, giving rise to a dead-end compartment. III) Other cell functions controlled by GM130 are affected, including centrosome morphology and microtubule nucleation. These data point to possible consequences on cell polarization, cell migration and neuritogenesis.

Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB (MPS IIIB) is a rare, metabolic disorder that results from a deficiency in the lysosomal hydrolase, α-N-acetylglucosaminidase (Naglu). Naglu is a housekeeping enzyme involved in the degradation pathway of heparan sulfate. A deficiency in active Naglu leads to an accumulation of heparan sulfate within the lysosome, initiating a pathological cascade within the cell. Patients with MPS IIIB experience progressive central nervous system degeneration and die within the first few decades of life. Presently, enzyme replacement therapy, which is a standard of care for other lysosomal storage disorders, is an ineffective treatment for MPS IIIB. This is due to impermeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to exogenous recombinant enzymes. A promising approach to this therapeutic obstacle is protein transduction domains. Protein transduction domains have been shown to facilitate the delivery of active enzyme across the BBB in mice. Previously, our laboratory used Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) insect cell system to express human recombinant Naglu fused to a synthetic protein transduction domain (PTD4). The purpose was to use PTD4 to the facilitate the delivery of Naglu across biological membranes, including the blood-brain barrier. However, a missing stop codon following PTD4 limited its transducibility. The stop codon was re-introduced and the improved fusion enzyme, Naglu-PTD4X, was stably expressed in Sf9 cells. The overarching goal of this project is to create a large-scale production of human recombinant Naglu that has the potential to be used to treat the neuropathology of patients with MPS IIIB. This project used a three-step purification system to purify Naglu-PTD4X. Uptake of Naglu-PTD4X was assessed in MPS IIIB fibroblasts using a fluorogenic activity assay, immunoblotting, and immunocytochemistry. Our purification system was successful at purifying Naglu-PTD4X to homogeneity with a 26% yield and specific activity of 84,000 units/mg. An increase in Naglu activity was detected in MPS IIIB fibroblasts following incubation with Naglu-PTD4X. Future directions will focus on optimizing immunodetection and conducting BBB penetration studies in murine models. / Graduate / 2020-06-21