NAGLU

This gene encodes an enzyme that degrades heparan sulfate by hydrolysis of terminal N-acetyl-D-glucosamine residues in N-acetyl-alpha-D-glucosaminides. Defects in this gene are the cause of mucopolysaccharidosis type IIIB (MPS-IIIB), also known as Sanfilippo syndrome B. This disease is characterized by the lysosomal accumulation and urinary excretion of heparan sulfate. [provided by RefSeq]

Full Name

N-acetylglucosaminidase, alpha-

Function

Involved in the degradation of heparan sulfate.

Biological Process

Cerebellar Purkinje cell layer development Source: Ensembl
Glycosaminoglycan catabolic process Source: Reactome
Inner ear receptor cell development Source: Ensembl
Locomotor rhythm Source: Ensembl
Lysosome organization Source: Ensembl
Middle ear morphogenesis Source: Ensembl
Nervous system development Source: ProtInc
Retinal rod cell development Source: Ensembl

Cellular Location

Lysosome

Involvement in disease

Mucopolysaccharidosis 3B (MPS3B):
A form of mucopolysaccharidosis type 3, an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease due to impaired degradation of heparan sulfate. MPS3 is characterized by severe central nervous system degeneration, but only mild somatic disease. Onset of clinical features usually occurs between 2 and 6 years; severe neurologic degeneration occurs in most patients between 6 and 10 years of age, and death occurs typically during the second or third decade of life.
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease 2V (CMT2V):
An axonal form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a disorder of the peripheral nervous system, characterized by progressive weakness and atrophy, initially of the peroneal muscles and later of the distal muscles of the arms. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is classified in two main groups on the basis of electrophysiologic properties and histopathology: primary peripheral demyelinating neuropathies (designated CMT1 when they are dominantly inherited) and primary peripheral axonal neuropathies (CMT2). Neuropathies of the CMT2 group are characterized by signs of axonal degeneration in the absence of obvious myelin alterations, normal or slightly reduced nerve conduction velocities, and progressive distal muscle weakness and atrophy. CMT2V is an autosomal dominant sensory neuropathy with late onset. The main clinical feature is recurrent leg pain that progresses to constant painful paraesthesias in the feet and later the hands. As it evolves, some patients develop a mild sensory ataxia.