G6PD deficiency affects about 400M people worldwide and can pose serious health risks. Uncovering the causes of the most severe cases could finally lead to treatments.
With a name like glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, one would think it is a rare and obscure medical condition, but that’s far from the truth. Roughly 400 million people worldwide live with potential of blood disorders due to the enzyme deficiency. While some people are asymptomatic, others suffer from jaundice, ruptured red blood cells and, in the worst cases, kidney failure.
Now, a team led by researchers at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has uncovered the elusive mechanism behind the most severe cases of the disease: a broken chain of amino acids that warps the shape of the condition’s namesake protein, G6PD. The team, led by SLAC Professor Soichi Wakatsuki, report their findings January 18th in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Read more on the SLAC website
Image: The G6PD enzyme plays a crucial role in red blood cells, removing molecules such as hydrogen peroxide from the body. In some cases, mutations can bend the molecule awkwardly, interfering with G6PD’s function. In the worst cases, the mutations lead red blood cells to rupture.
Credit: Mio Wakatsuki, from protein images by Naoki Horikoshi/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory