Background information
Hexosaminidase A (HEXA), also designated beta-Hexosaminidase A, is a trimer composed of one å chain, one ∫-A chain and one ∫-B chain and is found in the lysosomes of cells. HEXA, along with the cofactor CM2 activator protein, catalyzes the degradation of GM2 ganglioside and other molecules containing terminal N-acetyl hexosamines in the brain and other tissues. A mutation in the å subunit of hexosaminidase is the cause of Tay-Sachs disease (TSD), also known as GM2-gangliosidosis type I. TSD is a fatal autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disease of the central nervous system (CNS) caused by insufficient activity of the HEXA enzyme that results in a failure to process GM2 gangliosides. The accumulation of GM2 ganglioside in the absence of HEXA activity causes progressive destruction of the CNS.
