Argininosuccinic Aciduria: History
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Argininosuccinic aciduria is an inherited disorder that causes ammonia to accumulate in the blood. Ammonia, which is formed when proteins are broken down in the body, is toxic if the levels become too high. The nervous system is especially sensitive to the effects of excess ammonia.

  • genetic conditions

1. Introduction

Argininosuccinic aciduria usually becomes evident in the first few days of life. An infant with argininosuccinic aciduria may be lacking in energy (lethargic) or unwilling to eat, and have a poorly controlled breathing rate or body temperature. Some babies with this disorder experience seizures or unusual body movements, or go into a coma. Complications from argininosuccinic aciduria may include developmental delay and intellectual disability. Progressive liver damage, high blood pressure (hypertension), skin lesions, and brittle hair may also be seen.

Occasionally, individuals may inherit a mild form of the disorder. These individuals can have an accumulation of ammonia in the bloodstream only during periods of illness or other stress, or mild intellectual disability or learning disabilities with no evidence of elevated ammonia levels.

2. Frequency

Argininosuccinic aciduria occurs in approximately 1 in 70,000 to 218,000 newborns. Most cases of this condition are detected shortly after birth by newborn screening.

3. Causes

Mutations in the ASL gene cause argininosuccinic aciduria. This condition belongs to a class of genetic diseases called urea cycle disorders because they are caused by problems with a process in the body called the urea cycle. The urea cycle is a sequence of reactions that occurs in liver cells. This cycle breaks down excess nitrogen, which is made when protein is used by the body, to make a compound called urea. Urea is removed from the body in urine. Breaking down excess nitrogen and excreting it as urea prevents it from accumulating in the body as ammonia.

The ASL gene provides instructions for making an enzyme called argininosuccinate lyase, which is needed for the fourth step of the urea cycle. The specific role of the argininosuccinate lyase enzyme is to start the reaction in which the amino acid arginine, a building block of proteins, is produced from argininosuccinate, the molecule that carries the waste nitrogen collected earlier in the urea cycle. The arginine is later broken down into urea, which is excreted, and ornithine, which restarts the urea cycle.

In people with argininosuccinic aciduria, argininosuccinate lyase is dysfunctional or missing. As a result, the urea cycle cannot proceed normally, arginine is not produced, and nitrogen is not broken down efficiently. The excess nitrogen accumulates in the blood in the form of ammonia. This buildup of ammonia damages the brain and other tissues and causes neurological problems and other signs and symptoms of argininosuccinic aciduria. It is unclear how a lack of arginine contributes to the features of this condition.

4. Inheritance

This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but they typically do not show signs and symptoms of the condition.

5. Other Names for This Condition

  • Argininosuccinate lyase deficiency

  • argininosuccinic acidemia

  • Argininosuccinicaciduria

  • argininosuccinyl-CoA lyase deficiency

  • arginosuccinase deficiency

  • ASA

  • ASAuria

  • ASL deficiency

This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/argininosuccinic-aciduria

References

  1. Ah Mew N, Simpson KL, Gropman AL, Lanpher BC, Chapman KA, Summar ML. UreaCycle Disorders Overview. 2003 Apr 29 [updated 2017 Jun 22]. In: Adam MP,Ardinger HH, Pagon RA, Wallace SE, Bean LJH, Stephens K, Amemiya A, editors.GeneReviews® [Internet]. Seattle (WA): University of Washington, Seattle;1993-2020. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1217/
  2. Kleijer WJ, Garritsen VH, Linnebank M, Mooyer P, Huijmans JG, Mustonen A,Simola KO, Arslan-Kirchner M, Battini R, Briones P, Cardo E, Mandel H, Tschiedel E, Wanders RJ, Koch HG. Clinical, enzymatic, and molecular geneticcharacterization of a biochemical variant type of argininosuccinic aciduria:prenatal and postnatal diagnosis in five unrelated families. J Inherit Metab Dis.2002 Sep;25(5):399-410.
  3. Lee B, Goss J. Long-term correction of urea cycle disorders. J Pediatr. 2001Jan;138(1 Suppl):S62-71. Review.
  4. Nagamani SCS, Erez A, Lee B. Argininosuccinate Lyase Deficiency. 2011 Feb 3[updated 2019 Mar 28]. In: Adam MP, Ardinger HH, Pagon RA, Wallace SE, Bean LJH, Stephens K, Amemiya A, editors. GeneReviews® [Internet]. Seattle (WA): Universityof Washington, Seattle; 1993-2020. Available fromhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK51784/
  5. National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
  6. National Urea Cycle Disorders Foundation
  7. Reid Sutton V, Pan Y, Davis EC, Craigen WJ. A mouse model of argininosuccinic aciduria: biochemical characterization. Mol Genet Metab. 2003 Jan;78(1):11-6.
  8. Scaglia F, Brunetti-Pierri N, Kleppe S, Marini J, Carter S, Garlick P, Jahoor F, O'Brien W, Lee B. Clinical consequences of urea cycle enzyme deficiencies and potential links to arginine and nitric oxide metabolism. J Nutr. 2004 Oct;134(10 Suppl):2775S-2782S; discussion 2796S-2797S. doi: 10.1093/jn/134.10.2775S. Review.
  9. Stadler S, Gempel K, Bieger I, Pontz BF, Gerbitz KD, Bauer MF, Hofmann S.Detection of neonatal argininosuccinate lyase deficiency by serum tandem massspectrometry. J Inherit Metab Dis. 2001 Jun;24(3):370-8.
  10. Wilcken B, Smith A, Brown DA. Urine screening for aminoacidopathies: is itbeneficial? Results of a long-term follow-up of cases detected bny screening one millon babies. J Pediatr. 1980 Sep;97(3):492-7.
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