Sphingomyelinase and nonspecific phosphodiesterase activities in epsteinbarr virus-transformed lymphoid cell lines from niemann-pick disease A, B and C

Abstract

Acid sphingomyelinase activity determined using the natural substrate, [ choline-methyl- 14C]sphingomyelin, or the chromogenic synthetic analogue, 2- N-(hexadecanoyl)amino-4-nitrophenylphosphorylcholine, was deficient in Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphoid cell lines from Niemann-Pick disease types A and B. In contrast, lines from Niemann-Pick disease type C and “sea-blue histiocyte syndrome” showed a sphingomyelinase activity within the normal range. Bis(4-methylumbelliferyl)phosphate and bis(4-methyl-umbelliferyl) pyrophosphate phosphodiesterase activities were not deficient in any Niemann-Pick disease cell line. These results demonstrate the validity of such cell lines as an experimental model system for enzymatic studies of Niemann-Pick disease.