Niemann-Pick C-like endo-lysosomal dysfunction in DHDDS patient cells, a congenital disorder of glycosylation, can be treated with miglustat

DHDDS (dehydrodolichol diphosphate synthetase) and NgBR (Nogo-B Receptor) collectively form an enzymatic complex important for the synthesis of dolichol - a key component of protein N-glycosylation. Mutations in DHDDS and the gene encoding NgBR (NUS1) are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders that clinically present with epilepsy, motor impairments, and developmental delay. Previous work has demonstrated both DHDDS and NgBR can also interact with NPC2 (Niemann-Pick C (NPC) type 2) - a protein which functions to traffic cholesterol out of the lysosome and, when mutated, can cause a lysosomal storage disorder (NPC disease) characterised by an accumulation of cholesterol and glycosphingolipids. Abnormal cholesterol accumulation has also been reported in cells from individuals and animal models with mutations in NUS1, and suspected lipid storage has been shown in biopsies from individuals with mutations in DHDDS. Our findings provide further evidence for overlap between NPC2 and DHDDS disorders, showing that DHDDS patient fibroblasts have increased lysosomal volume, store cholesterol and ganglioside GM1, and have altered lysosomal Ca2+ homeostasis. Treatment of DHDDS cells - with the approved NPC small molecule therapy miglustat - improves these disease-associated phenotypes, identifying a possible therapeutic option for DHDDS patients. These data suggest that treatment options currently approved for NPC disease may be translatable to DHDDS/NUS1 patients.