• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.440-446
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• 2003

Purpose : The genetic disturbance of galactosemia is expressed as a cellular deficiency of either galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase(GALT) or galactokinase(GALK) or UDP galactose 4-epimerase(GALE). To find-out the pattern of galactosemia in Korea, we retrospectively analyzed cases of galactosemia detected by neonatal screening program. Methods : We analyzed medical records of patients who visited Soonchunhyang University Hospital at age of 1 month after showing abnormalities in neonatal screening of galactosemia. For accurate diagnosis, galactose was measured by enzyme immunoassay(EIA) and fluorophotometer, also galactose-1-phosphate by fluorophotometer. Enzyme activities of GALK, GALT and GALE in RBC and galactose-1-phosphate were measured by radioisotope assay(RIA). Beutler test were done. Patients went on a lactose-free diet and follow-up tests for galactose, galactose-1-phosphate level and enzyme activity were performed. Results : 10 patients(male : 6, female : 4) were diagnosed as galactosemia. Two patients had GALK deficiency and two had GALT deficiency. Six were GALE deficient showing the largest number. In two patients with GALK deficiency, GALT and GALE activities were normal but GALK activities showed respectively reduced activity. For GALT deficiency, two patients had low GALT activity in RBC and showed genotype of Duarte 2/G(galactosemia) in DNA analysis. In one patient, GALT activity was normal. Three patients seemed to be heterozygote state of GALE deficiency according to GALE activity levels. Four patients showed GALK hyperactivity. Conclusion : GALE deficiency provided the highest number. After lactose-free diet, galactose and galactose-1-phosphate were normaly maintained. Neonatal screening on galactosemia is essential for preventing life-threatening symptoms and an accurate diagnosis is needed for finding out the type of galactosemia which is important for prognosis.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.126-130
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• 2013

Galactosemia is a metabolic disorder inherited by the recessive autosome, and appears by the deficiency of one enzyme out of GALT (Galactose-1-Phosphate Uridyltransferase), GALK (galactokinase), and GALE (epimerase) enzymes, among which the GALT deficiency disease is denominated as classical galactosemia and known to have symptoms such as severe nausea, jaundice, hepatomegaly, sucking difficulty and so on. We report the case of a 16-day-old female baby with the new p.A101D mutation together with p.N413d in the GALT gene analysis found in the neonatal screening test and diagnosed to have galactosemia by the GALT deficiency through the enzyme analysis. For the prognosis prediction, the treatment, the genetic counseling and the prenatal diagnosis of the patients, more detailed genetic diagnosis is required by performing GALT gene analysis, and it is deemed to be necessary to analyze the correlation between the phenotype and the genotype of the domestic galactosemia patients.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.131-135
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• 2008

Classical galactosemia is an autosomal recessive disorder of galactose metabolism, caused by a deficiency of the enzyme galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GALT). Buildup of galactose-1-phosphate is toxic at high levels and can damage the liver, brain, eyes, and other vital organs. The case presented here was that of an 11-day-old female infant who had elevated galatose levels upon initial neonatal screening test with persistent cholestatic jaundice, coagulopathy, and hepatomegaly. The patient was transferred due to aggravation of clinical symptoms including bleeding and jaundice. She had a delayed galactose free diet because of an inappropriate diagnosis. We quickly provided her with a lactose/galactose-restricted diet as per her final diagnosis. Clinical and laboratory results were improved after a few days of treatment. For confirmatory testing for classical galactosaemia, we simultaneously analyzed for GALT enzyme activity and allele-specific PCR/fragments for seven mutations and two polymorphisms in the GALT gene. We were able to find several GALT-deficient and compound heterozygous mutations of the GALT gene.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Inherited Metabolic disease
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.58-63
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• 2012

Classical galactosemia (OMIM# 230400) is an autosomal recessive disorder of carbohydrate metabolism, due to a complete loss in galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GALT; E.C.2.7.7.12) enzyme activity. It caused by mutations in the GALT gene (OMIM$^*$ 606999) that is located at chromosome 9p13. The GALT enzyme deficiency results in a build-up of galactose and galactose-1-phosphate, causing life threatening complications such as feeding problems, failure to thrive, hepatocellular damage, bleeding and sepsis. However, Duarte galactosemia, a variant form of GALT deficiency, has residual GALT enzyme activities in erythrocytes and do not have manifest the symptoms of classical galactosemia. Since the advent of newborn screening (NBS) for galactosemia, we rarely encounter such overwhelmingly ill newborns. The positive NBS with no symptoms indicates the possibility of Duarte galactosemia besides a simple false positive and it has to be differentiated from classical galactosemia which is a medical emergency. In Korea, detection rate of Duarte galactosemia is very low and its genetic information is restrictive, too. We report a case of monozygotic twins with D/G galactosemia compound heterozygote in proven by the mutational analysis of GALT gene, which revealed N314D polymorphism and -119 to -116 delGTCA.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.267-272
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• 2015

Galactosemia is a potentially lethal disorder caused by the deficiency of the enzyme galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GALT) within the Leloir pathway. Galactokinase (GALK) is the enzyme in Leloir pathway which converts ${\alpha}$-D galactose to galactose 1-phosphate. The elevated level of galactose-1-phosphate, the product of GALK plays a major role in Galactosemia. Therefore the inhibition of GALK is a novel therapy for this disorder. Hence in the present study, we performed molecular docking of twenty inhibitors with different activity against galactokinase into the active site of galactokinase enzyme. The binding mode of these inhibitors was obtained using Surflex dock program interfaced in Sybyl-X2.0. The residues such as SER141, TYR109, ARG105, ARG228, TYR106, GLY346, GLY136, ASP86, ASP186 and SER142 found to interact with inhibitors.

• Journal of The Korean Association For Science Education
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 1997

The purpose of this study was to analyze the structural model of causal effects of students' variables on science process skills. Student characteristics investigated in the study included attitude related to the science, logical thinking ability, scientific experiences, cognitive style. Covariance structural modeling procedures were used to test causal inferences about hypothesized relationships. The sample consisted of 319 6th grade students and 321 8th grade students in Seoul City, Korea. Five instruments were used in the study, TSPS(test of science process skills), GALT(group assessment of logical thinking), CEFT(children embedded figures test), questionnaire of attitude related to the science, questionnaire of scientific experience. For statistical analysis, the study adopted the structural equation modeling with LlSREL, a computer statistical program developed by J reskog and S rbom. Major findings of the study are as follows:1) Logical thinking ability has a most strong direct effect on science process skills. 2) The structural coefficient of scientific experience influence on attitude related to the science has the greatest direct one than the others in the covariance structural model. According to the results of this study, it is very importance that various scientific experiences, particularly hands-on activity, should be offer to students to improve science process skills. Also, understanding the relationships of student variable to science process skills will be helpful to decision making on the part of curriculum developers, science teachers and researchers.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.97-104
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• 2015

Glucose is universal and essential fuel of energy metabolism and in the synthesis pathways of all mammalian cells. Glucose is the one of the major precursors of lactose synthesis using glycolysis result in producing milk fat and protein. During the milk fat synthesis, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and CD36 are required for glucose uptake. Various morecules such as acyl-CoA synthetase 1 (ACSL1) activity of acetyl-CoA synthetase 2 (ACSS2), ACACA, FASN AGPAT6, GPAM, LPIN1 are closely related with milk fat synthesis. Additionally, glucose plays a major role for synthesizing lactose. Activations of lactose synthesize enzymes such as membranebound enzyme, beta-1,4-galactosyl transferase (B4GALT), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) are changed by concentration of glucose in blood resulting change of amount of lactose production. Glucose transporters are a wide group of membrane proteins that facilitate the transport of glucose over a plasma membrane. There are 2 types of glucose transporters which consisted facilitative glucose transporters (GLUT); and sodium-dependent transport, mediated by the Na+/glucose cotransporters (SGLT). Among them, GLUT1, GLUT8, GLUT12, SGLT1, SGLT2 are main glucose transporters which involved in mammary gland development and milk synthesis. However, more studies are required for revealing clear mechanism and function of other unknown genes and transporters. Therefore, understanding of the mechanisms of glucose usage and its regulation in mammary gland is very essential for enhancing the glucose utilization in the mammary gland and improving dairy productivity and efficiency.