Immunohistological study of globoid cell leukodystrophy

We examined three autopsy cases of globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD) with different survival, using immunohistochemistry and in situ nick end labeling (ISEL). The white matter lesion was pronounced in the corona radiata, corpus callosum and cerebellar peduncles in three cases, where a spongy state developed, in addition to the neuronal loss in the thalamus, cerebellum and inferior olivary nucleus. Ramified microglia, being immunoreactive for ferritin and HLA-DR alpha, were scattered in the white matter, and some of them also had immunoreactivity for TNF-alpha. Both the small-sized and large-sized globoid cells showed immunoreactivity for ferritin KP-1 and NCAM, while some of the small-sized globoid cells were also immunoreactive for HLA-DR alpha and TNF-alpha. As the survival became longer, the occurrence of the globoid cells decreased, however, they were commonly observed in the corpus callosum and cerebellar peduncle in three cases. T lymphocytes immunoreactive for LCA, UCHL-1 and CD3 were increased around the vessels in the white matter. ISEL stained nuclei of mononuclear cells in the white matter in two cases with short survival, although the cell origin was not verified. ISEL also visualized a few nuclei of the small-sized globoid cells in one case. On the other hand, immunostainings against cell death proteins such as bcl-2 family members and p53 failed to identify any significant changes. These data suggest that the immunological step and to a lesser extent the apoptotic process may partly be involved in the myelin breakdown and glial pathology in GLD, as reported in the twitcher mouse, a murine model of GLD.