Glycerol kinase deficiency

Glycerol Kinase Deficiency (GKD) is an X-linked recessive enzyme defect that is heterozygous in nature. Three clinically distinct forms of this deficiency have been proposed, namely infantile, juvenile, and adult. National Institutes of Health and its Office of Rare Diseases Research (ORDR) branch classifies GKD as a rare disease, known to affect fewer than 200,000 individuals in the United States. The responsible gene lies in a region containing genes in which deletions can cause Duchenne muscular dystrophy and adrenal hypoplasia congenita. Combinations of these three genetic defects including GKD are addressed medically as Complex GKD.

Glycerol Kinase Deficiency has two main causes associated with it.

GKD can be divided into three distinct forms: infantile, juvenile, and adult. Out of all of these the infantile form is the most clinically relevant because it leads to developmental delay and adrenal insufficiency.

In order to understand how this condition affects a person you must first have a basic understanding of the process called glycolysis. This fundamental metabolic pathway is found in all known organisms. The process provides energy for our cells to carry out their daily functions. The overall reaction involves a cell taking in the sugar glucose and converting it into the energy rich molecule pyruvate. Inside the overall reaction there lie many steps that need to be followed in order for the original glucose molecule to be transformed into pyruvate. The glucose first gathers a phosphate group from an ATP molecule in order to become glucose-6-phosphate. It is then changed into fructose 6-phosphate, with the assistance of phosphoglucose isomerase, which is then changed into fructose 1,6-biphosphate when the fructose molecule receives a phosphate group from another ATP. The next step in the chain is crucial for cells in order to make more energy than they expend through the process of glycolysis; this step is when the fructose 1,6-bisphosphate molecule breaks down into two molecules of dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP), so from this point on whenever ATP is being generated from ADP there are really two ATP molecules generated because there are two molecules undergoing the same reaction. One molecule that takes advantage of this second part of the metabolic process is the fatty molecule glycerol. This is unfortunately prevented if someone is experiencing Glycerol Kinase Deficiency.

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