Description
Mutations in the depalmitoylating enzyme gene, PPT1, cause the infantile form of Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCL), an early onset neurodegenerative disease. Mutations in palmitoyl protein thioesterase-1 (PPT1) have been found to cause the infantile form of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, which is a lysosomal storage disorder characterized by impaired degradation of fatty acid-modified proteins with accumulation of amorphous granular deposits in cortical neurons, leading to mental retardation and death. PPT1 catalyzes the cleavage of thioester linkages in S-acylated (palmitoylated) proteins and its deficiency leads to abnormal accumulation of thioesterified polypeptides (ceroid) in lysosomes causing INCL pathogenesis