Question

Gaucher disease is the most common of lipid storage diseases in humans. It is caused by a deficiency of an enzyme necessary for the breakdown of lipids. This leads to the accumulation of fatty material in organs of the body including the spleen, liver, kidneys, lungs, brain, and bone marrow. Using your knowledge of the structure of eukaryotic cells, identify the statement below that best explains how internal membranes and the organelles of cells may be involved in Gaucher disease.

Answer 1

Gaucher disease is caused by a deficiency in the enzyme glucocerebrosidase, whose function is to break the glucocerebrosides (type of fat that can be found in the cell membranes) within the cell, which its accumulate cause damage to various organs.

Step-by-step explanation:

Gaucher disease is the most common of lysossomal storage disease. It's a progressive and genetic disease. It is related to the metabolism of sphingolipids, which are normal components of lipids in cell membranes; they accumulate in lysosomes and cause neuronal, bone, and other extensive changes.

In the absence of this enzyme, there is an accumulation of a particle called glycosylceramide (or GL1). It's a kind of "garbage" that, swells up certain blood cells - macrophages. In this state, they lose their function and got accumulate in places such as the liver, spleen and bone marrow.