In Tay- Sach's disease, hydrolysis of GM2-ganglioside requires 3
proteins.
Two of them are subunits of hexosaminidase A, and the third is a
small glycolipid transport protein, the GM2 activator protein
(GM2A), which acts as a substrate specific cofactor for the enzyme.
Deficiency in any one of these proteins leads to storage of the
ganglioside, primarily in the lysosomes of neuronal cells.
Tay-Sachs disease (along with GM2-gangliosidosis and Sandhoff
disease) occurs because a genetic mutation inherited from both
parents deactivates or inhibits this process. Most Tay-Sachs
mutations appear not to affect functional elements of the protein.
Instead, they cause incorrect folding or assembly of the enzyme, so
that intracellular transport is disabled.