Abnormalities in spinal neurons and dorsal root ganglion cells in Tangier disease presenting with a syringomyelia-like syndrome.

A woman with homozygous Tangier disease had progressive syringomyelia-like neuropathy. She died with cardiac failure at age 61. A sural nerve biopsy taken at age 60 had shown lipid storage in Schwann and interstitial cells, and a pronounced loss of unmyelinated fibers. The neurons of the L5 spinal ganglion and, to a lesser extent, all neurons of the sacral spinal cord, contained large lipid inclusions which in electron micrographs differed from those in Schwann and satellite cells. There was no storage material in glial cells. The neuronal inclusions were membrane-bound and consisted of electron-dense and electron-lucent components. There was evidence of neuronal death in the spinal ganglion, and a diameter histogram showed that small cytons had preferentially been lost. The inclusions probably were secondary lysosomes or residual bodies, and resembled giant lipofuscin granules. Nevertheless, they were uncolored and displayed weak autofluorescence as compared to the aging pigment in control ganglia. It is tentatively suggested that the syringomyelia-like neuropathy in Tangier disease represents a lysosomal storage disorder preferentially affecting small dorsal root ganglion cells.