title: Immunolocalization of ubiquitin in muscle biopsies of patients with inclusion body myositis and oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy.
abstract: In 10/10 inclusion body myositis (IBM) patients and 2/2 oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) patients, vacuolated muscle fibers contained darkly stained ubiquitin (Ub)-immunoreactive cytoplasmic inclusions. By electronmicroscopy, Ub-immunoreactive material was strictly localized to the 15-21 nm pathologic cytoplasmic tubulofilaments (CTFs). None of 18 control muscle biopsies contained the Ub-immunoreactive inclusions that are typical for IBM and OPMD. Thus, (a) finding that CTFs are ubiquitinated places their protein in the Ub-mediated turnover pathway and provides their first molecular marker; (b) easy accessibility, as compared to the central nervous system, of muscle tissue containing ubiquitinated inclusions should be advantageous for biochemical and molecular studies and may provide information important to both systems.
authors.affiliation: USC Neuromuscular Center, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles 90017.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Askanas
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Serdaroglu
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Alvarez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D003893:Desmin; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D002479:Inclusion Bodies / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D008875:Middle Aged; D009132:Muscles / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D009220:Myositis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D009801:Oculomotor Muscles / Q000473:pathology; D010609:Pharyngeal Muscles / Q000473:pathology; D014452:Ubiquitins / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D003893:Desmin; D014452:Ubiquitins