title: Dystrophin in electric organ of Torpedo californica homologous to that in human muscle.
abstract: We have found that dystrophin is highly concentrated at neuromuscular junctions and innervated membranes of the electric organ of Torpedo californica. In acetylcholine receptor-rich Torpedo membrane preparations dystrophin represents approximately 0.4% of total protein and can be extracted from these membranes by alkaline treatment in the absence of detergent, indicating that it is a peripheral membrane protein. Polyclonal antibodies raised against electrophoretically isolated Torpedo dystrophin cross-react with dystrophin in human muscle and unequivocally discriminate between normal and Duchenne muscular dystrophy patient's muscle. These results indicate that dystrophin is phylogenetically a highly conserved protein and that the relatively abundant dystrophin in electric organ would facilitate further investigations of its structure and function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032.
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bock
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bonilla
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies; D004265:DNA Helicases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D019915:DNA Primase; D016189:Dystrophin; D004557:Electric Organ / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009132:Muscles / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010802:Phylogeny; D013045:Species Specificity; D014101:Torpedo; D014764:Viral Proteins
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D016189:Dystrophin; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D019915:DNA Primase; C062021:helicase-primase, Human herpesvirus 1; D004265:DNA Helicases