title: Biochemical study in 28 children with lactic acidosis, in relation to Leigh's encephalomyelopathy.
abstract: An enzymatic study of cultured skin fibroblasts was made in 28 patients with lactic acidosis. In three of these patients a diagnosis of Leigh's encephalomyelopathy was established from autopsy findings. Pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) deficiency was found in four patients. In two of them, in whom Leigh's encephalomyelopathy was proved by autopsy, PDC activity was lower than 10% of the normal. The other two living patients, who showed 22%-25% of the normal activity, had clinical symptoms and courses different from Leigh's disease. These findings suggest that the patients with severe PDC deficiency develop Leigh's disease but those with mild deficiency may not. A deficiency of cytochrome c oxidase was found in two siblings. One of them, who was diagnosed as having Leigh's encephalomyelopathy by postmortem examination, showed a reduction of cytochrome c oxidase in the liver and brain. In the other sibling, who is living, the reduction of cytochrome c oxidase was demonstrated in the cultured skin fibroblasts and biopsied muscle. In an electron-microscopic study of biopsied muscle, two patients with mitochondrial myopathy were found. Their fundamental enzymatic defects were unclear. In two patients, in whom Leigh's disease was suspected following a brain CT, the production of 14CO2 from [3-14C] pyruvate was found to be low; suggesting a reduced activity of the TCA cycle. In another 18 patients, the fundamental defect was not clear.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyabayashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Narisawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iinuma
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tada
mesh_terms: D000138:Acidosis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000473:pathology; D000293:Adolescent; D001928:Brain Diseases, Metabolic / Q000201:enzymology*; D002262:Carboxy-Lyases / Q000172:deficiency*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D030401:Cytochrome-c Oxidase Deficiency; D008058:Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007655:Ketoglutarate Dehydrogenase Complex / Q000378:metabolism; D007773:Lactates / Q000378:metabolism*; D019344:Lactic Acid; D007888:Leigh Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D009132:Muscles / Q000473:pathology; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010729:Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (GTP) / Q000378:metabolism; D011766:Pyruvate Carboxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D011767:Pyruvate Decarboxylase / Q000172:deficiency*; D011768:Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex / Q000378:metabolism; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D007773:Lactates; D011768:Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex; D019344:Lactic Acid; D007655:Ketoglutarate Dehydrogenase Complex; D008058:Dihydrolipoamide Dehydrogenase; D002262:Carboxy-Lyases; D011767:Pyruvate Decarboxylase; D010729:Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase (GTP); D011766:Pyruvate Carboxylase