title: Superoxide dismutases of muscle in mitochondrial encephalomyopathies.
abstract: Immunohistochemical analyses were made of the superoxide dismutases (Mn-SOD and Cu/Zn-SOD) in biopsied muscles from 7 patients with mitochondrial encephalomyopathies that included mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis and strokelike episodes (MELAS), and chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia (CPEO). Mn-SOD mainly was present in the subsarcolemmal region, but it also was found in a coarsely granular, reticular, or diffuse pattern of staining within the muscle fibers. These Mn-SOD-positive fibers corresponded almost completely to the ragged-red fibers. The immunoreaction for Cu/Zn-SOD was weakly positive in some of the muscle fibers positive for Mn-SOD. In CPEO, Mn-SOD-positive fibers predominantly showed decreased cytochrome c oxidase (COX) activity. In MELAS, Mn-SOD-positive fibers tended to be stained deeply for COX although a few were COX-negative. These findings suggest that Mn-SOD-positive fibers can be used to make a differential diagnosis between CPEO and MELAS and that in mitochondrial encephalomyopathies Mn-SOD in the ragged-red fibers may protect against oxidative stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohkoshi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mizusawa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shiraiwa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shoji
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshizawa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D017241:MELAS Syndrome / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000201:enzymology; D009132:Muscles / Q000201:enzymology*; D017246:Ophthalmoplegia, Chronic Progressive External / Q000201:enzymology*; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV