Immunohistochemical study of utrophin and dystrophin at the motor end-plate in myasthenia gravis.
We studied the densities of utrophin and dystrophin at the motor end-plates of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) using immunohistochemical analysis. The densities were compared with those found in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome and normal controls. Utrophin was reduced at the motor end-plates of MG patients, in association with a reduction of alpha-bungarotoxin binding sites. In contrast, the density of dystrophin at the motor end-plate of MG patients was not significantly different from that found in the controls. We conclude that, at the motor end-plate, utrophin may be more closely associated than dystrophin with the acetylcholine receptor, and that it plays a different role.
Ito
H
H
First Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
Yoshimura
T
T
Satoh
A
A
Takino
H
H
Tsujihata
M
M
Nagataki
S
S
D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D016189:Dystrophin / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009045:Motor Endplate / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D049411:Utrophin
D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D016189:Dystrophin; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D049411:Utrophin