The expression of a novel stress protein '150-kDa oxygen regulated protein' in sudden infant death.
The oxygen regulated protein 150-kDa (ORP-150) is only induced in hypoxic conditions. We performed an immunohistochemical and morphometrical study on the expression of ORP-150 in the brains of sudden infant death (SID) victims. The cerebral cortexes of 18 infants were used for this study. Each tissue section was incubated with anti-ORP-150 polyclonal antibodies and the number of ORP-150 positive cells was counted. In the cluster analysis, the 18 cases were classified into three groups (A-C groups). Group A was composed of six sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) cases and its mean value of ORP-150 positive cells was 66.75+/-3.44, Group B (six severe respiratory infectious disease such as pneumonia and bronchitis including sepsis): 39.50+/-2.52 and Group C (five SIDS and one severe respiratory infectious disease): 16.00+/-2.92, respectively. These results might reflect chronic hypoxic condition before death, because ORP-150 is only induced when a hypoxic condition exist, but not acute hypoxia. And chronic hypoxic state is likely to be antecedent to SIDS. Therefore, immunohistochemical analysis of OPR-150 in the brain of SID cases may be very useful to differentiate between SIDS and acute asphyxia.
Ikematsu
Kazuya
K
Division of Forensic Pathology and Science, Department of Translational Medical Sciences, Course of Medical and Dental Sciences, Graduate School of Biochemical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki City, Nagasaki 852-8523, Japan. k-ikema@remus.dti.ne.jp
Tsuda
Ryouichi
R
Kondo
Toshikazu
T
Kondo
Hisayoshi
H
Ozawa
Kentaro
K
Ogawa
Satoshi
S
Nakasono
Ichiro
I
D001344:Autopsy; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013398:Sudden Infant Death
D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D011506:Proteins; C050087:oxygen-regulated proteins