title: Calpain-dependent alpha-fodrin cleavage at the sarcolemma in muscle diseases.
abstract: To clarify the involvement of calpains in sarcolemmal remodeling, we examined the expression of calpains and their substrate, alpha-fodrin, in various disorders of muscle. Although immunohistological reactions for alpha-fodrin and calpains were weak in normal control muscles, intense immunoreactivity for alpha-fodrin at the sarcolemma and for calpains throughout the cytoplasm were detected in small muscle fibers from patients with inflammatory myositis (IM), rhabdomyolysis (Rhab), and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Most of the calpain-alpha-fodrin double-positive muscle fibers in IM and Rhab also expressed the developmental form of myosin heavy chain. The sarcolemma of these small muscle fibers reacted with an antibody that specifically recognizes the 150-kDa fragments of alpha-fodrin (SBDP 150s) cleaved by calpain, but not caspase 3. Western blot analysis confirmed these results. These observations indicate that calpain is activated and reacts with alpha-fodrin as a substrate at the sarcolemma, and plays a key role in modulating sarcolemmal proteins to adapt to the specific conditions in each myopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara 634-8521, Japan.
authors.forename: Miwa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takamure
authors.forename: Ken-Ya
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tamada
authors.forename: Mitsuyoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Azuma
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ueno
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D002154:Calpain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009135:Muscular Diseases / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains / Q000378:metabolism; D009220:Myositis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000378:metabolism; D012206:Rhabdomyolysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012508:Sarcolemma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D013049:Spectrin
chemical_list: D002154:Calpain; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D018995:Myosin Heavy Chains; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D013049:Spectrin