Dystrophin-glycoproteins associated in congenital muscular dystrophy: immunohistochemical analysis of 59 Brazilian cases.
The congenital muscular dystrophies (CMD) are heterogeneous muscular diseases with early and dystrophic pattern on muscle biopsy. Many different subtypes have been genetically identified and most phenotypes not yet identified belong to the merosin-positive (MP) CMD subgroup.


OBJECTIVE
To analyze the immunohistochemical expression of the main proteins of the dystrophin-glycoproteins associated complex in muscle biopsy of patients with different CMD phenotypes, for investigating a possible correlation with clinical and histopathological data.


METHODS
Fifty-nine patients with CMD had clinical, histopathological and immunohistochemical data evaluated: 32 had MP-CMD, 23 CMD with merosin deficiency (MD-CMD), one Ullrich phenotype and three Walker-Warburg disease.


RESULTS
Dystrophin and dysferlin were normal in all; among the patients with MD-CMD, merosin deficiency was partial in nine who showed the same clinical severity as those with total deficiency; the reduced expression of alpha-sarcoglycan (SG) and alpha-dystroglycan (DG) showed statistically significant correlation with severe MD-CMD phenotype.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a greater relationship between merosin and the former proteins; among MP-CMD patients, no remarkable immunohistochemical/phenotypical correlations were found, although the reduced expression of beta-DG had showed statistically significant correlation with severe phenotype and marked fibrosis on muscular biopsy.
Ferreira
Lucio Gobbo
LG
Departamento de Neurologia, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brasil.
Marie
Suely Kazue
SK
Liu
Enna Cristina
EC
Resende
Maria Bernadete Dutra
MB
Carvalho
Mary Souza
MS
Scaff
Milberto
M
Reed
Umbertina Conti
UC
D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D049028:Dystrophin-Associated Protein Complex / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007797:Laminin / Q000172:deficiency*; D008297:Male; D009136:Muscular Dystrophies / Q000151:congenital / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D049031:Sarcoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D049028:Dystrophin-Associated Protein Complex; D007797:Laminin; D049031:Sarcoglycans