Abstract
Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a common X-linked recessive human disease, has recently been shown to be caused by the deficiency of a large, low abundance protein called 'dystrophin'1–2. Biochemical techniques have shown dystrophin to be membrane-associated in skeletal muscle3, with enrichment of dystrophin in the t-tubules of 'triads'3,4. Other studies using immunohistochemistry on thick (10 μm) sections have shown dystrophin to be located at the periphery of muscle fibres, possibly at the plasma membrane5–7. These results have been interpreted as being either consistent and complementary6, or contradictory7. To localize dystrophin more precisely relative to these membrane systems we have employed highly sensitive and spatially accurate immuno-gold electron microscopy of ultra-thin (70–100 nm) cryosections. The major distribution of dystrophin was on the cytoplasmic face of the plasma membrane of muscle fibres, and possibly on the contiguous t-tubule membranes. The presented data, taken together with recently accumulated information regarding the primary structure of dystrophin8, suggests that dystrophin is a component of the membrane cytoskeleton in myogenic cells. Thus, myofibre necrosis in patients affected with Duchenne muscular dystrophy is likely the result of plasma membrane instability.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Hoffman, E. P., Brown, R. H. & Kunkel, L. M. Cell 51, 919–928 (1987).
Hoffman, E. P. et al. New Engl. J. Med. 318, 1363–1368 (1988).
Hoffman, E. P., Knudson, C. M., Campbell, K. P. & Kunkel, L. M. Nature 330, 754–758 (1987).
Knudson, C. M., Hoffman, E. P., Kahl, S. D., Kunkel, L. M. & Campbell, K. P. J. biol. Chem. (in the press).
Sugita, H. et al. Proc. Japan Acad. 64, 37–39.
Bonilla, E. et al. Cell (in the press).
Zubrzycka-Gaarn, E. E. et al. Nature 333, 466–469 (1988).
Koenig, M., Monaco, A. P. & Kunkel, L. M. Cell 53, 219–228 (1988).
Hammond, R. G. Cell 51, 1 (1987).
Davison, M. D. & Critchley, D. R. Cell 52, 159–160 (1988).
Bullfield, G., Siller, W. G., Wight, P. A. & Moore, K. J. Proc. Natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 1189–92 (1984).
Hoffman, E. H., Hudecki, M. S., Rosenberg, P. A., Pollina, C. M. & Kunkel, L. M. Neuron (in the press).
Eisenberg, B. R. in Handbook of Physiology, Section 10: Skeletal Muscle (ed. Peachy, L.D.) 73–112 (American Physiological Society, Bethesda, 1983).
Lazarides, E. Cell 51, 345–356 (1987).
Lazarides, E. & Capetanaki, Y. G. in Molecular Biology of Muscle Development (eds Emerson, C., Fischman, D., Nadal-Ginard, B. & Siddiqui, M. A. Q.) 749–772 (Alan R. Liss, New York, 1986).
Rowland, L. P. Muscle Nerve 3, 3–20 (1980).
Lotz, B. P. & F.ngel, A. G. Neurology 37, 1466–75 (1987).
Cullen, M. J. & Mastaglia, F. L. Br. Med. Bull. 36, 145–152 (1980).
Engel, A. G. in Myology: Basic and Clinical (ed. Engle, A. G. & Banker, B. Q.) 1185–1240 (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1986).
Watkins, S. C., Samuel, J. L., Marotte, F., Bertier-Savalle, B. & Rappaport, L. Circ. Res. 60, 327–336 (1987).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Watkins, S., Hoffman, E., Slayter, H. et al. Immunoelectron microscopic localization of dystrophin in myofibres. Nature 333, 863–866 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/333863a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/333863a0
This article is cited by
-
Complexity of skeletal muscle degeneration: multi-systems pathophysiology and organ crosstalk in dystrophinopathy
Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology (2021)
-
Triadopathies: An Emerging Class of Skeletal Muscle Diseases
Neurotherapeutics (2014)
-
Alterations of dystrophin-associated glycoproteins in the heart lacking dystrophin or dystrophin and utrophin
Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility (2013)
-
Activation of caspase 3, 9, 12, and Bax in masseter muscle of mdx mice during necrosis
Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility (2007)
-
Mini-dystrophin efficiently incorporates into the dystrophin protein complex in living cells
Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility (2006)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.