Dystrophin is a component of the subsynaptic membrane

J Cell Biol. 1991 Nov;115(4):1069-76. doi: 10.1083/jcb.115.4.1069.

Abstract

A subsynaptic protein of Mr approximately 300 kD is a major component of Torpedo electric organ postsynaptic membranes and copurifies with the AChR and the 43-kD subsynaptic protein. mAbs against this protein react with neuromuscular synapses in higher vertebrates, but not at synapses in dystrophic muscle. The Torpedo 300-kD protein comigrates in SDS-PAGE with murine dystrophin and reacts with antibodies against murine dystrophin. The sequence of a partial cDNA isolated by screening an expression library with mAbs against the Torpedo 300-kD protein shows striking homology to mammalian dystrophin, and in particular to the b isoform of dystrophin. These results indicate that dystrophin is a component of the postsynaptic membrane at neuromuscular synapses and raise the possibility that loss of dystrophin from synapses in dystrophic muscle may have consequences that contribute to muscular dystrophy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / immunology
  • Base Sequence
  • DNA
  • Dystrophin / analysis*
  • Dystrophin / genetics
  • Electric Organ / chemistry*
  • Electric Organ / ultrastructure
  • Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel
  • Epitopes
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Molecular Weight
  • Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
  • Synaptic Membranes / chemistry*
  • Torpedo

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Dystrophin
  • Epitopes
  • DNA

Associated data

  • GENBANK/M37645
  • GENBANK/M60691
  • GENBANK/M60692
  • GENBANK/M60693
  • GENBANK/M60694
  • GENBANK/M60695
  • GENBANK/M60696
  • GENBANK/M60697
  • GENBANK/S66836
  • GENBANK/X56699