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Published on: October 25, 2018
[Expression and tissue and species specificity of P25 protein in patients with myasthenia gravis]
Ai-lian Du1, Hui-min Ren, Chuan-zhen Lü
1Institute of Neurology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China.
Objectives:
To confirm the specific decrease of P25 protein, a novel myasthenia gravis (MG) associated protein, in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients and to study the tissue and species specificity of its expression.
Methods:
Samples of great pectoral muscle were taken from 28 MG patients, 17 males and 11 females, 10 of which being complicated with thymoma and 18 with hyperplasia of thymus, during thymectomy, and 24 wounded persons as normal controls, 14 males and 10 females, during thoracic surgery. Ten samples of skeletal muscle were taken from 10 patients with other muscular disorders (OMD) during skeletal muscle biopsy. Six samples of normal skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, brain, lung, kidney, and skin were taken from persons who died of accident. Two samples of normal cardiac muscle and thymus gland were taken from a patient undergoing cardiac valve replacement. Eight samples of animal skeletal muscle were taken from the thighs of pig, cattle, dog, rabbit, rat, mouse, chicken, and frog. Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the expression of P25 protein in the samples from the MG patients and the normal controls. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of P25 in the samples from MG patients, normal controls, OMD patients, 8 samples of different human tissues, and skeletal muscle samples from 8 different animals.
Results:
Immunohistochemistry showed that the staining intensity of P25 protein in skeletal muscle of MG patients was much lower than that of the normal controls. Western blotting showed that the relative density value of P25 protein in MG patients was 1.04 +/- 0.18, significantly lower than those in the normal controls and OM patients (1.27 +/- 0.21 and 1.21 +/- 0.15 respectively. P < 0.01 and P < 0.05). No statistically significant difference in expression of P25 protein was found among different clinical and pathological types of MG patients. Among the 8 human tissues P25 protein was expressed only in skeletal muscle and among the 8 animal samples of skeletal muscle P25 protein expression was found only in swine skeletal muscle.
Conclusion:
The expression of P25 protein is significantly decreased in skeletal muscle of MG patients. The expression of P25 protein is tissue- and species specific.
Insights
Myasthenia gravis (MG) patients show significantly decreased levels of P25 protein in skeletal muscle. This novel protein
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Biochemistry
- Immunology
Context:
- Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder affecting neuromuscular junctions.
- P25 protein is a newly identified protein associated with MG.
- Understanding P25 protein expression is crucial for diagnosing and treating MG.
Purpose:
- To confirm reduced P25 protein levels in MG patients.
- To investigate the tissue and species-specific expression of P25 protein.
Summary:
- P25 protein expression was significantly lower in the skeletal muscle of MG patients compared to healthy controls and patients with other muscular disorders.
- P25 protein expression is specific to skeletal muscle in humans and found only in swine skeletal muscle among tested animal species.
- No significant differences in P25 protein expression were observed across different clinical or pathological subtypes of MG.
Impact:
- This study confirms P25 protein as a potential biomarker for MG.
- Findings provide insights into the tissue and species specificity of P25 protein.
- Highlights P25 protein's role in skeletal muscle, relevant for MG pathogenesis research.
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