PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

V Askanas

Publications and source records attributed to V Askanas.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Immunolocalization of transcription factor NF-kappaB in inclusion-body myositis muscle and at normal human neuromuscular junctions.

To investigate whether nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) is involved in the pathogenesis of inclusion-body myositis (IBM), we immunostained muscle biopsies of eight patients with IBM with specific antibodies against its p50 and p65 subunits. Approximately 70% of IBM vacuolated muscle fibers had strong focal accumulations of both NF-kappaB p50 and p65, which by immunoelectronmicroscopy, localized mainly to clusters of paired-helical filaments (PHFs). Virtually all necrotic fibers, in various muscle biopsies, had diffusely strong p50 immunoreactivity, whereas p65 immunoreactivity was present only in a small subset of necrotic fibers. At all neuromuscular junctions, postsynaptically there was strong p65 but no p50 immunoreactivity. Our data suggest that NF-kappaB plays a role in IBM pathogenesis. Different distributions of NF-kappaB subunits in necrotic fibers and at normal neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) suggests different roles of each subunit in human muscle pathology and physiology.

Humans↗
PubMed1998

Sporadic inclusion-body myositis and its similarities to Alzheimer disease brain. Recent approaches to diagnosis and pathogenesis, and relation to aging.

Sporadic inclusion-body myositis (s-IBM) is the most common, debilitating and progressive muscle disease beginning at the age 50 or later. The most characteristic pathologic feature is vacuolar degeneration of muscle fibers accompanied by intrafiber congophilia and clusters ("tangles") of paired-helical filaments, containing phosphorylated tau. An unusual feature of sporadic inclusion-body myositis is accumulation within its abnormal muscle fibers of several proteins that are characteristic of Alzheimer disease brain, including epitopes of beta-amyloid precursor protein (betaAPP), phosphorylated tau, alpha-1-antichymotrypsin, apolipoprotein E, and presenilin-1. Indicators of oxidative stress are also present within abnormal s-IBM muscle fibers. In this review, we describe new advances seeking the pathogenic mechanism of sporadic inclusion-body myositis. We hypothesize on the possible pathogenic role of abnormally accumulated proteins, and we propose that important contributory factors leading to inclusion-body myositis are the milieu of muscle-fiber aging and oxidative stress. In addition, we present evidence that overexpression of adenovirus-transferred betaAPP gene in cultured human muscle fibers induces aspects of the inclusion-body myositis phenotype, and suggest that betaAPP-overexpression is an early event in the pathogenic cascade causing inclusion-body myositis.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1998

Nitric oxide-induced oxidative stress in autosomal recessive and dominant inclusion-body myopathies.

Autosomal-recessive and autosomal-dominant hereditary inclusion-body myopathies are severe, progressive muscle diseases, characterized pathologically by vacuolated muscle fibres containing paired helical filaments. We immunostained muscle biopsy specimens from quadriceps-sparing autosomal-recessive and autosomal-dominant inclusion-body myopathy subjects, disease-control subjects and normal patients, utilizing isoform-specific antibodies against the neuronal and inducible forms of nitric oxide synthase, and antibodies against nitrotyrosine. Approximately 75% of the vacuolated muscle fibres in all recessive and dominant inclusion-body myopathy patients contained inclusions strongly immunoreactive with antibodies against neuronal and inducible nitric oxide synthase which, by immunoelectron microscopy, were colocalized to clusters of tubulofilaments (previously shown, by us, to be paired helical filaments). Strong nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity was in the form of multiple dots and large granular patches, which ultrastructurally did not immunolocalize to tubulofilaments. Excess intracellular nitric oxide can combine with superoxide to produce highly toxic peroxynitrite, which can nitrate tyrosines of proteins. The presence of nitrotyrosine is indicative of nitric oxide-induced oxidative stress. Our data suggest that oxidative stress plays a role in the pathogenic cascade of hereditary inclusion-body myopathies.

Genes, Dominant↗
PubMed1998

Sporadic inclusion-body myositis and hereditary inclusion-body myopathies: current concepts of diagnosis and pathogenesis.

We discuss the pathologic diagnostic criteria and review the major new advances related to seeking the pathogenic mechanism of sporadic inclusion-body myositis (s-IBM) and hereditary inclusion-body myopathy (h-IBM). A classification of the various h-IBM syndromes is also presented. The several forms of the h-IBMs have different genetic transmissions and probably different genetic defects. In neither s-IBM nor the h-IBMs are the sequential steps of the pathogenic cascade understood. Because s-IBM and the h-IBMs have a number of characteristic pathologic features in common, we postulate that their different causes trigger the same upstream aberration leading to a similar downstream cascade of pathologic events, which are ultimately responsible for the characteristic muscle-fiber degeneration. Muscle-biopsy and experimental evidence is given supporting our hypothesis that overexpression of beta-amyloid precursor protein within abnormal muscle fibers is an early upstream event causing the pathogenic cascade. We also present evidence supporting our concept that muscle aging and oxidative stress are important factors contributing to the s-IBM-specific muscle fiber destruction. Additionally, the intriguing parallels between the pathologic phenotype of IBM muscle fibers and Alzheimer's disease brain are summarized.

Aging↗
PubMed1998

Light and electron microscopic immunolocalization of presenilin 1 in abnormal muscle fibers of patients with sporadic inclusion-body myositis and autosomal-recessive inclusion-body myopathy.

Sporadic inclusion-body myositis (s-IBM) is the most common progressive muscle disease of older persons. The muscle biopsy demonstrates mononuclear cell inflammation and vacuolated muscle fibers containing paired helical filaments and 6- to 10-nm fibrils, both resembling those of Alzheimer disease brain and Congo red positivity. The term hereditary inclusion-body myopathies (h-IBMs) designates autosomal-recessive or autosomal-dominant disorders with muscle biopsies cytopathologically similar to s-IBM but without inflammation. Vacuolated muscle fibers of both s-IBM and the h-IBMs contain accumulations of several "Alzheimer-characteristic proteins" including beta-amyloid protein and beta-amyloid precursor protein, and their paired helical filaments are composed of phosphorylated tau. We used six well characterized antibodies against several residues of presenilin 1 (PS1) to immunostain muscle biopsies of 12 patients with s-IBM, 5 patients with autosomal-recessive inclusion-body myopathy, and 16 normal and disease controls. Seventy to eighty percent of the vacuolated muscle fibers of both s-IBM and autosomal-recessive inclusion-body myopathy had inclusions that were strongly PS1-immunoreactive, which by immunoelectron microscopy localized mainly to paired helical filaments and 6- to 10-nm filaments. None of the control biopsies had PS1-positive inclusions characteristic of the s- and h-IBM abnormal muscle fibers. Mutations of the newly discovered PS1 gene are responsible for early-onset familial Alzheimer disease (AD), and PS1 is abnormally accumulated in sporadic and familial AD brain. Our study provides the first demonstration of PS1 abnormality in non-neural tissue and in diseases other than AD and suggests that the cytopathogenesis in AD brain and IBM muscle may share similarities.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Beta APP gene transfer into cultured human muscle induces inclusion-body myositis aspects.

Direct transfer of the beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta APP) gene into cultured normal human muscle, using recombinant adenovirus vector, was sufficient to induce several of the typical light microscopic, electron microscopic (EM), and EM-immunochemical aspects of the inclusion-body myositis (IBM) phenotype, including congophilia, clusters of amyloid-beta-positive 6-10 nm filaments, and 15-21 nm tubulofilamentous inclusions in the nuclei. Our results suggest that excessive production of intracellular beta APP may play an important role in the pathogenic cascade leading to the IBM phenotype.

Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor↗
PubMed1997

Immunolocalization of nitric oxide synthases at the postsynaptic domain of human and rat neuromuscular junctions--light and electron microscopic studies.

Neuronal (n) and inducible (i) nitric oxide synthase (NOS) were immunolocalized at the postsynaptic domain of human and rat neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) by light and electron microscopy. We applied polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies for colocalization with three other synaptic proteins, utilizing double and triple fluorescence labeling, and gold and peroxidase for immunoelectron microscopy. By light microscopy, nNOS and iNOS colocalized with desmin and dystrophin, known postsynaptic components, but not with neurofilament protein, a presynaptic component. By electronmicroscopy, nNOS, but not iNOS, colocalized postsynaptically on the same structures as desmin; iNOS was also postsynaptic, but did not colocalize with desmin immunoreactivity. At the NMJs of Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients, both nNOS and iNOS were strongly immunoreactive. At the NMJs of a patient with myasthenia gravis, nNOS was weaker than in controls. Total denervation of rat sciatic nerve did not cause any decrease of nNOS or iNOS immunoreactivity 7 days thereafter. At 15 days after denervation, there was a gradual decrease of immunoreactivity, and immunoreactivity disappeared 30 days after denervation, corresponding to the ultrastructurally detectable disorganization of the postsynaptic region. This seems to be the first combined light and electron microscopic description of the postsynaptic localization of nNOS and iNOS at human and rat NMJs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Increase of nitric oxide synthases and nitrotyrosine in inclusion-body myositis.

To investigate the possible role of nitric oxide (NO)-induced 'oxidative stress' in the pathogenesis of inclusion-body myositis (IBM), we immunostained muscle biopsies of 12 patients with IBM with isoform-specific antibodies against the neuronal and inducible forms of nitric oxide synthase and with antibodies against nitrotyrosine. Between 70 and 80% of IBM vacuolated muscle fibers contained inclusions strongly immunoreactive with all three antibodies, which by immuno-electronmicroscopy co-localized mainly to cytoplasmic paired-helical filaments, and also to amorphous structures and floccular material. Excess intracellular NO can combine with superoxide to produce highly reactive peroxynitrite which can nitrate tyrosines of proteins. The presence of nitrotyrosine is indicative of NO-induced "oxidative stress'. Our data suggest that this mechanism may play a pathogenic role in IBM.

Enzyme Induction↗
PubMed1996

Transfer of beta-amyloid precursor protein gene using adenovirus vector causes mitochondrial abnormalities in cultured normal human muscle.

As in Alzheimer-disease (AD) brain, vacuolated muscle fibers of inclusion-body myositis (IBM) contain abnormally accumulated beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta APP), including its beta-amyloid protein epitope, and increased beta APP-751 mRNA. Other similarities between IBM muscle and AD brain phenotypes include paired helical filaments, hyperphosphorylated tau protein, apolipoprotein E, and mitochondrial abnormalities, including decreased cytochrome-c oxidase (COX) activity. The pathogenesis of these abnormalities in IBM muscle and AD brain is not known. We now report that direct transfer of the beta APP gene, using adenovirus vector, into cultured normal human muscle fibers causes structural abnormalities of mitochondria and decreased COX activity. In this adenovirus-mediated beta APP gene transfer, we demonstrated that beta APP overproduction can induce mitochondrial abnormalities. The data suggest that excessive beta APP may be responsible for mitochondrial and COX abnormalities in IBM muscle and perhaps AD brain.

Adenoviridae↗
PubMed1996

Use of anti-neurofilament antibody to identify paired-helical filaments in inclusion-body myositis.

Paired-helical filaments (PHFs) are an important diagnostic criterion of the inclusion-body myositis (IBM) muscle biopsy; but, until now, their presence could be identified only by electronmicroscopy. In this report, we describe an easy immunocytochemical procedure, utilizing commercially available antibody, that enables reliable identification of muscle PHFs by light microscopy. This procedure greatly facilitates diagnosis of IBM.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1996

Apolipoprotein E and apolipoprotein E messenger RNA in muscle of inclusion body myositis and myopathies.

Sporadic inclusion body myositis and the hereditary inclusion body myopathies are severe, progressive muscle diseases, characterized pathologically by vacuolated muscle fibers containing paired helical filaments. We immunostained muscle biopsy specimens from sporadic inclusion body myositis, hereditary inclusion body myopathy, disease control, and normal patients with several antibodies against apolipoprotein E (ApoE). Approximately 80 to 90% of the vacuolated muscle fibers of sporadic inclusion body myositis contained well-defined, strongly immunoreactive ApoE inclusions. In hereditary inclusion body myopathy, only rare vacuolated fibers had immunoreactive inclusions, whereas most had diffuse cytoplasmic ApoE immunoreactivity. Ultrastructurally, ApoE immunoreactivity in sporadic myositis was localized mainly to the paired helical filaments. By contrast, in the hereditary form, ApoE immunoreactivity occurred on material in close proximity to the paired helical filaments, but never was on the paired helical filaments. In both muscle diseases, ApoE was also on the 6- to 10-nm filaments and amorphous material. In the sporadic form, ApoE-immunoreactive deposits colocalized with Congo red-positive deposits; however, in muscle fibers from patients with hereditary disease there was no congophilia. ApoE messenger RNA was not detectable in muscle fibers from patients with hereditary or sporadic disease but was expressed abundantly in muscle macrophages. In all control and inclusion body myositis or myopathy biopsy specimens, ApoE immunoreactivity was strong at the postsynaptic domain of neuromuscular junctions; nonjunctional regions of normal fibers were negative for ApoE. ApoE immunoreactivity occurred diffusely in regenerating muscle fibers, a subset of which had detectable ApoE messenger RNA.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis↗
PubMed1996

Difference in expression of phosphorylated tau epitopes between sporadic inclusion-body myositis and hereditary inclusion-body myopathies.

Sporadic inclusion-body myositis (s-IBM) and the hereditary inclusion-body myopathies (h-IBMs) are severe and progressive muscle diseases, characterized pathologically by vacuolated muscle fibers containing paired-helical filaments (PHFs). An interesting feature of the s- and h-IBM muscle phenotype is its striking similarity to Alzheimer-disease (AD) brain. We immunostained muscle biopsies of 9 s-IBM patients, 9 autosomal-recessive h-IBM patients, 1 autosomal-dominant h-IBM patients, and 18 normal and disease-controls with several antibodies known to react with the hyperphosphorylated tau of AD-PHFs. Those included SMI-31, SMI-310, PHF-1, and AT8. In both s- and h-IBM, virtually all vacuolated muscle fibers had strongly immunoreactive inclusions with SMI-31, and by immuno-electronmicroscopy SMI-31 was exclusively localized to PHFs. Approximately 40 to 50% of both s- and h-IBM vacuolated muscle fibers were also immunoreactive with AT8 antibody. To the contrary, in h-IBM, there was no immunoreactivity with SMI-310 and PHF-1 antibodies, whereas in s-IBM the vacuolated muscle fibers had strong immunoreactivity with those two antibodies. By immunoelectronmicorscopy, SMI-310 and PHF-1 also were localized to PHFs. Within s-IBM muscle fibers, the structures immunoreactive with SMI-310 were congophilic, whereas h-IBM muscle fibers did not have congophilia. Our studies: (a) demonstrate a distinct difference between s-IBM and the h-IBMs in regard to expression of immunoreactive phosphorylated tau and congophilia; (b) demonstrate a new "diagnostic duo" combination of SMI-31 and SMI-310 antibodies for identifying and distinguishing s-IBM and the h-IBMs; and (c) provide another close similarity of pathologic phenotypes between s-IBM muscle and AD brain, suggesting that similar cellular pathogenic mechanisms may be active in both diseases.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Hydrocortisone influences voltage-dependent L-type calcium channels in cultured human skeletal muscle.

The glucocorticoid hydrocortisone (HC), applied for up to 2 weeks to either aneurally or innervated cultured human muscle, produced 2-fold increase of the number of dihydropyridine ([3H]PN200-110) binding sites. The K(+)-induced, nifedipine-inhibited Ca2+ uptake was increased 40%. The effect of HC was concentration- and time-dependent. [3H]PN200-110 affinity for its receptor was not affected by HC treatment. HC did not exert significant influence on the total amount of protein, CK activity, and the number of myotubes. These results indicate that voltage-dependent L-type Ca2+ channel expression in human muscle is regulated by glucocorticoid.

Binding, Competitive↗