0000000000199359
AUTHOR
Joachim Schessl
MRI in DNM2-related centronuclear myopathy: Evidence for highly selective muscle involvement
Dynamin 2 has recently been recognized as a causative gene for the autosomal dominant form of centronuclear myopathy (dominant centronuclear myopathy). Here we report an affected father and daughter with dynamin 2 related AD CNM with predominantly distal onset of weakness. In addition to the diagnostic central location of myonuclei the muscle biopsy also showed core-like structures. Muscle MRI in the lower leg revealed prominent involvement of the soleus, but also of the gastrocnemius and the tibialis anterior whereas in the thigh there was a consistent pattern of selective involvement of adductor longus, semimembranosus, biceps femoris, rectus femoris, and vastus intermedius with relative …
Proteomic identification of FHL1 as the protein mutated in human reducing body myopathy
Reducing body myopathy (RBM) is a rare disorder causing progressive muscular weakness characterized by aggresome-like inclusions in the myofibrils. Identification of genes responsible for RBM by traditional genetic approaches has been impossible due to the frequently sporadic occurrence in affected patients and small family sizes. As an alternative approach to gene identification, we used laser microdissection of intracytoplasmic inclusions identified in patient muscle biopsies, followed by nanoflow liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and proteomic analysis. The most prominent component of the inclusions was the Xq26.3-encoded four and a half LIM domain 1 (FHL1) protein, expresse…
Clinical, histological and genetic characterization of reducing body myopathy caused by mutations in FHL1
We recently identified the X-chromosomal four and a half LIM domain gene FHL1 as the causative gene for reducing body myopathy, a disorder characterized by progressive weakness and intracytoplasmic aggregates in muscle that exert reducing activity on menadione nitro-blue-tetrazolium (NBT). The mutations detected in FHL1 affected highly conserved zinc coordinating residues within the second LIM domain and lead to the formation of aggregates when transfected into cells. Our aim was to define the clinical and morphological phenotype of this myopathy and to assess the mutational spectrum of FHL1 mutations in reducing body myopathy in a larger cohort of patients. Patients were ascertained via th…
Treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy with ciclosporin A: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre trial.
Summary Background Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a rare X-linked progressive disease characterised by loss of ambulation at about age 10 years, with death in early adulthood due to respiratory and cardiac insufficiency. Steroids are effective at slowing the progression of muscle weakness; however, their use is limited by side-effects, prompting the search for alternatives. We assessed the effect of ciclosporin A as monotherapy and in combination with intermittent prednisone for the treatment of ambulant patients with this disorder. Methods Our study was a parallel-group, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicentre trial at trial sites of the German muscular dystrophy network, MD-NET, ove…