SPECIFIC EXPRESSION OF G-DYSTROPHIN (DP71) IN THE BRAIN

DUCHENNE muscular dystrophy is associated with mental retardation and several dystrophin transcripts are differentially expressed in specifi c brain areas. G-dystrophin (Dp71) is known to be the predominant isof orm in the brain. We have localized its mRNA to be present predominant ly in the dentate gyrus and in the olfactory bulb. This distribution i s specific and significantly different from that for the full-size dys trophin transcripts, present mainly in CA regions of the hippocampus, in the cerebral cortex and in cerebellar Purkinje cells. Furthermore, our data show that the various dystrophins co-localize with the dystro glycan in the brain.