CARDIAC TROPONIN-T IN PATIENTS WITH END-STAGE RENAL-DISEASE - ABSENCEOF EXPRESSION IN TRUNCAL SKELETAL-MUSCLE

In patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), the serum concentrati on of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) may be increased without cardiac ische mia. One reason for this unexplained increase could be the extracardia c expression of cTnT. However, truncal skeletal muscle biopsies of fiv e patients with ESRD showed no evidence of the expression of either cT nT mRNA (reverse transcription-PCR) or protein (immunoblot, immunofluo rescence). We also measured the serum concentration of cTnT in 97 pati ents with ESRD. The serum cTnT concentration determined in both first and second generation cTnT assays was significantly lower P < 0.01 in patients with a low cardiac risk than in patients with positive indica tors of coronary artery disease. The correlation between cTnT and indi cators of coronary artery disease is consistent with the hypothesis th at cTnT in the serum of patients with ESRD originates from the heart.