MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX CLASS-II EXPRESSION AND MACROPHAGE RESPONSES IN GENETICALLY PROVEN CHARCOT-MARIE-TOOTH TYPE-1 AND HEREDITARY NEUROPATHY WITH LIABILITY TO PRESSURE PALSIES
G. Stoll et al., MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX CLASS-II EXPRESSION AND MACROPHAGE RESPONSES IN GENETICALLY PROVEN CHARCOT-MARIE-TOOTH TYPE-1 AND HEREDITARY NEUROPATHY WITH LIABILITY TO PRESSURE PALSIES, Muscle & nerve, 21(11), 1998, pp. 1419-1427
This study examined major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II ex
pression and macrophage infiltration in sural nerve biopsies from pati
ents with genetically proven Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) 1A and 1B and h
ereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP) by immu
nocytochemistry. In both young and older patients with duplication of
the PMP22 gene, MHC class II expression was consistently up-regulated
and not closely related to the extent of macrophage infiltration. On t
he other hand, MHC class II expression was more variable in CMT1A and
CMT1B caused by point mutations and in HNPP. The extent of nerve patho
logy as assessed by teased fiber preparations or electron microscopy w
as not predictive for the degree of MHC class II expression in CMT1/HN
PP. We conclude that MHC class II up-regulation is a common feature in
hereditary neuropathies. As shown for the animal model of globoid cel
l dystrophy, it is conceivable that increased expression of MHC class
II molecules in CMT1 and HNPP accelerates nerve pathology. (C) 1998 Jo
hn Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 21: 1419-1427, 1998.