F. Gaschen et Jm. Burgunder, Changes of skeletal muscle in young dystrophin-deficient cats: a morphological and morphometric study, ACT NEUROP, 101(6), 2001, pp. 591-600
Dystrophin deficiency causes Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Hypertrophi
c feline muscular dystrophy (HFMD) is a homologous animal model of DMD. Our
objective was to investigate the early changes caused by dystrophin defici
ency in skeletal muscle of cats of 3-4 and 6-9 months. Obvious histological
lesions were already present in the younger cats, and they increased in ma
gnitude over time. They consisted of multifocal areas of degeneration and r
egeneration with mononuclear infiltration, and a wide variation in myofiber
diameter, as evidenced by significantly increased variability coefficients
in muscle fiber size, myofiber splitting, central nuclei, and hypercontrac
ted myofibers. Widespread multifocal mineralizations were frequently observ
ed. Endomysial and perimysial fibrosis was not a feature observed in axial
or appendicular muscles, but was present in the diaphragm of two cats at ne
cropsy. There was a significant decrease in the number of type 2A myofibers
in dystrophin-deficient cats at both ages. Sarcolemmal dystrophin was most
ly absent in all dystrophin-deficient cats; however, a small percentage of
fibers stained positive, accounting for a faint residual band in the immuno
blot. Carrier females had a mosaic staining pattern with irregular staining
in most fibers, or even absent staining in rare fibers. However, no histol
ogical lesions were seen. Taken together, these data provide significant ba
seline information for further studies on the early changes associated with
dystrophin deficiency in cats, or use of young dystrophin-deficient cats i
n therapeutic trials.