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Disruption of basal lamina components in neuromotor synapses of children with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy.
- Source :
-
PloS one [PLoS One] 2013 Aug 16; Vol. 8 (8), pp. e70288. Date of Electronic Publication: 2013 Aug 16 (Print Publication: 2013). - Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- Cerebral palsy (CP) is a static encephalopathy occurring when a lesion to the developing brain results in disordered movement and posture. Patients present with sometimes overlapping spastic, athetoid/dyskinetic, and ataxic symptoms. Spastic CP, which is characterized by stiff muscles, weakness, and poor motor control, accounts for ∼80% of cases. The detailed mechanisms leading to disordered movement in spastic CP are not completely understood, but clinical experience and recent studies suggest involvement of peripheral motor synapses. For example, it is recognized that CP patients have altered sensitivities to drugs that target neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), and protein localization studies suggest that NMJ microanatomy is disrupted in CP. Since CP originates during maturation, we hypothesized that NMJ disruption in spastic CP is associated with retention of an immature neuromotor phenotype later in life. Scoliosis patients with spastic CP or idiopathic disease were enrolled in a prospective, partially-blinded study to evaluate NMJ organization and neuromotor maturation. The localization of synaptic acetylcholine esterase (AChE) relative to postsynaptic acetylcholine receptor (AChR), synaptic laminin β2, and presynaptic vesicle protein 2 (SV2) appeared mismatched in the CP samples; whereas, no significant disruption was found between AChR and SV2. These data suggest that pre- and postsynaptic NMJ components in CP children were appropriately distributed even though AChE and laminin β2 within the synaptic basal lamina appeared disrupted. Follow up electron microscopy indicated that NMJs from CP patients appeared generally mature and similar to controls with some differences present, including deeper postsynaptic folds and reduced presynaptic mitochondria. Analysis of maturational markers, including myosin, syntrophin, myogenin, and AChR subunit expression, and telomere lengths, all indicated similar levels of motor maturation in the two groups. Thus, NMJ disruption in CP was found to principally involve components of the synaptic basal lamina and subtle ultra-structural modifications but appeared unrelated to neuromotor maturational status.
- Subjects :
- Acetylcholinesterase genetics
Acetylcholinesterase metabolism
Adolescent
Basement Membrane metabolism
Basement Membrane physiopathology
Case-Control Studies
Cerebral Palsy genetics
Cerebral Palsy metabolism
Cerebral Palsy physiopathology
Child
Female
Gene Expression
Humans
Laminin genetics
Laminin metabolism
Male
Membrane Glycoproteins genetics
Membrane Glycoproteins metabolism
Microscopy, Electron
Muscle, Skeletal metabolism
Muscle, Skeletal physiopathology
Nerve Tissue Proteins genetics
Nerve Tissue Proteins metabolism
Neuromuscular Junction metabolism
Neuromuscular Junction physiopathology
Prospective Studies
Receptors, Cholinergic genetics
Receptors, Cholinergic metabolism
Synapses metabolism
Basement Membrane ultrastructure
Cerebral Palsy pathology
Muscle, Skeletal ultrastructure
Neuromuscular Junction ultrastructure
Synapses ultrastructure
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1932-6203
- Volume :
- 8
- Issue :
- 8
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- PloS one
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 23976945
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0070288