Synopsis
Electrophoretic analysis of multiple sclerosis plaques has disclosed the presence of a protein band with a mobility approximately the same as myelin proteolipid. The presence of this band was unexpected in view of the virtual absence of myelin from plaques. By application of histochemical staining procedures to electrophoretic ‘micro’ gels it has been shown that this plaque protein does not stain with Sudan Black (for lipid) and dimethylaminobenzaldehyde (for tryptophan) and cannot, therefore, be identified as normal proteolipid. The abnormal band is not associated with glial components or residual myelin within the plaque. We consider that this material might be a degradation product of myelin proteolipid formed during the demyelinating process.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams, C. W. M. (1956). A stricter interpretation of the ferric ferricyanide reaction with particular reference to the demonstration of protein-bound sulphydryl and di-sulphide groups.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 3, 23–5.
Adams, C. W. M. (1957). Ap-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde-nitrite method for the histochemical demonstration of tryptophan and related compounds.J. clin. Path. 10, 56–62.
Adams, C. W. M., Hallpike, J. F. &Bayliss, O. B. (1971). Histochemistry of myelin. XIII. Digestion of basic protein outside acute plaques of multiple sclerosis.J. Neurochem. 18, 1479–83.
Adams, C. W. M., Ibrahim, M. Z. M. &Leibowitz, S. (1965). In:Neurohistochemistry (ed. C. W. M. Adams) p. 437. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Csejtey, J., Hallpike, J. F., Adams, C. W. M. &Bayliss, O. B. (1972). Histochemistry of Myelin. XIV. Peripheral nerve myelin proteins: electrophoretic and histochemical correlations.J. Neurochem. 19, 1931–5.
Finstein, E. R., Csejtey, J., Dalal, K. B., Adams, C. W. M., Bayliss, O. B. &Hallpike, J. F. (1972). Proteolytic activity and basic protein loss in and around multiple sclerosis plaques; combined biochemical and histochemical observations.J. Neurochem. 19, 653–62.
Eng, L. F., Vanderhaeghen, J. J., Bignami, A. &Gerstl, B. (1971). An acidic protein isolated from fibrous astrocytes.Brain Res. 28, 351–4.
Glenner, G. G. &Lillie, R. D. (1959). Observation on the diazotization-coupling reaction for the histochemical demonstration of tyrosine: metal chelation and formazan variants.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 7, 416–22.
Hallpike, J. F., Adams, C. W. M. &Bayliss, O. B. (1970). Histochemistry of myelin. XI. Loss of basic protein in early myelin breakdown and multiple sclerosis plaques.Histochem. J. 3, 323–8.
Marks, N. &Lajtha, A. (1965). Separation of acid and neutral proteinases of brain.Biochem J. 97, 74–83.
Norton, W. T. &Poduslo, S. E. (1970). Neuronal soma and whole neuroglia of rat brain; a new isolation technique.Science 167, 114–45.
Riekkinen, P. J., Paolo, J., Arstila, A. U., Savolainen, H. J., Rinne, U. K., Kivalo, E. K. &Frey, H. (1971). Protein composition of multiple sclerosis myelin.Arch. Neurol. 24, 545–9.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Csejtey, C., Hallpike, J.F., Adams, C.W.M. et al. Degraded proteolipid in multiple sclerosis plaques-histochemical electrophoretic observations. Histochem J 7, 599–604 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01003797
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01003797