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Spin-label studies of erythrocytes in myotonic dystrophy

No increase in membrane fluidity

Departments of Chemistry (Dr. Gaffney) and Biophysics (Dr. Lin), the Johns Hopkins University, and the Department of Neurology (Drs. Drachman and Tennekoon), the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD.

The basic defect in myotonic dystrophy is thought to involve muscle cell membranes. Butterfield and associates have recently presented electron spin resonance data that suggest increased fluidity of erythrocyte membranes in patients with myotonic dystrophy. We studied erythrocytes from 11 patients with myotonic dystrophy and 14 age-matched controls, using spin-labeled fatty acid and ester probes. Despite attempts to reproduce the previously reported experimental conditions exactly, we found no significant differences in the electron spin resonance spectra of erythrocytes from normal and myotonic dystrophy subjects. These findings do not provide evidence of increased erythrocyte membrane fluidity in myotonic dystrophy; they fail to support the concept of an intrinsic defect of the lipid membrane in this disorder.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Drachman, Department of Neurology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1721 E. Madison Street, Baltimore, MD 21205.

Accepted for publication August 10, 1979.

This work was supported by NIH grants Nos. CA-15997, 5 RO1 ND04817, add 5 P01 NS10920. Dr. Gaffney is a recipient of an NIH-NCI Research Career Development Award (CA-00168).