Abstract
The expression of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) mRNA and brain-derived
neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA were studied in muscle biopsies from five patients
with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), six patients with other neuromuscular diseases
and eight healthy control persons. All five patients with ALS had higher GDNF mRNA
expressions in their biopsies than the healthy control group (almost a three fold
increase). Among the other patients only one, who had a rapidly progressing toxic
polyneuropathy, showed a GDNF mRNA expression above those of the controls. The BDNF
mRNA expressions in the biopsies from the ALS patients were in the same range as those
from the healthy controls, although the mean value of the ALS patients was higher.
The only biopsy that showed a markedly higher BDNF mRNA expression was taken from
one patient with progressive muscular atrophy. These results suggest that increased
GDNF mRNA expression in muscle is an unspecific response to ongoing denervation and
that this response is maintained in ALS, at least temporarily. If increased GDNF mRNA
in muscle proves to be a constant finding in ALS the rationale for the use of GDNF
as a therapeutic agent in ALS must be questioned.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
November 24,
1998
Received in revised form:
October 29,
1998
Received:
June 19,
1998
Identification
Copyright
© 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
