Localization of dystrophin in the Purkinje cells of normal mice.

A monoclonal antibody that reacts with a mid rod fragment of dystrophin was used to localize this protein in the central nervous system (CNS). Due to a low abundance of dystrophin in the CNS, an immunoperoxidase reaction amplified with a biotin-avidin system was used. All Purkinje cells in normal mice were dystrophin positive while the mdx mouse cerebellum was completely devoid of reaction. Dystrophin staining was present in the soma and dendrites of Purkinje cells but not in their axons. This uniform dystrophin labelling in the normal mouse Purkinje cells indicates that this protein is not only localized in synaptic contact regions of the CNS.