Defective synthesis of polyunsaturated phosphatidylcholines as the primary lesion in Duchenne and murine dy muscular dystrophies.

An impaired synthesis of highly unsaturated phosphatidylcholines of the sarcoplasmic reticulum is suggested to be the primary defect in Duchenne and murine dy muscular dystrophies. The lesion is proposed to occur at the level of de novo glycerophosphorylcholine synthesis. These phosphatidylcholine species are postulated to be required for the Ca2+ transport ATPase of this organelle.