Freeze-fracture analysis of plasma membranes in Duchenne muscular dystrophy. A study using cultured skin fibroblasts.

Quantitative freeze-fracture studies of the numercial density and distribution of intramembrane particles (IMP) were carried out on the plasma membrane of cultured skin fibroblasts from 4 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and 3 normal controls. Analysis of P and E fracture faces of the fibroblast plasma membrane failed to show any significant differences in either IMP density or distribution between normal and dystrophic specimens. In contrast to previous reports, our results indicate that an altered IMP density is not a characteristic feature of the dystrophic cell membrane.