Light microscopy study of low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor and phosphoprotein B-50/neuromodulin in inflammatory myopathies.

Phosphoprotein B-50, also termed neuromodulin or growth-associated protein GAP43, is a membrane-bound molecule expressed in neurons. It is particularly abundant during periods of axonal outgrowth in development and regeneration of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Recently it was reported that B-50 plays a role in the growth morphology of regenerating muscle fibers. Moreover, in vitro studies have demonstrated that the expression of B-50 in pheochromocytoma PC12 cells can be stimulated by the nerve growth factor (NGF). Expression of the low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor (LNGFR) during muscle regeneration has also been reported. Here, we studied the expression of NGF, LNGFR and B-50 in myopathy. To investigate the state of regeneration, we examined serial sections stained to demonstrate neural cell adhesion molecule and desmin. Light microscopy showed that muscle fiber regeneration in idiopathic inflammatory myopathy corresponds closely to NGF, LNGFR and B-50 immunoreactivity. The coexpression of phosphoprotein B-50, NGF and LNGFR in regenerating muscle fiber corroborates the assumption that in muscle there is a trophic pathway concerning phosphorylation or de novo synthesis of B-50 by the NGF via the LNGFR. In conclusion, a simultaneous expression of NGF, LNGFR and B-50 in muscle plays a role in the growth morphology of regenerating muscle fibers.