| The cytoskeletal component of the muscle membrane, dystrophin and its associated proteins (DAPs), are essential for the maintenance of muscle integrity, since the absence of these molecules results in a variety of muscular dystrophies. The purpose of this work was to create and characterize monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) designed to recognize components of the DAP complex (DAPC), in order to provide tools for the study of its structure and function.;The first mAb generated, 1137, was raised against a 33 amino acid sequence of the core protein at the c-terminus of α-dystroglycan (α DG), a cell surface member of the DAPC linked to dystrophin via its co-transcript, the transmembrane protein, β-dystroglycan. 1B7 was used to perform a comparative study in denervated rat muscle tissue in parallel with IIH6, a mAb which recognizes a different, more glycosylated form of α DG. The second and third mAbs were raised against a complex of proteins purified by succinylated Wheat Germ Agglutinin (sWGA) following extraction from rabbit skeletal muscle. (Abstract shortened by UMI.). |
