IDENTITY OF MYELIN BASIC PROTEIN FROM MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND HUMAN CONTROL BRAINS: DISCOVERY OF A GENETIC VARIANT¹

Abstract

Abstract— Myelin basic protein was isolated from the brains of 7 multiple sclerosis and 5 control patients. When acid extracts of the delipidated brains were chromatographed on carboxymethylcellulose at alkaline pH the elution profiles were the same for the two groups of patients. Component I, the most basic species of the protein, from 2 multiple sclerosis and one control brains was fragmented by limited pepsin digestion. Tryptic peptide maps were prepared from the three major products, fragment 1–38, 39–89 plus 45–89 and 90–170. The amino acid compositions of corresponding peptides were identical except for a 50:50 substitution of serine for glycine in tryptic peptide 44–49 from one (N.L.) of the 2 patients with multiple sclerosis. Peptide 44–49. isolated from intact component 1 from the other 6 multiple sclerosis and 5 control brains, did not show this substitution. In both multiple sclerosis and control basic proteins phosphorus was present only in fragment 90–170 of component 3 in the amount of 0.22 mol of phosphorus/mol of protein. These data suggest that there is no difference in either the amino acid sequence or in the modification of basic protein from control and multiple sclerosis patients. The amino acid substitution in patient N.L. represents the first example of a mutation in basic protein.

Changes in Sciatic Nerve Protein Composition during Postnatal Development of Mice

“…Developmental alterations observed in this study are in general agreement with several CNS myelin studies [Konat and Clausen, 1978;Malthieu et al, 1978;Chou et a!., 1978: Sheads et al. 1977, Overall changes in total myelin proteins occur in PNS development without a large variation in the relative concentrations of each species of myelin protein.…”

“…Thus, whether produced by genetic error [Mattltieu et al, 1978. Sheads et al, 1977, by disease [Chou et a/., 1978;Singh and Sprits, 1974], by Wallerian degeneration [Lunges et al, 1976] or by development, changes in myelin composition of both CNS and PNS tissues appear to be closely related to changes in the metabolism of associated myelin proteins.…”

The Effect of Age on the Microheterogeneous Pattern of Human Myelin Basic Protein

“…1A). This type seems to be typical for younger people and has been found before in human white matter [Chou et al, 1978], 40.7% of our cases showed this pattern (table II); 88.9% of those between 20 and 49 years, 50% of those between 50 and 60 years and 24.2% of those over 70 years. Type B (fig.…”

Multiple sclerosis - lymphocyte transformation with multiple sclerosis and normal brain myelin basic protein and subcellular fractions

“…Although tryptic digest maps of MS and normal myelin basic protein are similar (Chou et al 1978) it seemed reasonable to test MS as well as normal brain myelin basic protein since MS myelin basic protein might have minor inborn or acquired biochemical peculiarities of major antigenic importance. The majority of published work now supports the conclusion that lymphocytes from patients with acute MS are no more reactive to myelin basic protein than those from patients with other neurological disease.…”