Table 4
Some immunohistochemical techniques currently available to assist in diagnostic problems in disorders of muscle
| Antibody/Antigen | Molecular specificity | Diagnostic use |
|---|---|---|
| HLA, human major histocompatibility complex. | ||
| Dystrophin and spectrin (an essential control to monitor membrane integrity) | Antibodies are available to the rod domain, C-terminus, and N-terminus, and it is recommended that all three antibodies are used to avoid the possibility of occasional false negative results | Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy |
| Fetal myosin | Myosin is a contractile muscle specific protein composed of two heavy and two light chains. The heavy chain has many isoforms some of which are developmentally regulated | Muscle regeneration |
| DAGS (dystrophin associated glycoproteins). Spectrin is an essential control | The dystrophin–glycoprotein complex appears to link dystrophin to the plasma membrane and the laminin component of the extracellular matrix. Antibodies are available against the α, β, γ, and δ components of sarcoglycans of different molecular weight (50 kDa, 43 kDa, 35 kDa, and 35 kDa) | Expression of different members of the complex is altered in several types of muscular dystrophy |
| Merosin laminin. Spectrin is an essential control | An extracellular matrix component of the DAG complex | Congenital muscular dystrophy |
| CD 68 | An intracellular glycoprotein primarily associated with cytoplasmic granules and to a lesser extent with cell membranes of macrophages, monocytes, neutrophils, basophils, and large lymphocytes | Macrophages |
| B and T cell markers | Numerous antibodies are available for the identification of lymphocyte types | Inflammatory disorders and lymphomas |
| Immunoglobulin heavy and light chainsand complement | These are helpful in establishing whether a lesion is of lymphoid origin, reactive, or malignant | IgG, IgM, and complement are particularly useful in the diagnosis of dermatomyositis |
| HLA class 1 | Expressed on the surface of most human nucleated cells | Muscular dystrophy, inflammatory myopathy, and neuromuscular disorders |
