Chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia with ragged-red fibers: Clinical, morphological and genetic investigations in 43 patients

• Published in: Neuromuscular disorders : NMD 1995-09, Vol.5 (5), p.399-413
• Main Authors: Laforêt, P., Lombès, A., Eymard, B., Danan, C., Chevallay, M., Rouche, A., Frachon, P., Fardeau, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age of Onset; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Blotting, Southern; DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics; DNA, Mitochondrial - metabolism; Electron Transport Complex IV - genetics; Electron Transport Complex IV - metabolism; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal - enzymology; Muscle Fibers, Skeletal - ultrastructure; Muscle, Skeletal - enzymology; Muscle, Skeletal - pathology; Nucleic Acid Denaturation; Ophthalmoplegia, Chronic Progressive External - genetics; Ophthalmoplegia, Chronic Progressive External - pathology; Point Mutation - physiology; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sequence Deletion
• ISSN: 0960-8966; 1873-2364
• DOI: 10.1016/0960-8966(94)00080-S

The evaluation of the severity of progressive external ophthalmoplegia (PEO) with ragged-red fibers in muscle, at the onset of the disease, when PEO is most often the only presenting symptom, is a difficult problem in neurological practice. In order to address that issue, we have performed a comparative analysis of the clinical, morphological and molecular characteristics of 43 patients affected with that form of ocular myopathy. Quantification of mitochondrial accumulation was performed with an image analysis application on muscle sections stained with succinate dehydrogenase histochemical reaction. The proportion of muscle fibers appearing as cytochrome c oxidase deficient was used as an index of the muscle-energy defect. Muscle mitochondrial DNA deletions were detected, localized and quantitated by Southern blot analysis. Point mutations were screened in five transfer RNA genes in the mtDNA (tRNA Leucine (UUR), tRNA Lysine, tRNA Glutamine, tRNA Isoleucine and tRNA Formylmethionine by a denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis technique. This investigation confirmed the high frequency of mtDNA deletions of point mutations in PEO. At the onset of the disease, no clinical, morphological or molecular features could predict whether PEO would remain isolated or become part of a more severe multisystem disease. However, patients with mtDNA deletions were characterized by more severe ophthalmoplegia of earlier onset. Their muscle alterations were roughly parallel in severity to the proportion of deleted mtDNA molecules in muscle. Patients with a multitissular disease and mtDNA deletions were always sporadic cases and their clinical presentation was, most often, closely related to Kearns Sayre syndrome.