Decreased oxidative phosphorylation and PGAM deficiency in horses suffering from atypical myopathy associated with acquired MADD

• Published in: Molecular genetics and metabolism Vol. 104; no. 3; pp. 273 - 278
• Main Authors: Westermann, C.M., Dorland, L., van Diggelen, O.P., Schoonderwoerd, K., Bierau, J., Waterham, H.R., van der Kolk, J.H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-11-2011
• Subjects: Animals; Aspartate Aminotransferases - blood; Atypical myopathy; Base Sequence; Creatine - urine; Creatine Kinase - blood; DNA Primers - genetics; Equine MADD; Female; Horse Diseases - metabolism; Horses; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase - blood; Malonates - urine; Mitochondrial Proton-Translocating ATPases - metabolism; Molecular Sequence Data; Multiple Acyl Coenzyme A Dehydrogenase Deficiency - blood; Multiple Acyl Coenzyme A Dehydrogenase Deficiency - complications; Multiple Acyl Coenzyme A Dehydrogenase Deficiency - urine; Oxidative Phosphorylation; PGAM-deficiency; Phosphoglycerate Mutase - deficiency; Phosphoglycerate Mutase - genetics; Physical Conditioning, Animal; Respiratory chain; Rhabdomyolysis - etiology; Rhabdomyolysis - metabolism; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Succinates - urine; Uric Acid - urine; Respiratory chain; Equine MADD; PGAM-deficiency; Oxidative phosphorylation; Atypical myopathy
• ISSN: 1096-7192; 1096-7206
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2011.07.022

Earlier research on ten horses suffering from the frequently fatal disorder atypical myopathy showed that MADD (multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency) is the biochemical derangement behind atypical myopathy. From five horses that died as a result of this disease and seven healthy control horses, urine and plasma were collected ante mortem and muscle biopsies were obtained immediately post-mortem (2 patients and 7 control horses), to analyse creatine, purine and carbohydrate metabolism as well as oxidative phosphorylation.
In patients, the mean creatine concentration in urine was increased 17-fold and the concentration of uric acid approximately 4-fold, compared to controls.
The highest degree of depletion of glycogen was observed in the patient with the most severe myopathy clinically. In this patient, glycolysis was more active than in the other patients and controls, which may explain this depletion. One patient demonstrated very low phosphoglycerate mutase (PGAM) activity, less than 10% of reference values.
Most respiratory chain complex activity in patients was 20–30% lower than in control horses, complex II activity was 42% lower than normal, and one patient had severely decrease ATP-synthase activity, more than 60% lower than in control horses.
General markers for myopathic damage are creatine kinase (CK) and lactic acid in plasma, and creatine and uric acid in urine. To obtain more information about the cause of the myopathy analysis of carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism as well as oxidative phosphorylation is advised.
This study expands the diagnostic possibilities of equine myopathies.