Immunocytochemical Analysis

The inadequacy of conventional histological and histochemical examination for many aspects of the differential diagnosis of the muscular dystrophies (MDs) is well recognized. However, as specific antibodies (Abs) have become available to the proteins and glycoproteins that are causally involved in the MDs, the immunocytochemistry (ICC) applications of these probes have developed in parallel with advances in immunoblotting techniques, and have revolutionized diagnostic practice over the past decade. One of the attractions of ICC is that it is a rapid and relatively simple technique, requiring no specialized equipment in addition to that already found in most histopathology laboratories. Its main strength is that it provides unique information on the precise localization of tissue proteins, which is unobtainable by any other means. However, ICC has its limitations, as well as advantages. Although it is well suited for comparative assessment, such as variability of protein expression within muscle fiber populations, it is of limited value when absolute quantitation is required. Because of this, the ideal approach is to use both ICC and immunoblotting in parallel, because the two techniques are complementary.