Apoptosis of skeletal muscle cells and the pathogenesis of myositis: a perspective.

Apoptosis is a genetically controlled form of cell death that occurs in many biologic processes including embryogenesis, immune cell development, and maintenance of peripheral immune tolerance. Recent studies have yielded evidence suggesting that apoptosis of parenchymal cells may play a role in providing self-antigens to initiate autoimmune reactions. Skeletal muscle cells are fully differentiated and multinucleated. Apoptosis has been described in developing myoblasts and, recently, in mature myotubes. However, the involvement of apoptosis in skeletal muscle pathologies is unclear. This article reviews the available data concerning the occurrence of skeletal muscle cell apoptosis in selected muscle diseases. It also discusses the potential role of muscle cell apoptosis in the development of autoimmune diseases such as idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.