Collagen synthesis in cultured myoblasts and myotubes from patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Collagen synthesis was studied in cultured myoblasts and myotubes from 4 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and 4 control persons. Incorporation of [3H]proline into collagen of DMD cells and control cells was not significantly different. The same types of collagen, i.e., type I and type III were synthesized by myogenic cells from DMD patients and controls. In contrast to others, we could not obtain evidence for an increase in the degree of prolyl hydroxylation in collagen of the DMD muscle cells.