LYSOSOMAL STORAGE OF SUBUNIT-C OF MITOCHONDRIAL ATP SYNTHASE IN BATTEN DISEASE (CEROID-LIPOFUSCINOSIS)

Immunochemical studies demonstrate that subunit c of mitochondrial ATP synthase is stored in the late-infantile, juvenile and adult forms of Batten's disease. It does not accumulate in the infantile form, or in other conditions involving lysosomal hypertrophy. These results suggest that the defective metabolism of subunit c is central to the pathogenesis of these three forms of Batten's disease.