Role of acetylcholine receptor antibody complexes in muscle in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis.
In experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis anti-rat nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody titers correlated significantly with the AChR-antibody complexes found in muscle. It was shown that at least a large part of the AChR-antibody complexes are formed in vitro, which can be prevented by washing of the muscle homogenate. Using a modified assay, no differences in AChR-antibody complexes could be detected between rats with and without symptoms of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis. Also no difference in AChR loss nor in inhibition of alpha-bungarotoxin binding to AChR was found between these groups of rats. However, a significant difference in the reduction of AChR function was found, using an assay measuring agonist-induced 22Na+ flux into the TE671 cell line.
Verschuuren
J J
JJ
Department of Immunology, University of Limburg, Maastricht, Netherlands.
Graus
Y M
YM
Theunissen
R O
RO
Yamamoto
T
T
Vincent
A
A
van Breda Vriesman
P J
PJ
De Baets
M H
MH
D000818:Animals; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D009132:Muscles / Q000276:immunology*; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*
D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic