title: Anti-acetylcholine receptor idiotypes in myasthenia gravis analysed by rabbit anti-sera.
abstract: Anti-idiotype sera, raised in rabbits against anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) (idiotype) purified from the serum of three myasthenia gravis patients, inhibited binding of homologous idiotype to the AChR by up to 80%. The expression of idiotype in the three individuals changed very little over a period of several years, during which they showed a declining trend in overall anti-AChR antibody. Only one of the four anti-idiotype sera inhibited the binding of anti-AChR from a number of other patients. Our results indicate a consistency of idiotype expression within an individual, and fail to show substantial idiotype sharing between individuals.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes / Q000032:analysis*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000276:immunology*; D011817:Rabbits; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic