title: Muscle-Specific Receptor Tyrosine Kinase (MuSK) Myasthenia Gravis.
abstract: Autoimmune myasthenia gravis (MG) is the prototypic, antibody-mediated neuromuscular disease and is characterized by a decrease in the number of functional acetylcholine receptors (AChR) within the muscle end plate zone of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). Although the pathophysiology of AChR-mediated myasthenia gravis has been extensively studied over the last 40 years since its original description by Patrick and Lindstrom (Science 180:871-872, 1973), less is known about the much more recently described muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) antibody-mediated MG. MuSK-MG has features clinically distinct from Ach-R MG, as well as a different pattern of response to treatment and a unique immunopathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, 2 Tampa General Circle 6th Floor, Room 6091, Tampa, FL, 33606, USA. rlhurst@health.usf.edu.
authors.forename: Rebecca L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Hurst
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, 2 Tampa General Circle 6th Floor, Room 6091, Tampa, FL, 33606, USA.|Department of Neurology, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd MDC 55, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA.
authors.forename: Clifton L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Gooch
mesh_terms: D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000276:immunology*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; C095714:MUSK protein, human; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
keywords: Acetylcholine receptor antibody; Muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase; Myasthenia gravis; Neuromuscular junction