Skip to main content
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1979 Sep;37(3):448–451.

A modified assay for antibody against the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in myasthenia gravis.

D S Dwyer, R J Bradley, S J Oh, G E Kemp
PMCID: PMC1537784  PMID: 509779

Abstract

Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disease which may be detected by the presence of serum antibodies against the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor at the neuromuscular junction. Immunoprecipitation assays have been developed to measure these immunoglobulins and calculate titres. These assays require the labelling of the receptor with 125I-alpha-bungarotoxin which binds irreversibly. However, the standard immunoprecipitation assay may significantly underestimate the titres of some myasthenic patients. We have discovered patients with antibodies specific for the alpha-bungarotoxin binding site of purified rat muscle receptor. If labelled toxin is already present on the receptor, these antibodies are unable to bind to the protein. This phenomenon may lead to underestimates of the actual antibody titre. To circumvent this problem, we have designed a modified immunoprecipitation assay to evaluate titres.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aharonov A., Tarrab-Hazdai R., Abramsky O., Fuchs S. Immunological relationship between acetylcholine receptor and thymus: a possible significance in myasthenia gravis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1975 Apr;72(4):1456–1459. doi: 10.1073/pnas.72.4.1456. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Almon R. R., Andrew C. G., Appel S. H. Serum globulin in myasthenia gravis: inhibition of alpha-bungarotoxin binding to acetylcholine receptors. Science. 1974 Oct 4;186(4158):55–57. doi: 10.1126/science.186.4158.55. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Almon R. R., Appel S. H. Interaction of myasthenic serum globulin with the acetylcholine receptor. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1975 May 30;393(1):66–77. doi: 10.1016/0005-2795(75)90217-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Anwyl R., Appel S. M., Narahashi T. Myasthenia gravis serum reduces acetylcholine sensitivity in cultured rat myotubes. Nature. 1977 May 19;267(5608):262–263. doi: 10.1038/267262a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bender A. N., Ringel S. P., Engel W. K., Daniels M. P., Vogel Z. Myasthenia gravis: a serum factor blocking acetylcholine receptors of the human neuromuscular junction. Lancet. 1975 Mar 15;1(7907):607–609. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(75)91886-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Bradley R. J., Dwyer D., Morley B. J., Robinson G., Kemp G. E., Oh S. J. Humoral immunity in myasthenia gravis: relationship to disease severity and steroid treatment. Lancet. 1978 Jul 8;2(8080):96–96. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(78)91402-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Briley M. S., Changeux J. P. Isolation and purification of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and its functional reconstitution into a membrane environment. Int Rev Neurobiol. 1977;20:31–63. doi: 10.1016/s0074-7742(08)60650-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Drachman D. B. Myasthenia gravis (first of two parts). N Engl J Med. 1978 Jan 19;298(3):136–142. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197801192980305. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Drachman D. B. Myasthenia gravis (second of two parts). N Engl J Med. 1978 Jan 26;298(4):186–193. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197801262980404. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Heinemann S., Bevan S., Kullberg R., Lindstrom J., Rice J. Modulation of acetylcholine receptor by antibody against the receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Jul;74(7):3090–3094. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.7.3090. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kahn C. R., Baird K. L., Jarrett D. B., Flier J. S. Direct demonstration that receptor crosslinking or aggregation is important in insulin action. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Sep;75(9):4209–4213. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.9.4209. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kao I., Drachman D. B. Myasthenic immunoglobulin accelerates acetylcholine receptor degradation. Science. 1977 Apr 29;196(4289):527–529. doi: 10.1126/science.850793. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lindstrom J. M., Seybold M. E., Lennon V. A., Whittingham S., Duane D. D. Antibody to acetylcholine receptor in myasthenia gravis. Prevalence, clinical correlates, and diagnostic value. Neurology. 1976 Nov;26(11):1054–1059. doi: 10.1212/wnl.26.11.1054. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Mittag T., Kornfeld P., Tormay A., Woo C. Detection of anti-acetylcholine receptor factors in serum and thymus from patients with myasthenia gravis. N Engl J Med. 1976 Mar 25;294(13):691–694. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197603252941303. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Monnier V. M., Fulpius B. W. A radioimmunoassay for the quantitative evaluation of anti-human acetylcholine receptor antibodies in myasthenia gravis. Clin Exp Immunol. 1977 Jul;29(1):16–22. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Patrick J., Lindstrom J. Autoimmune response to acetylcholine receptor. Science. 1973 May 25;180(4088):871–872. doi: 10.1126/science.180.4088.871. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES