Nachweis von Acetylcholin-Rezeptor-Antik�rpern im Serum von Myasthenia gravis Patienten unter Verwendung affinit�tschromatographisch gereinigter humaner Acetylcholin-Rezeptor-Pr�parationen

Abstract

Sera from 75 patients with Myasthenia gravis were tested for acetylcholine receptor antibodies using acetylcholine receptors from human skeletal muscle. From the crude Triton x-100 extract, which has so far been used for antibody tracing, a pure acetylcholine receptor preparation was obtained by affinity chromatography using alpha-Najatoxin-Sepharose 4B. When the purified 125J-alpha-Bungarotoxin-acetylcholine receptor complex was applied in a radioimmunoassay 80% of the Myasthenia gravis patients had acetylcholine receptor antibodies in contrast to none of the tested control persons. Inspite of using a pure acetylcholine receptor preparation, no clear-cut correlation was found between the amount of serum acetylcholine receptor antibodies and the clinical stage of the disease. When individual antibody titration curves were established, different reaction patterns were observed indicating either different antibody specificities in regard to antigenic determinants on the receptor molecule or differences in the antibody affinity.

Thymic Myogenesis, T‐lymphocytes and the Pathogenesis of Myasthenia Gravis*

“…We injected anti-AChR T-line cells into sublethally irradiated syngeneic rats, with or without primed B-lymphocytes and/or AChR in adjuvant. Subsequently, over a period of four weeks, the animals were screened for clinical myasthenic symptoms, for titers of anti-AChR autoantibodies 38 and for morphological changes of neuromuscular junctions. The results are summarized in TABLE 2.…”

Characterization of a 58‐ and a 78‐kD Monocytic Membrane Protein with Affinity to the Acetylcholine Receptor in Myasthenia Gravis Patients

“…Quantification of AChR autoantibodiex in .serum. AChR antibodies in sera of MG patients were quantified by RIA with '^'i-alpha-Bgt marked human AChR [15], Standardization was performed using a standard serum characterized by the first international standardization trial [16].…”

Immunological and Functional Properties of the Acetylcholine Receptor Expressed on the Human Cell Line TE671

“…This is not the case, however, for α-bungarotoxin binding proteins expressed on IMR32 cells. Reactivity of myasthenia gravis patient serum autoantibodies with affinity chromatography-purified acetylcholine receptor from TE671 cells and human muscle tissue When affinity chromatography-purified acetylcholine receptor from TE671 cells and muscle tissue were tested in a fluid phase radioimmunoassay as described (14)(15), there was a very good correlation (r = 0.96) with the autoantibody concentrations (nmol/1) in 66 sera of patients with myasthenia gravis (fig. 3).…”

“…After removing unspecifically bound proteins with 1 mol/1 sodium chloride, acetylcholine receptors were eluted with 1 mol/1 carbamylcholine. The purified acetylcholine receptors were labelled with [ 125 I]abungarotoxin in excess and used as antigens in a radioimmunoassay (RIA) as previously described (13,14).…”