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My asthenia gravis

Antibodies to extracellularly exposed antigenic determinants of acetylcholine receptor

Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Saga Medical School, Nabeshima, Saga, Japan.

We have used a simple method to detect autoantibodies that react with extracellularly exposed antigenic determinants of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) of cultured rat muscle. Immunoglobulins from 30 patients with my-asthenia gravis contained antibodies to detergent-solubilized AChR and bound to extracellularly exposed AChR. The antibody titer with solubilized rat AChR did not correlate with clinical severity, but ability of antibody to bind to extracellularly exposed AChR did correlate well and was also closely related to the acceleration of AChR degradation.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Oda, Division of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Saga Medical School, Nabeshima, Saga 84001, Japan.

Supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Encouragement of Young Doctors, no. 59770557 from the Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture in Japan, and partly by the Research Committee of Immunological Neurological Diseases, Japan Ministry of Health & Welfare (Chairman: Professor A. Igata).

Accepted for publication February 7, 1986.