Biomaterial Database

Polymyositis: reduction of acetylcholine receptors in skeletal muscle. 1985

A Pestronk, and D B Drachman

In polymyositis (PM), neither the precise target nor the mechanism of the attack against skeletal muscle have yet been defined. In this study, we report evidence of a pathologic process involving a membrane component of muscle, acetylcholine receptors (AChRs). Our results show that PM patients have significantly reduced AChRs at neuromuscular junctions, averaging 55% below control values (P less than 0.01). Incubation of cultured mammalian muscle cells with sera from PM patients significantly reduced (P less than 0.005) the number of surface AChRs and increased their rate of degradation in 7/8 cases (P less than 0.005). Similar effects were produced by purified IgG from PM patients. These results demonstrate the presence in PM patients of circulating IgG with functional effects on a component of the surface membrane of skeletal muscle. They suggest that PM and myasthenia gravis may have important features in common.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007074	Immunoglobulin G	The major immunoglobulin isotype class in normal human serum. There are several isotype subclasses of IgG, for example, IgG1, IgG2A, and IgG2B.	Gamma Globulin, 7S,IgG,IgG Antibody,Allerglobuline,IgG(T),IgG1,IgG2,IgG2A,IgG2B,IgG3,IgG4,Immunoglobulin GT,Polyglobin,7S Gamma Globulin,Antibody, IgG,GT, Immunoglobulin
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009132	Muscles	Contractile tissue that produces movement in animals.	Muscle Tissue,Muscle,Muscle Tissues,Tissue, Muscle,Tissues, Muscle
D009157	Myasthenia Gravis	A disorder of neuromuscular transmission characterized by fatigable weakness of cranial and skeletal muscles with elevated titers of ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTORS or muscle-specific receptor tyrosine kinase (MuSK) autoantibodies. Clinical manifestations may include ocular muscle weakness (fluctuating, asymmetric, external ophthalmoplegia; diplopia; ptosis; and weakness of eye closure) and extraocular fatigable weakness of facial, bulbar, respiratory, and proximal limb muscles. The disease may remain limited to the ocular muscles (ocular myasthenia). THYMOMA is commonly associated with this condition.	Anti-MuSK Myasthenia Gravis,MuSK MG,MuSK Myasthenia Gravis,Muscle-Specific Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Myasthenia Gravis,Muscle-Specific Tyrosine Kinase Antibody Positive Myasthenia Gravis,Myasthenia Gravis, Generalized,Myasthenia Gravis, Ocular,Anti MuSK Myasthenia Gravis,Generalized Myasthenia Gravis,Muscle Specific Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Myasthenia Gravis,Muscle Specific Tyrosine Kinase Antibody Positive Myasthenia Gravis,Myasthenia Gravis, Anti-MuSK,Myasthenia Gravis, MuSK,Ocular Myasthenia Gravis
D009220	Myositis	Inflammation of a muscle or muscle tissue.	Inflammatory Myopathy,Myositis, Focal,Myositis, Infectious,Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies,Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy,Idiopathic Inflammatory Myositis,Infectious Myositis,Inflammatory Muscle Diseases,Inflammatory Myopathies, Idiopathic,Inflammatory Myopathy, Idiopathic,Muscle Diseases, Inflammatory,Myopathies, Idiopathic Inflammatory,Myopathy, Inflammatory,Myositis, Proliferative,Focal Myositides,Focal Myositis,Infectious Myositides,Inflammatory Muscle Disease,Inflammatory Myopathies,Muscle Disease, Inflammatory,Myopathies, Inflammatory,Myopathy, Idiopathic Inflammatory,Myositides,Myositides, Focal,Myositides, Infectious,Myositides, Proliferative,Proliferative Myositides,Proliferative Myositis
D009469	Neuromuscular Junction	The synapse between a neuron and a muscle.	Myoneural Junction,Nerve-Muscle Preparation,Junction, Myoneural,Junction, Neuromuscular,Junctions, Myoneural,Junctions, Neuromuscular,Myoneural Junctions,Nerve Muscle Preparation,Nerve-Muscle Preparations,Neuromuscular Junctions,Preparation, Nerve-Muscle,Preparations, Nerve-Muscle
D011950	Receptors, Cholinergic	Cell surface proteins that bind acetylcholine with high affinity and trigger intracellular changes influencing the behavior of cells. Cholinergic receptors are divided into two major classes, muscarinic and nicotinic, based originally on their affinity for nicotine and muscarine. Each group is further subdivided based on pharmacology, location, mode of action, and/or molecular biology.	ACh Receptor,Acetylcholine Receptor,Acetylcholine Receptors,Cholinergic Receptor,Cholinergic Receptors,Cholinoceptive Sites,Cholinoceptor,Cholinoceptors,Receptors, Acetylcholine,ACh Receptors,Receptors, ACh,Receptor, ACh,Receptor, Acetylcholine,Receptor, Cholinergic,Sites, Cholinoceptive
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man