Ymf. Graus et Mh. Debaets, MYASTHENIA-GRAVIS - AN AUTOIMMUNE-RESPONSE AGAINST THE ACETYLCHOLINE-RECEPTOR, Immunologic research, 12(1), 1993, pp. 78-100
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease caused
by an antibody-mediated assault on the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine
receptor (AChR) at the neuromuscular junction. Binding of antibodies t
o the AChR leads to loss of functional AChRs and impairs the neuromusc
ular signal transmission, resulting in muscular weakness. Although a g
reat deal of information on the immunopathological mechanisms involved
in AChR destruction exists due to well-characterized animal models, i
t is not known which etiological factors determine the susceptibility
for the disease. This review gives an overview of the literature on th
e AChR, MG and experimental models for this autoimmune disease.