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Autoimmune diseases involving nicotinic receptors
1Department of Neuroscience, Medical School of the University of Pennsylvania, 217 Stemmler Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6074, USA. jslkk@mail.med.upenn.edu
Abstract:
The antibody-mediated autoimmune response to alpha1 muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors that causes myasthenia gravis is one of the best characterized autoimmune diseases. Antibody-mediated autoimmune responses to neuronal nicotinic receptors are just beginning to be discovered and characterized. One of these causes dysautonomia through antibodies to alpha 3 nicotinic receptors of autonomic ganglia. Another causes pemphigus through antibodies to alpha 9 nicotinic receptors in skin. Other autoimmune responses to nicotinic receptors may be discovered as the many functional roles of nicotinic receptors are revealed.