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Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Antibody Transfection into Neurons as a Tool to Study Disease Pathogenesis
Published on: September 26, 2012
Characterization of ganglionic acetylcholine receptor autoantibodies
Steven Vernino1, Jon Lindstrom, Steve Hopkins
1Department of Neurology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas Texas 75390-9036, United States. steven.vernino@utsouthwestern.edu
Abstract:
In myasthenia gravis (MG), autoantibodies bind to the alpha1 subunit and other subunits of the muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy (AAG) is an antibody-mediated neurological disorder caused by antibodies against neuronal AChRs in autonomic ganglia. Subunits of muscle and neuronal AChR are homologous. We examined the specificity of AChR antibodies in patients with MG and AAG. Ganglionic AChR autoantibodies found in AAG patients are specific for AChRs containing the alpha3 subunit. Muscle and ganglionic AChR antibody specificities are distinct. Antibody crossreactivity between AChRs with different alpha subunits is uncommon but can occur.
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