Reduced acetylcholine-induced channel activity in dystrophic mouse myotubes

Single channel recording patch-clamp technique was used in the mouse to compare the acetylcholine (ACh)-induced channel behaviour between normal and dystrophic myotubes. While open time and slope conductance were equivalent, ACh-induced channel opening frequency was more than 4-fold reduced in dystrophic compared to normal myotubes. In addition, the steady-state phosphorylation of the ACh receptor (AChR), tested by immunoprecipitation of 32P-labeled cells, indicated that the alpha-subunit was more heavily phosphorylated in the dystrophic myotubes. We propose that the degree of alpha-subunit phosphorylation of the AChR, which parallels the reduced AChR-channel opening probability, determines desensitization of the AChR in dystrophic myotubes.