Antigenic specificity of acetylcholine receptor in developing muscle. Studies with monoclonal antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies (mcAbs) elicited against the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) from Torpedo, were used to follow antigenic changes in AChR during muscle development. Newborn rat muscle and denervated mouse muscle were used as sources of extrajunctional AChR; adult innervated rat and mouse muscle were used as sources of junctional AChR. Most of the mcAbs tested reacted preferably, but not exclusively with extrajunctional AChR (EJR), as compared to junctional AChR (JR). None was found to react with only one of the two forms of AChR. We conclude that the anti-AChR monoclonal antibodies used in this study detect antigenic determinants which are shared by EJR and JR, but which probably undergo structural changes during muscle development.