Thymic muscle cells bear acetylcholine receptors: possible relation to myasthenia gravis

Culture of dissociated thymus from rats and humans yielded cells identical to skeletal muscle with respect to morphology, contractility, electrophysiological properties, and the presence of acetylcholine receptors. These cells, strategically located in the thymus, may play a role in initiation of the autoimmune response against acetylcholine receptors, which is characteristic of myasthenia gravis.