Publication | Closed Access
Human muscle acetylcholine receptor: cloning and expression in <i>Escherichia coli</i> of cDNA for the α-subunit
22
Citations
0
References
1989
Year
Muscle FunctionSynaptic TransmissionImmunologyMolecular BiologyCellular PhysiologyMature MuscleNeuromuscular BlockadeMuscle PhysiologySkeletal MuscleHealth SciencesMolecular PhysiologyAllergyBiochemistryG Protein-coupled ReceptorReceptor (Biochemistry)AutoimmunityNicotinic Acetylcholine ReceptorNeuromuscular PhysiologySignal TransductionPhysiologyNeuropeptide ReceptorCellular BiochemistryMedicineMyasthenia Gravis
The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) of fetal striated muscle is an integral membrane protein consisting of five subunits arranged in stoichiometry a z , p, y, 6. In mature muscle, the y-subunit is replaced by the E . The AChR is the target for autoimmune attack in myasthenia gravis, with the a-subunit containing the main immunogenic region in this response (Tzartos el a[., 1982). Detailed study of the epitopes involved in the disease has been restricted by the low level of AChR ( < 2 pmol/g) found in human muscle.