Binding of myasthenia gravis antibodies to different acetylcholine receptor preparations.

A group of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients was studied in order to demonstrate the differential ability of acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibodies to bind to AChRs from different sources. Four different AChR sources were used: human muscle, denervated rat muscle, normal rat muscle and the electric organ of the electric ray, Torpedo californica. We demonstrated that AchR antibodies from MG patients tested reacted best with receptors from human muscle, and least with the electric ray receptor. The patients were classified into three categories, each representing an antibody level pattern. THe most common pattern was that in which the antibody level for human AchR is highest, followed by decreasing values for AchRs of denervated rat muscle, normal rat muscle, and that of the electric organ of the electric ray. No correlation was found between the patient-specific antibody pattern and a clinical description of the MG patient.