Lack of inter-animal cross-reaction of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies at the receptor-binding site as demonstrated by heterologous anti-idiotype antisera: implications for immunotherapy of myasthenia gravis.

Anti-idiotype antisera were raised in rabbits by immunization with purified sheep anti-Torpedo receptor antibodies. The antisera were able specifically to block the binding of receptor to the inducing antibodies but not anti-Torpedo antibodies from other animals of the same, or other, species. Rabbits producing the anti-idiotype sera were not protected from experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). The implications of these observations for the potential use of anti-idiotype antisera in the treatment of myasthenia gravis are discussed.