RADIOIMMUNOASSAY FOR QUANTITATIVE-EVALUATION OF ANTI-HUMAN ACETYLCHOLINE-RECEPTOR ANTIBODIES IN MYASTHENIA-GRAVIS

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  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 29  (1) , 16-22
Abstract
A radioimmunoassay was developed for the quantitative evaluation of antibodies to the acetylcholine receptor [Ac ChR] in the serum of myasthenic patients. AcChR was extracted from human muscle. A detailed preparation of the 125I-labeled .alpha.-Bgt[.alpha.-bungarotoxin from the venom of Bungarus multicinctus]-AcChR complex used as antigen is reported. Usually, an average of 20 pmol were obtained from 100 g muscle. This preparation is stable for 1 mo. in presence of an inhibitor of proteolysis and sufficient for performing about 15 assays. The labeled complex was incubated with increasing amounts of sera and precipitated with anti-human Ig[immunoglobulin]G serum. Titers were expressed in pmol 125I-labeled .alpha.-Bgt-AcChR complex precipitated per ml serum. Out of 39 sera tested, 36 had positive titers ranging from 0.1-46 pmol/ml. No anti-AcChR were detected in the sera from 27 patients used as controls.