Autoimmune disorders of the neuromuscular junction.

Journal article

The neuromuscular junction lies beyond the protection of the blood-brain barrier and is particularly vulnerable to antibody-mediated attack. In myasthenia gravis, the expression of acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) in the thymus is under the control of the autoimmune regulator protein (AIRE), and polymorphisms in the AChR correlate with early onset of disease. In some 'AChR seronegative' patients, thymic abnormalities associated with complement-activating antibodies binding only clustered AChRs...

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Authors: Lang, B; Vincent, A

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Current opinion in pharmacology
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 336-340
• Publication date: 2009-06-01
• DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2009.04.005
• EISSN: 1471-4973
• ISSN: 1471-4892
• Language: English
• Keywords: Isaacs Syndrome; Humans; Immunotherapy; Guillain-Barre Syndrome; Myasthenia Gravis; Immunosuppressive Agents; Disease Models, Animal; Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome; Animals; Neuromuscular Junction Diseases