Steroids induce acetylcholine receptors on cultured human muscle: Implications for myasthenia gravis

Journal Article · Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.87.20.8100· OSTI ID:5545351

Kaplan, I; Blakely, B T; Pavlath, G K; Travis, M; Blau, H M ^[1]

---

1. Stanford Univ. School of Medicine, CA (USA)

Antibodies to the acetylcholine receptor (AChR), which are diagnostic of the human autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis, block AChR function and increase the rate of AChR degradation leading to impaired neuromuscular transmission. Steroids are frequently used to alleviate symptoms of muscle fatigue and weakness in patients with myasthenia gravis because of their well-documented immunosuppressive effects. The authors show here that the steroid dexamethasone significantly increases total surface AChRs on cultured human muscle exposed to myasthenia gravis sera. The results suggest that the clinical improvement observed in myasthenic patients treated with steroids is due not only to an effect on the immune system but also a direct effect on muscle. They propose that the identification and development of pharmacologic agents that augment receptors and other proteins that are reduced by human genetic or autoimmune disease will have broad therapeutic applications.

• OSTI ID: 5545351
• Journal Information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (United States), Vol. 87:20; ISSN 0027-8424
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ACETYLCHOLINE
RECEPTORS
STEROIDS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
TOXINS
RADIORECEPTOR ASSAY
IMMUNE SYSTEM DISEASES
IODINE 125
MUSCLES
NERVOUS SYSTEM DISEASES
AMINES
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
ANTIGENS
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISEASES
DRUGS
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ESTERS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
INTERNAL CONVERSION RADIOISOTOPES
IODINE ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
MEMBRANE PROTEINS
NEUROREGULATORS
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PARASYMPATHOMIMETICS
PROTEINS
QUATERNARY COMPOUNDS
RADIOISOTOPES
TOXIC MATERIALS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
550201* - Biochemistry- Tracer Techniques