Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
10
pubmed:dateCreated
1992-6-9
pubmed:abstractText
The presence and structure of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) in the thymus has been a subject of interest for many years because of its possible role in the pathogenesis of the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis. Using the polymerase chain reaction with primers specific for the alpha-chain of nAChR (nAChR-alpha), an 880-bp homologous band was found after amplification of cDNA prepared from mouse thymus, thymic medullary and cortical epithelial cell lines, but not from thymocytes or kidney. Sequencing of the polymerase chain reaction product from the thymus and thymic medullary and cortical epithelial lines showed identity with skeletal muscle nAChR-alpha over the region examined. This region includes the domains of the molecule on which B cell and T cell autoantigenic targets have been described. No evidence was found in mouse tissue for the exon 3A, which has been described in human muscle and the human rhabdomyosarcoma cell line TE671. Our results provide evidence at the RNA level for the expression of the nAChR-alpha on stromal cells but not on thymocytes in normal murine thymus and are consistent with a role for intrathymic autoantigen expression in the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
AIM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
May
pubmed:issn
0022-1767
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
15
pubmed:volume
148
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
3105-9
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-11-14
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1992
pubmed:articleTitle
Molecular evidence for the expression of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha-chain in mouse thymus.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't