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| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| lifeskim:mentions | |
| pubmed:issue |
3
|
| pubmed:dateCreated |
1997-8-26
|
| pubmed:abstractText |
The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) is a transmembrane glycoprotein composed of five homologous subunits. Different isoforms of the AChR alpha subunit exist (alpha 1 to alpha 9). Of them, alpha 1 is expressed in muscle, alpha 2 to alpha 9 in neuronal cells. Muscle AChR is the target autoantigen in the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis (MG). The thymus is implicated in MG pathogenesis, and the anti-AChR autoimmune response may start in this tissue, that expresses the muscle-type alpha 1 subunit as well as other muscle AChR subunits. The thymus also expresses the "neuronal" alpha 3 and alpha 5 subunits. By using polymerase chain reaction and other molecular techniques, we demonstrate here expression of the AChR alpha 7 subunit transcript in thymuses from both myasthenic patients and normal subjects. The alpha 7 subunit can form homo-oligomeric functional AChR complexes that, like muscle AChR, bind alpha-bungarotoxin. The demonstration of expression of the alpha 7 subunit in the thymus suggests that alpha-bungarotoxin binding, functional AChRs of the neuronal type are normally present in the thymus.
|
| pubmed:grant | |
| pubmed:language |
eng
|
| pubmed:journal | |
| pubmed:citationSubset |
IM
|
| pubmed:chemical | |
| pubmed:status |
MEDLINE
|
| pubmed:month |
May
|
| pubmed:issn |
0145-5680
|
| pubmed:author | |
| pubmed:issnType |
Print
|
| pubmed:volume |
43
|
| pubmed:owner |
NLM
|
| pubmed:authorsComplete |
Y
|
| pubmed:pagination |
433-42
|
| pubmed:dateRevised |
2007-11-14
|
| pubmed:meshHeading |
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Adolescent,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Adult,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Autoantigens,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Binding Sites,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Bungarotoxins,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Case-Control Studies,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Female,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Gene Expression,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Humans,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Male,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Muscles,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Myasthenia Gravis,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Neurons,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Polymerase Chain Reaction,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Protein Conformation,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-RNA, Messenger,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Receptors, Nicotinic,
pubmed-meshheading:9193799-Thymus Gland
|
| pubmed:year |
1997
|
| pubmed:articleTitle |
Expression of the alpha 7 subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in normal and myasthenic human thymuses.
|
| pubmed:affiliation |
Department of Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, St. Paul 55108, USA.
|
| pubmed:publicationType |
Journal Article,
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.,
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
|