Immunoblotting can be used for screening a population of antibodies to acetylcholine receptor subunits circulating in the blot of patients with myasthenia. Torpedo Californica acetylcholine receptor served as the antigen. We found that in generalized myasthenia autoantibodies bind to alpha1- or alpha1- and gamma-subunits, while in ophthalmic form they bind only gamma-subunit of acetylcholine receptor. No antibodies to any of the acetylcholine receptor subunits were detected in patients with endocrine ophthalmopathy and in healthy volunteers. This method can be used for differential diagnosis of ophthalmic myasthenia and endocrine ophthalmopathy and for predicting generalization of the pathological process in patients with myasthenia.
Bull Exp Biol Med. 2005 Oct;140(4):473-5.