Fine antigenic specificities of antibodies in sera from patients with D-penicillamine-induced myasthenia gravis

• Published in: Clinical and experimental immunology Vol. 74; no. 1; pp. 80 - 86
• Main Authors: TZARTOS, S. J, MOREL, E, EFTHIMIADIS, A, BUSTARRET, A. F, D'ANGLEJAN, J, DROSOS, A. A, MOUTSOPOULOS, H. A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell 01.10.1988
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antibody Formation; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - drug therapy; Binding, Competitive; Biological and medical sciences; Drug toxicity and drugs side effects treatment; Epitopes - immunology; Female; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous (drug allergy, mutagens, teratogens...); Myasthenia Gravis - chemically induced; Myasthenia Gravis - immunology; Penicillamine - adverse effects; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Receptors, Cholinergic - immunology; Human; Striated muscle disease; Specificity; Antiserum; Myasthenia gravis; Immunological investigation; Toxicity; Monoclonal antibody; Antirheumatic agent; Nicotinic receptor

A small fraction of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases on D-penicillamine treatment may develop antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) and symptoms of myasthenia gravis (MG). The mechanism leading to this phenomenon is not known. We have studied the fine antigenic sp...