Journal of Neuroimmunology
Volume 218, Issue 1 , Pages 102-106 , 25 January 2010

Anti-acetylcholinesterase antibodies associate with ocular myasthenia gravis

  • Carlo Provenzano

      Affiliations

    • Institute of General Pathology, Catholic University, Rome, Italy
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Institute of General Pathology, Catholic University, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy. Tel.: +39 06 30154914; fax: +39 06 3386446.
    • These authors contributed equally to the present paper.
    • ,
  • Mariapaola Marino

      Affiliations

    • Institute of General Pathology, Catholic University, Rome, Italy
    • These authors contributed equally to the present paper.
    • ,
  • Flavia Scuderi

      Affiliations

    • Institute of General Pathology, Catholic University, Rome, Italy
    • ,
  • Amelia Evoli

      Affiliations

    • Department of Neurosciences, Catholic University, Rome, Italy
    • ,
  • Emanuela Bartoccioni

      Affiliations

    • Institute of General Pathology, Catholic University, Rome, Italy

Received 4 September 2009 ,Revised 6 November 2009 ,Accepted 6 November 2009.

References 

  1. Bartoccioni E, Scuderi F, Scoppetta C, Evoli A, Tonali P, Guidi L, et al. Myasthenia gravis, thymectomy, and antiacetycholine receptor antibody. J. Neurol. 1980;224:9–15
  2. Brimijoin S, Lennon VA. Autoimmune preganglionic sympathectomy induced by acetylcholinesterase antibodies. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 1990;87:9630–9634
  3. Brimijoin S, Moser V, Hammond P, Oka N, Lennon VA. Death of intermediolateral spinal cord neurons follows selective, complement-mediated destruction of peripheral preganglionic sympathetic terminals by acetylcholinesterase antibodies. Neuroscience. 1993;54:201–223
  4. Cartaud A, Strochlic L, Guerra M, Blanchard B, Lambergeon M, Krejci E, et al. MuSK is required for anchoring acetylcholinesterase at the neuromuscular junction. J. Cell. Biol. 2004;165:505–515
  5. Engel AG, Sine SM. Current understanding of congenital myasthenic syndromes. Curr. Opin. Pharmacol. 2005;5:308–321
  6. Evoli A, Tonali P, Bartoccioni E, Lo Monaco M. Ocular myasthenia: diagnostic and therapeutic problems. Acta Neurol. Scand. 1988;77:31–35
  7. Evoli A, Bianchi MR, Riso R, Minicuci GM, Batocchi AP, Servidei S, et al. Response to therapy in myasthenia gravis with anti-MuSK antibodies. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 2008;1132:76–83
  8. Geen J, Howells RC, Ludgate M, Hullin DA, Hogg SI. The prevalence of anti-acetylcholinesterase antibodies in autoimmune disease. Autoimmunity. 2004;37:579–585
  9. Gennari K, Brunner J, Brodbeck U. Tetrameric detergent-soluble acetylcholinesterase from human caudate nucleus: subunit composition and number of active sites. J. Neurochem. 1987;49:12–18
  10. Jbilo O, L'Hermite Y, Talesa V, Toutant JP, Chatonnet A. Acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase expression in adult rabbit tissues and during development. Eur. J. Biochem. 1994;225:115–124
  11. Kaufer D, Friedman A, Seidman S, Soreq H. Acute stress facilitates long-lasting changes in cholinergic gene expression. Nature. 1998;393:373–377
  12. Keesey J. A treatment algorithm for autoimmune myasthenia in adults. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1998;841:753–768
  13. Krejci E, Duval N, Chatonnet A, Vincens P, Massoulié J. Cholinesterase-like domains in enzymes and structural proteins: functional and evolutionary relationships and identification of a catalytically essential aspartic acid. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 1991;88:6647–6651
  14. Krejci E, Thomine S, Boschetti N, Legay C, Sketelj J, Massoulié J. The mammalian gene of acetylcholinesterase-associated collagen. J. Biol. Chem. 1997;272:22840–22847
  15. Legay C, Huchet M, Massoulié J, Changeux JP. Developmental regulation of acetylcholinesterase transcripts in the mouse diaphragm: alternative splicing and focalization. Eur. J. Neurosci. 1995;7:1803–1809
  16. Li Y, Camp S, Rachinsky TL, Getman D, Taylor P. Gene structure of mammalian acetylcholinesterase. Alternative exons dictate tissue-specific expression. J. Biol. Chem. 1991;266:23083–23090
  17. Lindstrom J. An assay for antibodies to human acetylcholine receptor in serum from patients with myasthenia gravis. Clin. Immunol. Immunopathol. 1977;7:36–43
  18. Livneh A, Sarova I, Michaeli D, Pras M, Wagner K, Zakut H, et al. Antibodies against acetylcholinesterase and low levels of cholinesterases in a patient with an atypical neuromuscular disorder. Clin. Immunol. Immunopathol. 1988;48:119–131
  19. Ludgate M, Swillens S, Mercken L, Vassart G. Homology between thyroglobulin and acetylcholinesterase: an explanation for pathogenesis of Graves' ophthalmopathy?. Lancet. 1986;2(8500):219–220
  20. Ludgate M, Dong Q, Dreyfus PA, Zakut H, Taylor P, Vassart G, et al. Definition, at the molecular level, of a thyroglobulin-acetylcholinesterase shared epitope: study of its pathophysiological significance in patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy. Autoimmunity. 1989;3:167–176
  21. Mappouras DG, Philippou G, Haralambous S, Tzartos SJ, Balafas A, Souvatzoglou A, et al. Antibodies to acetylcholinesterase cross-reacting with thyroglobulin in myasthenia gravis and Graves's disease. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 1995;100:336–343
  22. Massoulié J. The origin of molecular diversity and functional anchoring of cholinesterases. Neurosignals. 2002;11:130–143
  23. Mihaylova V, Müller JS, Vilchez JJ, Salih MA, Kabiraj MM, D'Amico A, et al. Clinical and molecular genetic findings in COLQ-mutant congenital myasthenic syndromes. Brain. 2008;131:747–759
  24. Mouisel E, Blondet B, Escourrou P, Chatonnet A, Molgó J, Ferry A. Outcome of acetylcholinesterase deficiency for neuromuscular functioning. Neurosci. Res. 2006;55:389–396
  25. Osserman KE, Genkins G. Studies in myasthenia gravis: review of a twenty-year experience in over 1200 patients. Mt. Sinai J. Med. 1971;38:497–537
  26. Perrier AL, Massoulié J, Krejci E. PriMA: the membrane anchor of acetylcholinesterase in the brain. Neuron. 2002;33:275–285
  27. Phillips TM, Manz HJ, Smith FA, Jaffe HA, Cohan SL. The detection of anti-cholinesterase antibodies in myasthenia gravis. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1981;377:360–371
  28. Punga AR, Stålberg E. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in MG: to be or not to be?. Muscle Nerve. 2009;39:724–728
  29. Skeie GO, Apostolski S, Evoli A, Gilhus NE, Hart IK, Harms L, et al. Guidelines for the treatment of autoimmune neuromuscular transmission disorders. Eur. J. Neurol. 2006;13:691–699
  30. Sussman JL, Harel M, Frolow F, Oefner C, Goldman A, Toker L, et al. Atomic structure of acetylcholinesterase from Torpedo californica: a prototypic acetylcholine-binding protein. Science. 1991;253:872–879
  31. Tang H, Miller SM, Ermilov LG, Lennon VA, Brimijoin S. Complement-mediated lesion of sympathetic ganglia in vitro with acetylcholinesterase antibodies. J. Neuroimmunol. 1999;97:86–93
  32. Van der Kloot W, Molgó J. Quantal acetylcholine release at the vertebrate neuromuscular junction. Physiol. Rev. 1994;74:899–991
  33. Vincent A, Beeson D, Lang B. Molecular targets for autoimmune and genetic disorders of neuromuscular transmission. Eur. J. Biochem. 2000;267:6717–6728
  34. Weetman AP, Tse CK, Randall WR, Tsim KW, Barnard EA. Acetylcholinesterase antibodies and thyroid autoimmunity. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 1988;71:96–99

PII: S0165-5728(09)00463-9

doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2009.11.004

Journal of Neuroimmunology
Volume 218, Issue 1 , Pages 102-106 , 25 January 2010

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution