Autoantibodies to low‐density lipoprotein receptor–related protein 4 in myasthenia gravis

O Higuchi, J Hamuro, M Motomura… - Annals of …, 2011 - Wiley Online Library
O Higuchi, J Hamuro, M Motomura, Y Yamanashi
Annals of neurology, 2011Wiley Online Library
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction, where
acetylcholine receptor (AChR), muscle‐specific kinase (MuSK), and low‐density lipoprotein
(LDL) receptor‐related protein 4 (Lrp4) are essential. About 80% and 0% to 10% of patients
with generalized MG have autoantibodies to AChR and MuSK, respectively, but pathogenic
factors are elusive in others. Here we show that a proportion of AChR antibody‐negative
patients have autoantibodies to Lrp4. These antibodies inhibit binding of Lrp4 to its ligand …
Abstract
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction, where acetylcholine receptor (AChR), muscle‐specific kinase (MuSK), and low‐density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor‐related protein 4 (Lrp4) are essential. About 80% and 0% to 10% of patients with generalized MG have autoantibodies to AChR and MuSK, respectively, but pathogenic factors are elusive in others. Here we show that a proportion of AChR antibody‐negative patients have autoantibodies to Lrp4. These antibodies inhibit binding of Lrp4 to its ligand and predominantly belong to the immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) subclass, a complement activator. These findings together indicate the involvement of Lrp4 antibodies in the pathogenesis of AChR antibody‐negative MG. Ann Neurol 2011
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