1. Engineered agrin attenuates the severity of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis.
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Li, Zhiguo, Li, Minshu, Wood, Kristofer, Hettwer, Steffan, Muley, Suraj A., Shi, Fu‐Dong, Liu, Qiang, Ladha, Shafeeq S., and Shi, Fu-Dong
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PROTEIN metabolism , *CHOLINERGIC receptors , *ACTION potentials , *ANIMAL experimentation , *AUTOANTIBODIES , *BIOLOGICAL models , *COMPARATIVE studies , *DOSE-effect relationship in pharmacology , *ELECTROMYOGRAPHY , *GENES , *IMMUNIZATION , *RESEARCH methodology , *MEDICAL cooperation , *MUSCULAR atrophy , *MYONEURAL junction , *NERVE tissue proteins , *PEPTIDES , *RATS , *RESEARCH , *SOLUTION (Chemistry) , *EVALUATION research , *SKELETAL muscle , *MEMBRANE glycoproteins , *THERAPEUTICS - Abstract
Introduction: Agrin is essential for the formation and maintenance of neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). NT-1654 is a C-terminal fragment of mouse neural agrin. In this study, we determined the effects of NT-1654 on the severity of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG).Methods: EAMG was induced in female Lewis rats by immunization with the Torpedo acetylcholine receptor (tAChR) and complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). NT-1654 was dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and injected daily subcutaneously into tAChR immunized rats during the first 10 days after immunization, and then every other day for the following 20 days.Results: We showed that NT-1654 attenuated clinical severity, effectively promoted the clustering of AChRs at NMJs, and alleviated the impairment of NMJ transmission and the reduction of muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) in EAMG rats.Discussion: We demonstrated that NT-1654 attenuated clinical severity, effectively promoted the clustering of AChRs at NMJs, and alleviated the impairment of NMJ transmission and the reduction of muscle-specific kinase (MuSK) in EAMG rats. Muscle Nerve 57: 814-820, 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2018
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