Autoantibody-induced internalization of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α3 subunit exogenously expressed in human embryonic kidney cells

Autoantibody against nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) α3 subunit has been implicated in the pathogenesis of paraneoplastic neurological syndrome. To examine the effect of anti-α3 subunit autoantibody on cell-surface nAChRs, we established human embryonic kidney 293 cells stably co-expressing α3 and β4 subunits. Upon incubation with seropositive patient's serum, this cell line showed co-accumulation of patient's IgG and α3 subunits in the cytoplasm. These data support the hypothesis that anti-α3 subunit autoantibody induces internalization of cell-surface nAChRs and thereby impairs synaptic transmission.