Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40203823›Full record

ArticleCell2025

Autoimmune mechanisms elucidated through muscle acetylcholine receptor structures.

Huanhuan Li, Minh C Pham, Jinfeng Teng, Kevin C O'Connor, Colleen M Noviello, Ryan E Hibbs

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cell, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
18citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

18 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
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  7. Narcolepsy is (not) an autoimmune disease.Nature reviews. Neurology · 2026
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Huanhuan LiDepartment of Neurobiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Minh C PhamDepartment of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
Jinfeng TengDepartment of Neurobiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
Kevin C O'ConnorDepartment of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
Colleen M NovielloDepartment of Neurobiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. Electronic address: conoviello@ucsd.edu.
Ryan E HibbsDepartment of Neurobiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; Department of Pharmacology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. Electronic address: rehibbs@ucsd.edu.

Funding

INTERDISCIPLINARY IMMUNOLOGY TRAINING PROGRAMT32AI007019 · NIAID · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI Carrie L. Lucas, David G. Schatz · 1985 to 2026
$14.4M
Mechanisms of autoimmunity in myasthenia gravisR01AI114780 · NIAID · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI Kevin C O'Connor · 2016 to 2026
$4.7M
Structural basis of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gating and toxin inhibitionR01NS120496 · NINDS · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · PI HIBBS, RYAN E · 2021 to 2025
$3.3M
Structural mechanisms of autoimmune diseases targeting cys-loop receptorsR01NS130831 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI Ryan E Hibbs, NANCY L MONSON · 2023 to 2026
$2.5M
Structural mechanisms of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in health and diseaseR37NS120496 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI Ryan E Hibbs · 2026 to 2026
$898k
Molecular determinants driving diverse mechanisms of antibody-mediated pathologyR21AI164590 · NIAID · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI O'CONNOR, KEVIN C · 2021 to 2022
$461k
Mechanisms of autoantibody production in myasthenia gravisR56AI114780 · NIAID · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI O'CONNOR, KEVIN C · 2015 to 2015
$416k
NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI114780NIAID NIH HHS R21 AI164590NIAID NIH HHS R56 AI114780NIAID NIH HHS T32 AI007019NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS120496NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS130831NINDS NIH HHS R37 NS120496
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Skeletal muscle contraction is triggered by acetylcholine (ACh) binding to its ionotropic receptors (AChRs) at neuromuscular junctions. In myasthenia gravis (MG), autoantibodies target AChRs, disrupting neurotransmission and causing muscle weakness. While treatments exist, variable patient responses suggest pathogenic heterogeneity. Progress in understanding the molecular basis of MG has been limited by the absence of structures of intact human muscle AChRs. Here, we present high-resolution cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of the human adult AChR in different functional states. Using six MG patient-derived monoclonal antibodies, we mapped distinct epitopes involved in diverse pathogenic mechanisms, including receptor blockade, internalization, and complement activation. Electrophysiological and binding assays revealed how these autoantibodies directly inhibit AChR channel activation. These findings provide critical insights into MG immunopathogenesis, uncovering unrecognized antibody epitope diversity and modes of receptor inhibition, and provide a framework for developing personalized therapies targeting antibody-mediated autoimmune disorders.

Indexed as

Muscle, SkeletalMyasthenia GravisReceptors, CholinergicAcetylcholineAdultAntibodies, MonoclonalAutoantibodiesCryoelectron MicroscopyEpitopesHumansNeuromuscular JunctionAcetylcholineAntibodies, MonoclonalAutoantibodiesEpitopesReceptors, Cholinergicacetylcholine receptorautoantibodiesautoimmune diseasecryoelectron microscopyelectrophysiologyion channelsmuscle weaknessmyasthenia gravisstructural biology

Identifiers

PMID40203823
PMCPMC12118449

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.