EPITOPE MAPPING OF MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES TO TORPEDO ACETYLCHOLINE-RECEPTOR GAMMA-SUBUNITS, WHICH SPECIFICALLY RECOGNIZE THE EPSILON-SUBUNIT OF MAMMALIAN MUSCLE ACETYLCHOLINE-RECEPTOR

Epitopes for four monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to the gamma-subunit of Torpedo nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR), and one mAb crossreactive with the gamma and delta-subunits of Torpedo AChR were mapped using overlapping synthetic peptides corresponding to the complete amino acid sequence of Torpedo gamma-subunit. The epitopes for all mAbs were within a 50 residue sequence region, on the cytoplasmic surface of the AChR. Three mAbs crossreacted with mammalian muscle AChRs. Two of them specifically recognized the epsilon-subunit of AChRs at adult neuromuscular junction.