Clonal expansions of CD4 super(+) B helper T cells in autoimmune myasthenia gravis

The weakness in myasthenia gravis (MG) is mediated by T helper cell (Th)- dependent autoantibodies against neuromuscular epitopes. So far, analyzing Th phenotypes or antigen specificities has yielded very few clues to pathogenesis. Here we adopt an alternative antigen-independent approach, analyzing...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European Journal of Immunology 2007-01, Vol.37 (3), p.849-863
Main Authors: Tackenberg, Bjoern, Kruth, Jens, Bartholomaeus, Johanna E, Schlegel, Kerstin, Oertel, Wolfgang H, Willcox, Nicholas, Hemmer, Bernhard, Sommer, Norbert
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The weakness in myasthenia gravis (MG) is mediated by T helper cell (Th)- dependent autoantibodies against neuromuscular epitopes. So far, analyzing Th phenotypes or antigen specificities has yielded very few clues to pathogenesis. Here we adopt an alternative antigen-independent approach, analyzing T cell receptor (TCR) V[bgr] usage/expansions in blood from 118 MG patients. We found major expansions ([ges] five standard deviations above the mean of 118 healthy, individually age- and sex-matched controls) in diverse V[bgr] in 21 patients (17.6%, p
ISSN:0014-2980
1365-2567