Skip to main content
PMC home page
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1979 Apr;36(1):85–89.

Subpopulations of T lymphocytes in myasthenia gravis patients.

M Piantelli, L Lauriola, A Carbone, A Evoli, P Tonali, P Musiani
PMCID: PMC1537707  PMID: 313861

Abstract

Subpopulations of human peripheral blood T lymphocytes were examined in twenty-three myasthenic patients. T lymphocytes bearing receptors for the Fc portion of IgG (T gamma) were significantly increased in a third of the patients examined. T lymphocytes bearing receptors for the Fc portion of IgM (Tmu) were within normal values in all but two patients. Possible implications of these cells in the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis are discussed.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Abdou N. I., Lisak R. P., Zweiman B., Abrahamsohn I., Penn A. S. The thymus in myasthenia gravis. Evidence for altered cell populations. N Engl J Med. 1974 Dec 12;291(24):1271–1275. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197412122912403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Abramsky O., Aharonov A., Webb C., Fuchs S. Cellular immune response to acetylcholine receptor-rich fraction, in patients with myasthenia gravis. Clin Exp Immunol. 1975 Jan;19(1):11–16. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Albuquerque E. X., Rash J. E., Mayer R. F., Satterfield J. R. An electrophysiological and morphological study of the neuromuscular junction in patients with myasthenia gravis. Exp Neurol. 1976 Jun;51(3):536–563. doi: 10.1016/0014-4886(76)90179-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Almon R. R., Appel S. H. Serum acetylcholine-receptor antibodies in myasthenia gravis. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1976;274:235–243. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb47689.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bramis J., Papatestas A. E., Sloane C., Genkins G., Aufses A. H., Jr Effect of thymectomy in human oncogenesis. J Surg Res. 1977 Mar;22(3):305–312. doi: 10.1016/0022-4804(77)90148-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Castleman B. The pathology of the thymus gland in myasthenia gravis. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1966 Jan 26;135(1):496–505. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1966.tb45497.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Datta S. K., Schwartz R. S. Editorial: Infectious (?) myasthenia. N Engl J Med. 1974 Dec 12;291(24):1304–1305. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197412122912411. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Dickler H. B., Adkinson N. F., Jr, Terry W. D. Evidence for individual human peripheral blood lymphocytes bearing both B and T cell markers. Nature. 1974 Jan 25;247(5438):213–215. doi: 10.1038/247213a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Drachman D. B., Kao I., Pestronk A., Toyka K. V. Myasthenia gravis as a receptor disorder. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1976;274:226–234. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb47688.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fambrough D. M., Drachman D. B., Satyamurti S. Neuromuscular junction in myasthenia gravis: decreased acetylcholine receptors. Science. 1973 Oct 19;182(4109):293–295. doi: 10.1126/science.182.4109.293. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ferrarini M., Moretta L., Abrile R., Durante M. L. Receptors for IgG molecules on human lymphocytes forming spontaneous rosettes with sheep red cells. Eur J Immunol. 1975 Jan;5(1):70–72. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830050115. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Green D. P., Miledi R., Vincent A. Neuromuscular transmission after immunization against acetylcholine receptors. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1975 Apr 29;189(1094):57–68. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1975.0041. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Grossi C. E., Webb S. R., Zicca A., Lydyard P. M., Moretta L., Mingari M. C., Cooper M. D. Morphological and histochemical analyses of two human T-cell subpopulations bearing receptors for IgM or IgG. J Exp Med. 1978 May 1;147(5):1405–1417. doi: 10.1084/jem.147.5.1405. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Gupta S., Good R. A. Subpopulations of human T lymphocytes. I. Studies in immunodeficient patients. Clin Exp Immunol. 1977 Nov;30(2):222–228. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Kalden J. R., Lohmann E., Peter H. H., Hilger C. Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and B-and T-cell activity in the peripheral blood of myasthenia gravis patients. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1976;274:421–433. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb47703.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Koziner B., Bloch K. J., Perlo V. P. Distribution of peripheral blood latex-ingesting cells, T cells, and B cells in patients with myasthenia gravis. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1976;274:411–420. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb47702.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Lindstrom J. M., Einarson B. L., Lennon V. A., Seybold M. E. Pathological mechanisms in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis. I. Immunogenicity of syngeneic muscle acetylcholine receptor and quantitative extraction of receptor and antibody-receptor complexes from muscles of rats with experimental automimmune myasthenia gravis. J Exp Med. 1976 Sep 1;144(3):726–738. doi: 10.1084/jem.144.3.726. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Lindstrom J. M., Engel A. G., Seybold M. E., Lennon V. A., Lambert E. H. Pathological mechanisms in experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis. II. Passive transfer of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis in rats with anti-acetylcholine recepotr antibodies. J Exp Med. 1976 Sep 1;144(3):739–753. doi: 10.1084/jem.144.3.739. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Lindstrom J. M., Lennon V. A., Seybold M. E., Whittingham S. Experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis and myasthenia gravis: biochemical and immunochemical aspects. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1976;274:254–274. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb47691.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Lisak R. P., Abdou N. I., Zweiman B., Zmijewski C., Penn A. S. Aspects of lymphocyte function in myasthenia gravis. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1976;274:402–410. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb47701.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. McConnell I., Hurd C. M. Lymphocyte receptors. II. Receptors for rabbit IgM on human T lymphocytes. Immunology. 1976 Jun;30(6):835–839. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Moretta L., Ferrarini M., Durante M. L., Mingari M. C. Expression of a receptor for IgM by human T cells in vitro. Eur J Immunol. 1975 Aug;5(8):565–569. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830050812. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Moretta L., Webb S. R., Grossi C. E., Lydyard P. M., Cooper M. D. Functional analysis of two human T-cell subpopulations: help and suppression of B-cell responses by T cells bearing receptors for IgM or IgG. J Exp Med. 1977 Jul 1;146(1):184–200. doi: 10.1084/jem.146.1.184. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Namba T., Brunner N. G., Grob D. Association of myasthenia gravis with pemphigus vulgaris, Candida albicans infection, polymyositis and myocarditis. J Neurol Sci. 1973 Oct;20(2):231–242. doi: 10.1016/0022-510x(73)90033-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Namba T., Nakata Y., Grob D. The role of humoral and cellular immune factors in neuromuscular block in myasthenia gravis. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1976;274:493–515. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb47710.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Oldstone M. B., Tishon A., Moretta L. Active thymus derived suppressor lymphocytes in human cord blood. Nature. 1977 Sep 22;269(5626):333–335. doi: 10.1038/269333a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Oosterhuis H. J., de Haas W. H. Rheumatic diseases in patients with myasthenia gravis. An epidemiological and clinical investigation. Acta Neurol Scand. 1968;44(2):219–227. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1968.tb05568.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Papatestas A. E., Genkins G., Horowitz S. H., Kornfeld P. Thymectomy in myasthenia gravis: pathologic, clinical, and electrophysiologic correlations. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1976;274:555–573. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb47715.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Richman D. P., Patrick J., Arnason B. G. Cellular immunity in myasthenia gravis. Response to purified acetylcholine receptor and autologous thymocytes. N Engl J Med. 1976 Mar 25;294(13):694–698. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197603252941304. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Santoli D., Moretta L., Lisak R., Gilden D., Koprowski H. Imbalances in T cell subpopulations in multiple sclerosis patients. J Immunol. 1978 Apr;120(4):1369–1371. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Simpson J. A., Behan P. O., Dick H. M. Studies on the nature of autoimmunity in myasthenia gravis. Evidence for an immunodeficiency type. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1976;274:382–389. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1976.tb47699.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Tindall R. S., Cloud R., Luby J., Rosenberg R. N. Serum antibodies to cytomegalovirus in myasthenia gravis: effects of thymectomy and steroids. Neurology. 1978 Mar;28(3):273–277. doi: 10.1212/wnl.28.3.273. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Wolf S. M., Rowland L. P., Schotland D. L., McKinney A. S., Hoefer P. F., Aranow H., Jr Myasthenia as an autoimmune disease: clinical aspects. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1966 Jan 26;135(1):517–535. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1966.tb45500.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES