TY - JOUR
T1 - Reduced thymic expression of ErbB receptors without auto-antibodies against synaptic ErbB in myasthenia gravis
AU - Vrolix, Kathleen
AU - Niks, Erik H.
AU - Le Panse, Rozen
AU - van Ostaijen-ten Dam, Monique M.
AU - Muris, Anne-Hilde
AU - Jol-van der Zijde, Cornelia M.
AU - van Tol, Maarten J. D.
AU - Losen, Mario
AU - Molenaar, Peter C.
AU - van Zoelen, Everardus J. J.
AU - Berrih-Aknin, Sonia
AU - De Baets, Marc H.
AU - Verschuuren, Jan J. G. M.
AU - Martinez-Martinez, Pilar
PY - 2011/3
Y1 - 2011/3
N2 - In myasthenia gravis (MG), the neuromuscular transmission is impaired mainly by auto-antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) or MuSK. In about 5% of the MG patients, however, the auto-antigen is still unknown. We investigated whether these idiopathic MG patients (iMG) have auto-antibodies against ErbB proteins, which influence the AChR density at the NMJ. Our results show reduced mRNA expression levels of ErbB4 in thymus tissue of iMG patients compared to AChR-MG and non-MG patients, but we could not detect anti-ErbB antibodies in sera of iMG patients. Therefore, our results do not support a role for ErbB receptors as auto-antigens in iMG patients.
AB - In myasthenia gravis (MG), the neuromuscular transmission is impaired mainly by auto-antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) or MuSK. In about 5% of the MG patients, however, the auto-antigen is still unknown. We investigated whether these idiopathic MG patients (iMG) have auto-antibodies against ErbB proteins, which influence the AChR density at the NMJ. Our results show reduced mRNA expression levels of ErbB4 in thymus tissue of iMG patients compared to AChR-MG and non-MG patients, but we could not detect anti-ErbB antibodies in sera of iMG patients. Therefore, our results do not support a role for ErbB receptors as auto-antigens in iMG patients.
KW - Myasthenia gravis
KW - Auto-antibodies
KW - Neuromuscular junction
KW - ErbB
U2 - 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2010.10.024
DO - 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2010.10.024
M3 - Article
C2 - 21168922
SN - 0165-5728
VL - 232
SP - 158
EP - 165
JO - Journal of Neuroimmunology
JF - Journal of Neuroimmunology
IS - 1-2
ER -