Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1070, United States.
Cell Immunol. 2011;271(2):292-8. doi: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2011.07.007. Epub 2011 Jul 28.
In myasthenia gravis (MG), the neuromuscular transmission is impaired by antibodies (Abs) specific for muscle acetylcholine receptor (AChR). Anti-AChR Abs can be detected in the serum of MG patients, although their levels do not correlate with disease severity. In this study, we developed a flow cytometric assay for the detection of peripheral blood AChR-specific B cells to characterize B cell phenotypes associated with experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). Alexa-conjugated AChR was used as a probe for AChR-specific B cells (B220+Ig+). Mice with EAMG had significantly elevated frequencies of AChR-specific IgG2+ and IgM+ B cells. While the frequencies of IgG2+ B cells and plasma anti-AChR IgG2 levels significantly correlated with the clinical grades of EAMG, the frequencies of IgM+ B cells and plasma anti-AChR IgM levels did not. These results indicate that the frequency of AChR-specific and IgG1+ (mouse IgG2 equivalent) peripheral blood B cells and anti-AChR IgG1 levels could be potential biomarkers for MG disease severity.
在重症肌无力（MG）中，神经肌肉传递受到针对肌肉乙酰胆碱受体（AChR）的抗体（Abs）的损害。尽管 MG 患者的血清中可以检测到抗 AChR Ab，但它们的水平与疾病严重程度无关。在这项研究中，我们开发了一种用于检测外周血 AChR 特异性 B 细胞的流式细胞术检测方法，以表征与实验性自身免疫性重症肌无力（EAMG）相关的 B 细胞表型。Alexa 缀合的 AChR 被用作 AChR 特异性 B 细胞（B220+Ig+）的探针。患有 EAMG 的小鼠的 AChR 特异性 IgG2+和 IgM+B 细胞的频率显着升高。虽然 IgG2+B 细胞的频率和血浆抗 AChR IgG2 水平与 EAMG 的临床分级显着相关，但 IgM+B 细胞的频率和血浆抗 AChR IgM 水平却没有。这些结果表明，AChR 特异性和 IgG1+（小鼠 IgG2 等效物）外周血 B 细胞的频率和抗 AChR IgG1 水平可能是 MG 疾病严重程度的潜在生物标志物。
