In vitro synthesis of antibodies to acetylcholine receptor by Epstein-Barr virus-stimulated B-lymphocytes derived from patients with myasthenia gravis.

Peripheral blood lymphocytes and B-cells were obtained from patients with myasthenia gravis and stimulated in vitro with either pokeweed mitogen or Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), respectively. EBV stimulation of B-cells caused a production of antibodies to acetylcholine receptor in 15 of the 25 myasthenia gravis patients: the EBV stimulation of B-cells was more effective in this regard than the pokeweed mitogen stimulation of peripheral blood lymphocytes. The in vitro synthesis of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies was found to be positively correlated with both the patients' sera antibody titers and with the disease severity.