title: Human monoclonal striational autoantibodies isolated from thymic B lymphocytes of patients with myasthenia gravis use VH and VL gene segments associated with the autoimmune repertoire.
abstract: The production of autoantibodies reactive with components of skeletal muscle is characteristic of myasthenia gravis (MG) and is strongly associated with the presence of thymic epithelial tumors in patients with MG. The nucleotide sequences of the heavy and light chain variable regions (VH and VL) of three human monoclonal striated muscle antibodies (StrAb) isolated from thymic B lymphocyte lines from two patients with MG and thymoma were analyzed. The VH and VL gene segments used by these anti-striated muscle antibodies appear to be derived from the same repertoire of gene segments as have been found in other autoantibodies isolated from patients with a number of different autoimmune diseases. While the IgM StrAb SA-1A is a direct copy of germ-line VH and VL gene segments, analysis of the IgG StrAb SA-4A and SA-4B, which may be more representative of antibodies found in the serum of MG patients, suggests that the processes of antigenic selection and somatic mutation may contribute to the generation of autoantibodies in MG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75235-9048.
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Victor
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pascual
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Lennon
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Capra
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000276:immunology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000235:genetics*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000235:genetics*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D064211:Connectin; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D006801:Humans; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D009132:Muscles / Q000276:immunology*; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000276:immunology*; D011494:Protein Kinases
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001323:Autoantibodies; D064211:Connectin; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D007147:Immunoglobulin Light Chains; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D009124:Muscle Proteins; C577285:TTN protein, human; D011494:Protein Kinases