title: Increase in differentiated type of T lineage cells in the myasthenic thymus: two-color fluorocytometric analysis.
abstract: We made use of two-color flow cytometry to examine thymic lymphoid cells from patients with myasthenia gravis. The CD4+CD8- cells and the CD4-CD8+ cells were significantly increased in the thymus from the patients, compared with findings in the control samples. Conversely, the CD4+CD8+ cells were significantly decreased. Significant increases in CD1-CD3+ cells and significant decreases in CD1+CD3- cells were noted. The percentage of CD45R+ cells also increased. There were no increases in activated T lymphocytes, defined as CD4+DR+ cells, CD8+DR+ cells, or IL2R+ cells. We conclude that the proportion of T lineage lymphocytes that are differentiated is increased in the thymus of patients with myasthenia gravis, and could reflect accelerated differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Itoyama
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens