Lymphocytes in thymoma: association with myasthenia gravis is correlated with increased number of single-positive cells.
In the normal thymus the number of lymphocytes and the proportion of CD4+CD8+ double-positive cells decrease as a function of age. Six thymomas in elderly patients without myasthenia gravis had a large number of double-positive T cells, as seen in the normal thymic cortex. This suggests that the epithelial cells of thymoma have the function of cortical epithelium and can induce precursor T cells to differentiate to the double-positive stage but not further. In seven thymomas with associated myasthenia gravis, however, there was a conspicuous population of mature single-positive T lymphocytes. These mature T cells may include autoreactive T cells.
Fujii
Y
Y
First Department of Surgery, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
Hayakawa
M
M
Inada
K
K
Nakahara
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D002469:Cell Separation; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000150:complications*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology; D013945:Thymoma / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*