T-cell subsets regulating anti-acetylcholine-receptor-antibody formation in myasthenia gravis and characterization of suppressor T-cell factors involved.
The in vitro generation of anti-acetylcholine-receptor (AChR)-antibody-forming cells from B cells of myasthenia gravis (MG) patients occurred only in the presence of OKT4+ cells. Anti-AChR-antibody formation by lymphocytes from MG patients was suppressed by normal T cells, and the requirement of both OKT4+ and OKT8+ cells was suggested for this suppression. Culture supernatant from normal T cells stimulated with excess doses of AChR antigen, but not T cells from patients, suppressed anti-AChR-antibody formation by lymphocytes from patients. The fraction of the culture supernatant with molecular weight of 45,000 to 67,000 seemed to contain an AChR-antigen-specific and antigen-binding suppressor factor with some allogeneic barrier, while the fraction with a molecular weight of 10,000 to 28,000 contained the antigen-nonspecific factor.
D000917:Antibody Formation; D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D001665:Binding Sites; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000939:Epitopes; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000276:immunology*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
D000939:Epitopes; D006680:HLA Antigens; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic