title: Epitopes expressed in myasthenia gravis (MG) thymomas are not recognized by patients' T cells or autoantibodies.
abstract: Most thymic epithelial tumours that associate with MG express an epitope that resembles the sequence alpha373-380 from the cytoplasmic loop of the acetylcholine receptor (AChR). It has been proposed that sensitization to this linear epitope initiates autoimmunity to the AChR in thymoma-associated MG. We therefore tested whether MG/thymoma patients have T cell responses or antibodies to this region of the AChR. We found no significant recognition of the alpha309-417 region by their thymoma or peripheral blood T cells, or by their serum anti-AChR antibodies. Instead, the T cell epitopes that were recognized, like the previously characterized B cell epitopes, were in the extracellular AChR domain.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Group, Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nagvekar
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Willcox
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vincent
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013945:Thymoma / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D019139:Tumor Escape
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens