title: Complementary strategies to elucidate T helper cell epitopes in myasthenia gravis.
abstract: CD4(+) T cells specific for the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) are assumed to play an important role in pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis (MG). A large and diverse number of potential T cell epitopes have been reported for different experimental setups aiming at the identification of disease-relevant T cells in MG. Investigating the T cell response to the epsilon subunit of human AChR, we explore complementary in vitro and in vivo approaches (PBMC from MG patients and mice transgenic for HLA-DR3 and human CD4) to address the possibilities and limitations of different strategies for elucidating natural autoimmune T cell epitopes.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 18, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stoeckle
authors.forename: Karl-Heinz
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Wiesmüller
authors.forename: Rüdiger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Laub
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Emmrich
authors.forename: Günther
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Melms
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D053299:Apolipoprotein B-100 / Q000494:pharmacology; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D000939:Epitopes / Q000502:physiology*; D015803:HLA-DR3 Antigen / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000187:drug effects; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D053299:Apolipoprotein B-100; D015704:CD4 Antigens; C504423:CHRNE protein, human; D000939:Epitopes; D015803:HLA-DR3 Antigen; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic