title: Disequilibrium of T helper type 1, 2 and 17 cells and regulatory T cells during the development of experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis.
abstract: Experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG), an animal model of myasthenia gravis (MG), is a rare organ-specific autoimmune disease targeting the autoantigen nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR). We show here that the balance of T helper type 1 (Th1), Th2, Th17 and regulatory T (Treg) subsets of CD4(+) helper T cells were redistributed during the development of EAMG and that the interleukin-17 (IL-17) cytokine is involved in this disease. The ratio of Th17 cells changed most notably with disease progression accompanied by an up-regulated level of IL-17. Moreover, the proliferative ability of AChR peptide-specific T cells and the anti-AChR antibody-secreting cells increased when stimulated by IL-17 in vitro. These findings suggested that the disequilibrium of the CD4(+) helper T-cell subsets could promote the development of EAMG, and the pathogenic mechanism by which Th17 cells drives autoimmune responses by secreting cytokine IL-17 provides a new target for myasthenia gravis therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Harbin Medical University Provincial Key Lab of Neurobiology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mu
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Qingfei
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.forename: Jinghua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Guangyou
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Shujuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dandan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yumei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yixi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Huixia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: Hulun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000276:immunology*; D020720:Myasthenia Gravis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000378:metabolism; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D020381:Interleukin-17; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic