title: Clinical and biological heterogeneity of autoimmune myasthenia gravis.
abstract: Although myasthenia gravis (MG) has long been considered a well-established autoimmune disease associated with autoantibodies, which are convincingly pathogenic, accumulating data indicate both clinical and biological heterogeneity similar to many other putative autoimmune disorders. In a subset of patients, thymus plays a definite role: thymic autoimmunity results in generation of autoantibodies within the thymus, which cross-react with antigens at the neuromuscular junction, or thymoma leads to deficient central tolerance and impaired T cell selection. Heterogeneity on the autoantibody level may be associated with genetic heterogeneity and clinical phenotypes with different treatment responses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Pecs, Pecs, Hungary.
authors.forename: Jozsef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pal
authors.forename: Csilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rozsa
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Komoly
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Illes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy; D018740:Genetic Heterogeneity; D006801:Humans; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies