title: Reduced thymic expression of ErbB receptors without auto-antibodies against synaptic ErbB in myasthenia gravis.
abstract: In myasthenia gravis (MG), the neuromuscular transmission is impaired mainly by auto-antibodies against the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) or MuSK. In about 5% of the MG patients, however, the auto-antigen is still unknown. We investigated whether these idiopathic MG patients (iMG) have auto-antibodies against ErbB proteins, which influence the AChR density at the NMJ. Our results show reduced mRNA expression levels of ErbB4 in thymus tissue of iMG patients compared to AChR-MG and non-MG patients, but we could not detect anti-ErbB antibodies in sera of iMG patients. Therefore, our results do not support a role for ErbB receptors as auto-antigens in iMG patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vrolix
authors.forename: Erik H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Niks
authors.forename: Rozen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Le Panse
authors.forename: Monique M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: van Ostaijen-Ten Dam
authors.forename: Anne-Hilde
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Muris
authors.forename: Cornelia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Jol-van der Zijde
authors.forename: Maarten J D
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: van Tol
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Losen
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Molenaar
authors.forename: Everardus J J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: van Zoelen
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berrih-Aknin
authors.forename: Marc H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: De Baets
authors.forename: Jan J G M
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Verschuuren
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martínez-Martínez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D002469:Cell Separation; D002648:Child; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008297:Male; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D013569:Synapses / Q000276:immunology; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D001324:Autoantigens; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D066246:ErbB Receptors