title: Genetic deficiency of estrogen receptor alpha fails to influence experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis pathogenesis.
abstract: Autoimmune myasthenia gravis (MG) is characterized by T cell and antibody responses to muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR). It is well known that MG as other autoimmune diseases is more prevalent in women than men and estrogen administration enhances experimental autoimmune MG (EAMG) severity. To determine whether estrogen influences EAMG pathogenesis through estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) activation, ERα knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice were immunized with AChR. ERα KO mice were equally susceptible to EAMG as WT mice and exhibited comparable antibody and immunopathological responses to AChR, suggesting a lack of involvement of ERα in EAMG pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Huibin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Windy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Allman
authors.forename: Shamsher S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Saini
authors.forename: Erdem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tüzün
authors.forename: Xiaorong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: D Mark
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Estes
authors.forename: Premkumar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Christadoss
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000172:deficiency*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D007114:Immunization / Q000009:adverse effects; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D020720:Myasthenia Gravis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D016207:Cytokines; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic