title: Expression of interleukin-22 in myasthenia gravis.
abstract: IL-17 and IL-22 are implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. The roles of IL-22 in the pathophysiology of myasthenia gravis (MG) remain unsettled. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between serum IL-22, IL-17 levels, anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody (anti-AChR Ab) titres and clinical parameters in patients with MG. The serum IL-22, IL-17 levels and anti-AChR Ab titres were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while the expression of IL-22 and IL-17 mRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy and MG subjects were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, PBMC from 12 patients with generalized MG were purified and treated with recombinant human IL-22 (rhIL-22), the IL-17 levels of supernatant were detected by ELISA. We found that the IL-17 levels were significantly increased, but IL-22 levels were significantly decreased in the serum of patients with MG compared with healthy controls. Consistantly, a significant decrease in IL-22 mRNA levels and an increase in IL-17 mRNA levels were detected in PBMC collected from patients with MG, compared with healthy controls. A negative correlation between IL-22 mRNA in PBMC, serum IL-22 and serum anti-AChR Ab levels was found in patients with MG. Moreover, in cultured MG PBMC treated with recombinant human IL-22 (rhIL-22), the IL-17 levels were decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Our findings indicated a possible role of IL-22 as a protective factor in MG.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dou
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D007378:Interleukins / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000276:immunology*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology; D000097043:Interleukin-22
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D020381:Interleukin-17; D007378:Interleukins; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D000097043:Interleukin-22