B-cell-activating factor is elevated in serum of patients with myasthenia gravis.
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a B-cell-mediated autoimmune disease. B-cell-activating factor (BAFF) is a major factor in B-cell development and activation. In this study we investigated serum BAFF levels in MG patients.



We compared the serum BAFF levels of 20 MG patients with gender-matched healthy controls. We assayed serum concentrations of BAFF and anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR) titers.



Serum BAFF levels of MG patients with AChR antibodies were significantly higher than those of healthy controls. A significant positive correlation was observed between serum BAFF levels and anti-AChR antibody titers. BAFF values did not correlate with disease severity.



BAFF may play a major role in the pathogenesis of MG, and it may provide a potential target for therapy in patients with MG. Muscle Nerve 54: 1030-1033, 2016.
Department of Neurology, Jeju National University School of Medicine, 1 Ara 1-dong, Jeju-si, Jeju, 690-756, South Korea.
Sa-Yoon
SY
Kang
Department of Neurology, Jeju National University School of Medicine, 1 Ara 1-dong, Jeju-si, Jeju, 690-756, South Korea.
Chul-Hoo
CH
Kang
Department of Microbiology, Jeju National University School of Medicine, Jeju, South Korea.
Keun-Hwa
KH
Lee
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000097:blood*; D051757:PAX5 Transcription Factor / Q000097:blood*; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000276:immunology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D001323:Autoantibodies; D053264:B-Cell Activating Factor; D051757:PAX5 Transcription Factor; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; C505719:TNFSF13B protein, human
B-cell-activating factor; antibody; autoimmune; myasthenia gravis; pathogenesis; therapy