Reduced thymic expression of ErbB receptors without auto-antibodies against synaptic ErbB in myasthenia gravis

Author(s):
Vrolix, K.; Niks, E.H. (0000-0001-5892-5143); Panse, R. le; Ostaijen-ten Dam, M.M. van; Muris, A.H.; Jol-van der Zijde, C.M.; Tol, M.J.D. van (0000-0003-1600-4279); Losen, M.; Molenaar, P.C.; Zoelen, E.J.J. van; Berrih-Aknin, S.; Baets, M.H. de; Verschuuren, J.J.G.M. (0000-0002-4572-1501); Martinez-Martinez, P.
Published
2011
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Myasthenia gravis Auto-antibodies Neuromuscular junction ErbB metastatic breast-cancer tyrosine kinase musk acetylcholine-receptor neuromuscular-junction gene-expression monoclonal-antibody neuregulins cells pathogenesis microarrays
Date issued
2011-03-31
Language
English
Is part of
Journal of Neuroimmunology (2011), Vol. 232, no. 1-2, p. 158-165
hdl
1887/100785
doi
10.1016/j.jneuroim.2010.10.024