Faculty Collaboration Database

Serum antibodies and monoclonal antibodies secreted by thymic B-cell clones from patients with myasthenia gravis define striational antigens. Ann N Y Acad Sci 1987;505:168-79

Date

01/01/1987

Pubmed ID

3500666

DOI

10.1111/j.1749-6632.1987.tb51290.x

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0023632438 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   8 Citations

Abstract

The biochemical identities of several antigens to which striational antibodies bind were determined by using serum antibodies and monoclonal antibodies from two patients with myasthenia gravis. The monoclonal antibodies were secreted by EBV-transformed B-lymphocyte clones obtained from thymus and thymoma. Serum and monoclonal antibodies reacted with discrete components of the skeletal muscle sarcomere, giving rise to several different patterns of immunofluorescence staining. Immunoblot analyses and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays revealed three different antibody specificities: myosin, alpha-actinin, and/or actin. Individual monoclonal StrAb reacted with both muscle and nonmuscle isotypes of actin or myosin. It is noteworthy that contractile proteins (1) are associated with acetylcholine receptors (AChR) in plasma membranes, and (2) are biochemically altered in transformed cells. It is therefore conceivable that the release of neoantigenic AChR-associated contractile proteins from thymic epithelial cells undergoing neoplastic transformation may provide the immunogenic stimulus for production of StrAb. More precise definition of StrAb specificities in individual patients with MG and/or thymoma might provide a basis for diagnostic and/or prognostic classification of these diseases. Furthermore, the monoclonal antibodies will be useful in experimentally testing the potential pathogenicity of StrAb.

Author List

Williams CL, Lennon VA, Momoi MY, Howard FM Jr

Author

Carol L. Williams PhD Professor in the Pharmacology and Toxicology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Actinin
Actins
Animals
Autoantibodies
Autoantigens
Autoimmune Diseases
B-Lymphocytes
Humans
Muscle Proteins
Muscles
Myasthenia Gravis
Myosins
Rats
Thymoma
Thymus Gland
Thymus Neoplasms