Thymoma Associated Myasthenia Gravis (TAMG): Differential Expression of Functional Pathways in Relation to MG Status in Different Thymoma Histotypes.

ABSTRACT: A unique feature of thymomas is their unrivaled frequency of associated myasthenia gravis (MG). Previous studies reported that MG+ thymomas contain a larger number of mature "pre-emigrant" CD4+ T cells than MG- thymomas and that most thymomas do not contain AIRE expressing cells irrespective of MG status. These findings suggest that CD4+ T cells that mature inside the abnormal microenvironment of thymomas and egress to the blood are critical to the development of thymoma-associated MG (TAMG) irrespective of thymoma histotype. However, underlying mechanisms have remained enigmatic. To get hints to mechanisms underlying TAMG, we pursue three hypotheses: (i) Functional pathways with metabolic and immunological relevance might be differentially expressed in TAMG(+) compared to TAMG(-) thymomas

SUBMITTER: Yamada Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7176899 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature