Antibodies Produced by CLL Phenotype B Cells in Patients With Myasthenia Gravis Are Not Directed Against Neuromuscular Endplates.

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives

Myasthenia gravis (MG) can in rare cases be an autoimmune phenomenon associated with hematologic malignancies such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). It is unclear whether in patients with MG and CLL, the leukemic B cells are the ones directly driving the autoimmune response against neuromuscular endplates.

Methods

We identified patients with acetylcholine receptor antibody-positive (AChR⁺) MG and CLL or monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL), a precursor to CLL, and described their clinical features, including treatment responses. We generated recombinant monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) corresponding to the B-cell receptors of the CLL phenotype B cells and screened them for autoantigen binding.

Results

A computational immune cell

SUBMITTER: Ingelfinger F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9909583 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature