Abstract
The prevalence of Id and anti-Id T and B cells as measured by their reactivities with two human mAb, one antiacetylcholine receptor mAb and one anti-Id mAb, was studied in 38 patients with myasthenia gravis and in 27 healthy individuals. Id and anti-Id T cells were estimated by enumerating the numbers of cells secreting IFN-γ in response to 10 pg/ml of the human mAb. T cell stimulation, measured as numbers of IFN-γ-secreting cells that exceeded the mean + 2 SD of controls, was induced by the Id mAb in 78.9% of the patients and in 7.4% of the controls, whereas the anti-Id mAb stimulated T cells in 55.3% of the patients and in 3.7% of the controls. The mean value of the Id and anti-Id-reactive T cells in the patients was 18.3/105 and 10.1/105 PBMC, respectively. B cells secreting IgM antibodies binding to the human mAb were increased in patients with myasthenia gravis compared to healthy controls. Seventy-five percent of the patients and 12% of the controls had B cells secreting IgM antibodies binding to the Id mAb, although 89% of the patients and 16% of the controls had B cells secreting IgM antibodies binding to the anti-Id mAb. The mean value of B cells secreting IgM antibodies binding to Id or anti-Id mAb in the patients were 7.4 cells/106 and 5.5 cells/106 PBMC, respectively. We conclude that Id and anti-Id T and B cells are present in myasthenia gravis. These methods allow a quantitative estimation of T and B cells with defined specificities and thus a way of mapping the repertoire of lymphocytes.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 3423-3426 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Immunology |
Volume | 149 |
Issue number | 10 |
State | Published - Jan 1 1992 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology