Autoimmune mechanisms in myasthenia gravis

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NOTES ON SOME PLIOCENE GASTROPODS FROM RIO TORSERO, WESTERN LIGURIA. ITALY

The present paper is the second of a series dedicated to Pliocene molluscs of Liguria. lt deals with 13 gastropods species belonging to the superfamilies Rissoacea, Rissoinacea, Cerithiopsacea and Triphoracea. The generic assignment of each taxon is reviewed on the basis of the protoconch characters, and the description is provided for less known species. The genera Cerithiopsidella and Retilaskeya are quoted for the first time in Mediterranean area as well as Rissoina (Rissoina) varicosa Boettger and Metaxia abrupta (Watson). The new species Alvania (Alvania) obliquistoma is proposed

Etiology of myasthenia gravis: Innate immunity signature in pathological thymus

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"THE THYMUS IN MYASTHENIA GRAVIS: SITE OF ""INNATE AUTOIMMUNITY""?"

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Epstein-Barr Virus in Myasthenia Gravis: Key Contributing Factor Linking Innate Immunity with B-Cell-Mediated Autoimmunity

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common human herpes virus latently infecting most of the world’s population with periodic reactivations, is the main environmental factor suspected to trigger and/or sustain autoimmunity by its ability to disrupt B-cell tolerance checkpoints. Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a prototypic autoimmune disorder, mostly caused by autoantibodies to acetylcholine receptor (AChR) of the neuromuscular junction, which cause muscle weakness and fatigability. Most patients display hyperplastic thymus, characterized by ectopic germinal center formation, chronic inflammation, exacerbated Toll-like receptor activation, and abnormal B-cell activation. After an overview on MG clinical features and intra-thymic pathogenesis, in the present chapter, we describe our main findings on EBV presence in MG thymuses, including hyperplastic and thymoma thymuses, in relationship with innate immunity activation and data from other autoimmune conditions. Our overall data strongly indicate a critical contribution of EBV to innate immune dysregulation and sustained B-cell-mediated autoimmune response in the pathological thymus of MG patients

Innate immunity in myasthenia gravis thymus: Pathogenic effects of Toll-like receptor 4 signaling on autoimmunity

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Inflammation and Epstein-Barr Virus Infection Are Common Features of Myasthenia Gravis Thymus: Possible Roles in Pathogenesis

The thymus plays a major role in myasthenia gravis (MG). Our recent finding of a persistent Epstein-Barr (EBV) virus infection in some MG thymuses, combined with data showing that the thymus is in a proinflammatory state in most patients, supports a viral contribution to the pathogenesis of MG. Aim of this study was to gain further evidence for intrathymic chronic inflammation and EBV infection in MG patients. Transcriptional profiling by low density array and real-time PCR showed overexpression of genes involved in inflammatory and immune response in MG thymuses. Real-time PCR for EBV genome, latent (EBER1, EBNA1, LMP1) and lytic (BZLF1) transcripts, and immunohistochemistry for LMP1 and BZLF1 proteins confirmed an active intrathymic EBV infection, further supporting the hypothesis that EBV might contribute to onset or perpetuation of the autoimmune response in MG. Altogether, our results support a role of inflammation and EBV infection as pathogenic features of MG thymus

A New Thiopurine S-Methyltransferase Haplotype Associated With Intolerance to Azathioprine

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