Imbalance in T follicular helper cells producing IL-17 promotes pro-inflammatory responses in MuSK antibody positive myasthenia gravis

A detailed understanding of the role of Tfh cells in MuSK-antibody positive myasthenia gravis (MuSK-MG) is lacking. We characterized phenotype and function of Tfh cells in MuSK-MG patients and controls. We found similar overall Tfh and follicular regulatory (Tfr) T cell frequencies in MuSK-MG and healthy controls, but MuSK-MG patients exhibited higher frequencies of Tfh17 cells and a higher ratio of Tfh:Tfr cells. These results suggest imbalanced Tfh cell regulation, further supported by increased frequencies of CD4 T cells co-producing IL-21/IL-17 and IL-17/IFN- γ, and increased Tfh-supported IgG production.

Source: Journal of Neuroimmunology - May 26, 2020 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Yingkai Li, Jeffrey T. Guptill, Melissa A. Russo, James F. Howard, Janice M. Massey, Vern C. Juel, Lisa D. Hobson-Webb, Doug Emmett, Manisha Chopra, Shruti Raja, Weibin Liu, John S. Yi Source Type: research