CTLA4-positive thymus cells may protect against the risk of developing autoimmune myasthenia

In a search for the determinants of autoimmune myasthenia, Catalan researchers have analysed the immunological signatures of several cases of thymoma:

• the study included 41 thymomas operated on between 2010 and 2020,
• 56% of the patients included had active autoimmune myasthenia,
• the number of CTLA4 positive thymic cells was significantly higher in the absence of myasthenia,
• this was not noted for other antibodies such as BCL6 and CD4-FOXP3.

The authors also report two CTLA4 polymorphisms that may help to refine the prediction of myasthenia in thymoma.

 

Reduced Number of Thymoma CTLA4-Positive Cells Is Associated With a Higher Probability of Developing Myasthenia Gravis. Álvarez-Velasco R, Dols-Icardo O, El Bounasri S et al. Neurol Neuroimmunol Neuroinflamm. 2023 Jan 25;10(2):e200085.