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Interleukin‐10 producing‐B cells and their association with responsiveness to rituximab in myasthenia gravis
Author(s) -
Sun Feng,
Ladha Shafeeq S.,
Yang Li,
Liu Qiang,
Shi Samuel XiangYu,
Su Ning,
Bomprezzi Roberto,
Shi FuDong
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.23951
Subject(s) - rituximab , myasthenia gravis , immunology , medicine , cell sorting , immune system , regulatory b cells , antibody , repopulation , b cell , interleukin 10 , autoimmune disease , biology , flow cytometry , stem cell , haematopoiesis , genetics
: A subset of regulatory B cells in humans and mice has been defined functionally by their ability to produce interleukin (IL)‐10. We characterized IL‐10‐producing B (B10) cells in myasthenia gravis (MG) patients and correlated them with disease activity and responsiveness to rituximab therapy. Methods : Frequencies of B10 cells from MG patients and healthy controls were monitored by fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS). Results : MG patients had fewer B10 cells than controls, which was associated with more severe disease status. Moreover, patients who responded well to rituximab therapy exhibited rapid repopulation of B10 cells, whereas in patients who did not respond well to rituximab, B10 cell repopulation was delayed. The kinetics of B10 cells were related to the responsiveness to rituximab in MG. Conclusions : We have characterized a specific subset of B10 cells in MG patients which may serve as a marker for disease activity and responsiveness to immune therapy. Muscle Nerve 49:487–494, 2014