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Persistence of CD16+/CD56-/2B4+ natural killer cells: a highly dysfunctional NK subset expanded in ocular myasthenia
Stéphanie Nguyen1, Véronique Morel, Magali Le Garff-Tavernier
1INSERM U543, Laboratoire d'Immunologie Cellulaire et Tissulaire, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
Abstract:
We report a case of myasthenia gravis associated with marked expansion of an unusual CD16(+)CD56(-)2B4(+) NK subset. These atypical cells were characterized by poor cytotoxicity against CD48(+) target cells and high proliferation due to 2B4/CD48 interaction. IL18, IFN-gamma and TGF-beta levels were profoundly different in this patient than in healthy donors. Immunosuppressive treatment induced disease remission and decreased the CD16(+)CD56(-)2B4(+)NK cells count. Our data suggest that expansion of this NK subset in myasthenia gravis patients may account for the deleterious NK cell functioning that occurs in this autoimmune disease.
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