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Updated: May 5, 2026

In Situ Detection of Autoreactive CD4 T Cells in Brain and Heart Using Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Dextramers
Published on: August 1, 2014
Amphipathic segment of the nicotinic receptor alpha subunit contains epitopes recognized by T lymphocytes in
R Hohlfeld1, K V Toyka, L L Miner
1Department of Neurology, University of Duesseldorf, Federal Republic of Germany.
Abstract:
Autoimmune helper T lymphocytes were selected from the blood of two myasthenic patients of different HLA-DR type, using acetylcholine receptor (AChR) from Torpedo californica. These polyclonal T cell lines were tested for reactivity with three synthetic peptides corresponding to the NH2-terminal region of the human AChR alpha subunit. This segment is a good candidate for T cell epitopes since it has a propensity to form an amphipathic alpha helix. The peptides elicited 10-30% of the response induced by native Torpedo AChR. Different peptides were recognized by the autoreactive T cells of the two patients. These results suggest that the NH2-terminal region of the AChR alpha chain contains T cell-stimulating epitopes, and that the T cell autoimmune response in myasthenia gravis, like the B cell response, is heterogeneous.
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