Downregulation of HMGB1 in thymoma cells affects T cell differentiation

Thymoma is the most common anterior mediastinal tumor and is closely associated with myasthenia gravis (MG). Our previous study showed that the expression of Th17 cells increased and the expression of Treg decreased in MG-associated thymoma tissues and peripheral blood. High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is an inflammatory mediator and participates in the pathogenesis of various autoimmune diseases. However, its function in thymoma is still unclear. Material and methods: We first analyzed immune indices in peripheral blood of patients with MG-associated thymoma and patients with thymoma alone. Next, we explored the expression of HMGB1 in MG-associated thymoma and thymoma alone tissues. Furthermore, we transfected si-HMGB1 in thymoma cell line Thy0517 and co-cultured Thy0517 with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).

In this study, the levels of IgG, C3, C4, CRP and globulins in peripheral blood of patients with MG-associated thymoma were different from those of patients with thymoma alone (p < 0.05). The expression of HMGB1 in MG-associated thymoma tissues was higher than thymoma alone. Co-culture of Thy0517 and PBMC showed that the percentage of Th17 cells in PBMC was lower than that in the control group, and the percentage of Treg cells was higher than that in the control group.

These findings demonstrate that HMGB1 is involved in the mechanism of abnormal Th17/Treg cell differentiation in thymoma and affects the occurrence of immune abnormalities in MG-associated thymoma.