Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The significance of titin antibodies in myasthenia gravis

Correlation with thymoma and severity of myasthenia gravis

  • ORIGINAL COMMUNICATION
  • Published:
Journal of Neurology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is caused by autoantibodies to acetylcholine receptors (AChR). Non–AChR muscle autoantibodies, such as titin antibodies, are present in sera of many MG patients. To study the correlation between titin antibodies and the features of MG, the cDNA segment encoding MGT-30 was amplified and sequenced. The cloned MGT-30 cDNA was expressed in vector pET-30a, and then transfected into E.coli. BL21. We examined titin antibodies in sera of 265 normal subjects, 154 MG patients with different thymic pathology and 48 patients with other neurological diseases. Titin antibodies occurred more frequently in MGT, especially in MG with epithelial predominant–thymoma, and were correlated with the severity of disease. The levels of titin antibodies were reduced 6 months after thymectomy. The specificity of titin antibodies for the detection of thymoma was higher than that of CT examination in MG with thymoma. These results suggest that titin antibodies could be useful in both diagnosis and follow–up of MG patients with thymoma.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Aarli JA, Skeie GO, Mygland A, Gilhus NE (1998) Muscle striation antibodies in myasthenia gravis. Diagnostic and functional significance. Ann NY Acad Sci 841:505–515

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Aarli JA, Flood PR, Gilhus NE, Hofstad H, Matre R (1988) Non-receptor striated muscle antibodies in sera from patients with myasthenia gravis. Monogr Allergy 25:128–134

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Aarli JA (2001) Titin, thymoma, and myasthenia gravis. Arch Neurol 58:869–870 1011

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Baggi F, Andreeta F, Antozzi C, Simoncini O, Confalonieri P, Labeit S, Cornelio F,Mantegazza R (1998) Antititin and antiryanodine receptor antibodies in myasthenia gravis patients with thymoma. Ann NY Acad Sci 841:538–541

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Buckley C, Newson-Davis J, Willcox N, Vincent A (2001) Do titin and cytokine antibodies in MG patients predict thymoma or thymoma recurrence? Neurology 57:1579–1582

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Gautel M, Lakey A, Barlow DP, Holmes Z, Scales S, Leonard K, Labeit S, Mygland A, Gilhus NE, Aarli JA (1993) Titin antibodies in myasthenia gravis: identification of a major immunogenic region of titin. Neurology 43:1581–1585

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Labeit S, Kolmerer B (1995) Titins: giant proteins in charge of muscle ultrastructure and elasticity. Science 270:293–296

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lindstrom JM, Seybold ME, Lennon VA, Whittingham S, Duane DD (1976) Antibody to acetylcholine receptor in myasthenia gravis. Prevalence, clinical correlates, and diagnostic value. Neurology 26:1054–1059

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Marx A, Wilisch A, Schultz A, Greiner A, Magi B, Pallini V, Schalke B, Toyka K, Nix W, Kirchner T, Muller-Hermelink HK (1996) Expression of neurofilaments and of a titin epitope in thymic epithelial tumors. Implications for the pathogenesis of myasthenia gravis. Am J Pathol 148:1839–1850

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Romi F, Skeie GO, Aarli JA, Gilhus NE (2000a) The severity of myasthenia gravis correlates with the serum concentration of titin and ryabodine receptor antibodies. Arch Neurol 57: 1596–1600

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Romi F, Skeie GO, Aarli JA, Gilhus NE (2000b) Muscle autoantibodies in subgroups of myasthenia gravis patients. J Neurol 247:369–375

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Romi F, Bo L, Skeie GO, Myking A, Aarli JA, Gilhus NE (2002) Titin and ryanodine receptor epitopes are expressed in cortical thymoma along with costimulatory molecules. J Neuroimmunol 128:82–89

    Google Scholar 

  13. Skeie GO, Pandey JP, Aarli JA, Gilhus NE (1997) Autoimmunity to ryanodine receptor and titin in myasthenia gravis is associated with GM allotypes. Autoimmunity 26:111–116

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Somnier FE, Engel PJH (2002) The occurrence of anti-titin antibodies and thymomas. A population survey of MG 1970–1999. Neurology 59:92–98

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Toyka KV, Brachman DB, Pestronk A, Kao I (1975) Myasthenia gravis: passive transfer from man to mouse. Science 190:397–399

    Google Scholar 

  16. Voltz RD, Albrich WC, Nagele A, Schumm F, Wick M, Freiburg A, Gautel M, Thaler HT, Aarli J, Kirchner T, Hohlfeld R (1997) Paraneoplastic myasthenia gravis: detection of anti- MGT30 (titin) antibodies predicts thymic epithelial tumor. Neurology 49:1454–1457

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Voltz R, Albrich W, Hohlfeld R, Nagel D, Wick M, Kirchner T, Sommer N, Illa I, Kaminski H, Schumm F (2003) Antititin antibodies are not associated with a specific thymoma histology. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 74:282

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Willcox N (1993) Myasthenia gravis. Curr Opin Immunol 5:910–917

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Williams CL, Hay JE, Huiatt TW, Lennon VA (1992) Paraneoplastic IgG striational autoantibodies produced by clonal thymic B cells and in serum of patients with myasthenia gravis and thymoma react with titin. Lab Invest 66:331–336

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Yamamoto AM, Gajdos P, Eymard B, Tranchant C, Warter JM, Gomez L, Bourquin C, Bach JF, Garchom HJ (2001) Anti-titin antibodies in myasthenia gravis. Arch Neurol 58:885–890

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Neurology, Fudan University, 12 Wulumuqi Zhong Road, 200040, Shanghai, China

    X.-J. Chen, J. Qiao, B.-G. Xiao & C.-Z. Lu

  2. Division of Neurology, Huddinge University Hospital Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

    B.-G. Xiao

Authors
  1. X.-J. Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. Qiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. B.-G. Xiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C.-Z. Lu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C.-Z. Lu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chen, XJ., Qiao, J., Xiao, BG. et al. The significance of titin antibodies in myasthenia gravis. J Neurol 251, 1006– 1011 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-004-0479-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-004-0479-z

Key words

Search

Navigation