2023
The Plasma Cell Infiltrate Populating the Muscle Tissue of Patients with Inclusion Body Myositis Features Distinct B Cell Receptor Repertoire Properties
Jiang R, Roy B, Wu Q, Mohanty S, Nowak R, Shaw A, Kleinstein S, O’Connor K. The Plasma Cell Infiltrate Populating the Muscle Tissue of Patients with Inclusion Body Myositis Features Distinct B Cell Receptor Repertoire Properties. ImmunoHorizons 2023, 7: 310-322. PMID: 37171806, PMCID: PMC10579972, DOI: 10.4049/immunohorizons.2200078.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsInclusion body myositisMemory B cellsCell infiltrateBody myositisB cellsIBM muscle biopsiesB-cell infiltratesPlasma cell infiltrateClass-switched IgGMuscle tissueAdaptive immune receptor repertoire sequencingHumoral responseHealthy controlsIgA isotypePlasma cellsCell repertoireMuscle biopsyInfiltratesDegenerative disordersDisease pathologyRepertoire sequencingSkeletal muscleDermatomyositisPolymyositisMyositis
2022
Reemergence of pathogenic, autoantibody-producing B cell clones in myasthenia gravis following B cell depletion therapy
Fichtner ML, Hoehn KB, Ford EE, Mane-Damas M, Oh S, Waters P, Payne AS, Smith ML, Watson CT, Losen M, Martinez-Martinez P, Nowak RJ, Kleinstein SH, O’Connor K. Reemergence of pathogenic, autoantibody-producing B cell clones in myasthenia gravis following B cell depletion therapy. Acta Neuropathologica Communications 2022, 10: 154. PMID: 36307868, PMCID: PMC9617453, DOI: 10.1186/s40478-022-01454-0.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsB cell depletion therapyB cell clonesMuSK-MG patientsMyasthenia gravisB cellsMG patientsDepletion therapyCell clonesAutoantibody-producing B cellsMuscle-specific tyrosine kinaseComplete stable remissionB cell receptor repertoireCell receptor repertoireValuable candidate biomarkersB cell receptorMG relapseClinical relapseStable remissionDisease relapseAutoimmune disordersRelapsePatientsAcetylcholine receptorsCandidate biomarkersReceptor repertoire
2020
Monovalent IgG4 autoantibodies require self-antigen driven affinity maturation to acquire pathogenic capacity
Fichtner M, Vieni C, Redler R, Jiang R, Suarez P, Nowak R, Burden S, Bhabha G, Ekiert D, O’Connor K. Monovalent IgG4 autoantibodies require self-antigen driven affinity maturation to acquire pathogenic capacity. The Journal Of Immunology 2020, 204: 224.39-224.39. DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.204.supp.224.39.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMuSK myasthenia gravisMyasthenia gravisUnmutated common ancestorPathogenic capacityB-cell-mediated autoimmune diseasesAntigen-driven affinity maturationCell-mediated autoimmune diseaseMuscle-specific tyrosine kinaseSubset of patientsAutoreactive B cellsMonovalent antigen-binding fragmentsAffinity maturationHuman monoclonal autoantibodiesUnique autoantibodiesIgG4 autoantibodiesPathogenic autoantibodiesAutoimmune disordersAutoimmune responseAutoimmune diseasesSelf antigensIgG4 subclassAutoantibodiesMG autoantibodiesB cellsFab-arm exchange