2023
Individual myasthenia gravis autoantibody clones can efficiently mediate multiple mechanisms of pathology
Pham M, Masi G, Patzina R, Obaid A, Oxendine S, Oh S, Payne A, Nowak R, O’Connor K. Individual myasthenia gravis autoantibody clones can efficiently mediate multiple mechanisms of pathology. Acta Neuropathologica 2023, 146: 319-336. PMID: 37344701, PMCID: PMC11380498, DOI: 10.1007/s00401-023-02603-y.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMyasthenia gravisAntigenic modulationPathogenic mechanismsAutoimmune myasthenia gravisCurrent therapeutic approachesΑ-bungarotoxin bindingNicotinic acetylcholine receptorsReceptor blockadeSerum autoantibodiesAutoreactive clonesMonoclonal levelTherapeutic approachesMonoclonal autoantibodiesAcetylcholine receptorsComplement activationAutoantibodiesAChR subunitsJurkat cell lineDistinct molecular mechanismsPathogenic profilePathogenic capacityPathologyCell-based assaysMAbsPatientsClinicoserological insights into patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor‐induced myasthenia gravis
Masi G, Pham M, Karatz T, Oh S, Payne A, Nowak R, Howard J, Guptill J, Juel V, O'Connor K. Clinicoserological insights into patients with immune checkpoint inhibitor‐induced myasthenia gravis. Annals Of Clinical And Translational Neurology 2023, 10: 825-831. PMID: 36924454, PMCID: PMC10187728, DOI: 10.1002/acn3.51761.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAutoantibodiesComplement ActivationHumansImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsMyasthenia GravisReceptors, Cholinergic
2022
The clinical need for clustered AChR cell-based assay testing of seronegative MG
Masi G, Li Y, Karatz T, Pham MC, Oxendine SR, Nowak RJ, Guptill JT, O'Connor KC. The clinical need for clustered AChR cell-based assay testing of seronegative MG. Journal Of Neuroimmunology 2022, 367: 577850. PMID: 35366559, PMCID: PMC9106915, DOI: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2022.577850.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsSNMG patientsMyasthenia gravisAChR-specific B cellsClinical needAcetylcholine receptor autoantibodiesSeronegative MG patientsSeronegative myasthenia gravisCell-based assaysAutoantibody positivityTrial eligibilityMG patientsReceptor autoantibodiesPatientsB cellsU.S. CentersNew treatmentsAssaysGravisAutoantibodiesSerostatusAChRPositivity
2021
Elevated N-Linked Glycosylation of IgG V Regions in Myasthenia Gravis Disease Subtypes.
Mandel-Brehm C, Fichtner ML, Jiang R, Winton VJ, Vazquez SE, Pham MC, Hoehn KB, Kelleher NL, Nowak RJ, Kleinstein SH, Wilson MR, DeRisi JL, O'Connor KC. Elevated N-Linked Glycosylation of IgG V Regions in Myasthenia Gravis Disease Subtypes. The Journal Of Immunology 2021, 207: 2005-2014. PMID: 34544801, PMCID: PMC8492536, DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100225.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMyasthenia gravisB-cell-mediated autoimmune diseasesBCR repertoireCell-mediated autoimmune diseaseTotal BCR repertoireTotal circulating IgGSubset of patientsB cell repertoireElevated NGene segment usageMG subtypesAutoimmune disordersAutoimmune diseasesHealthy donorsCell repertoireDisease subtypesDistinct subtypesReceptor repertoireAdaptive immune receptor repertoiresV regionsAutoantigen bindingPatientsSegment usageSubtypesImmune receptor repertoires
2020
Thymus-derived B cell clones persist in the circulation after thymectomy in myasthenia gravis
Jiang R, Hoehn KB, Lee CS, Pham MC, Homer RJ, Detterbeck FC, Aban I, Jacobson L, Vincent A, Nowak RJ, Kaminski HJ, Kleinstein SH, O'Connor KC. Thymus-derived B cell clones persist in the circulation after thymectomy in myasthenia gravis. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2020, 117: 30649-30660. PMID: 33199596, PMCID: PMC7720237, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2007206117.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAdolescentAdultAutoantibodiesBiomarkersB-LymphocytesClonal EvolutionClonal Selection, Antigen-MediatedDisease SusceptibilityFemaleHumansLymphocyte CountMaleMiddle AgedModels, BiologicalMyasthenia GravisRadioimmunoassayReceptors, CholinergicThymectomyThymus GlandV(D)J RecombinationYoung AdultConceptsB cell clonesMyasthenia gravisB cell repertoireB cellsCell clonesPlasma cellsCell repertoireAdditional immunosuppressive treatmentDiminished clinical responseThymic lymphofollicular hyperplasiaComplete stable remissionMajority of patientsAntigen-experienced B cellsRandomized clinical trialsClinical symptom measuresAChR autoantibodiesImmunosuppressive treatmentSteroid doseAutoantibody titersMG thymusClinical responseStable remissionClinical scoresAutoimmune diseasesClinical trialsSingle-cell repertoire tracing identifies rituximab-resistant B cells during myasthenia gravis relapses
Jiang R, Fichtner ML, Hoehn KB, Pham MC, Stathopoulos P, Nowak RJ, Kleinstein SH, O'Connor KC. Single-cell repertoire tracing identifies rituximab-resistant B cells during myasthenia gravis relapses. JCI Insight 2020, 5 PMID: 32573488, PMCID: PMC7453893, DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.136471.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMuscle-specific kinase myasthenia gravisMemory B cellsB cell subsetsAntibody-secreting cellsB cellsCell subsetsAutoantibody-producing B cellsB-cell depleting therapyCell-depleting therapyB cell clonesB cell survivalGene expression signaturesMyasthenia gravisAutoimmune disordersRelapseB cell samplesReceptor profilingCell clonesExpression signaturesRituximabTherapyCell survivalCellsTreatmentCell samples