To investigate the effect of immature dendritic cells (iDCs) on experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (MG), iDCs were
generated in low dose of GM-CSF, and then they were pulsed with acetylcholine receptor (AchR) and transferred to allogeneic
rats. After 3 weeks, all rats were immunized with AchR and complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) and observed for the corresponding
indices of MG for 7 weeks. Our results showed that compared with mature DCs (mDCs) generated at high dose of GM-CSF plus additional
stimulation by lipopolysaccharide, iDCs expressed significantly lower levels of MHC-II, CD80 and CD86, and their ability to
uptake FITC-Dextran was stronger but the ability of stimulating proliferation of allogeneic T cells were weaker. Like controls,
after immunization, all rats transferred with iDCs, mDCs and AchR-pulsed mDCs showed typical symptoms in 4 to 7 weeks. The
amplitude of electromyogram wave dropped obviously, the level of serum AchRab increased and neuromuscular junction showed
typical damage of MG. In contrast, no conspicuous changes were noted in rats transferred with AchR-pulsed iDCs. The results
suggest that iDCs could be generated by inducing bone marrow precursors in low dose of GM-CSF, AchR-pulsed iDCs could induce
tolerance of EAMG. The dysfunction of DCs may play an important role in the initiation and maintenance of normal immune response
in MG.
Key words myasthenia gravis - dendritic cells - maturational stage - immunotolerance
LI Luoqing, male, born in 1972, M.D., Ph.D.
This work was supported intensively by a grant from Natural Science Foundation of Hubei proince (No. 2004ADA245)