Thymic lymphocytes in myasthenia gravis

Abstract

Lymphocytes from the thymus glands of myasthenic patients and controls were characterized in terms of their percentages of B- and T-cells and their ability to stimulate the proliferation of autologous peripheral blood lymphocytes. Percentages of B- and T-cells were the same in the thymuses of myasthenic and control subjects. Autologous peripheral lymphocyte stimulation by thymocytes was observed in only 1 of 3 myasthenic patients, and this was with a thymus gland containing a thymoma. These results thus differ from those of other investigators.