Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2005, 207(2)

Invited Review

The Role of the Thymus in the Pathogenesis of Myasthenia Gravis

HIROSHI ONODERA

Department of Neurology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan

Myasthenia gravis is an organ-specific autoimmune disease characterized by the production of anti-acetylcholine receptor antibodies. In this review, I describe the pathophysiological importance of the altered chemokine receptor-mediated signaling in the thymus and peripheral blood of myasthenia gravis patients. The epidemiological and clinical features of myasthenia gravis are also discussed.

keywords ——chemokine; myasthenia gravis; thymus

© 2005 Tohoku University Medical Press

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Correspondence: Hiroshi Onodera, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Neurology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryomachi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8574, Japan.

e-mail: honodera@em.neurol.med.tohoku.ac.jp