Decreased expression of c-myc family genes in thymuses from myasthenia gravis patients

The thymus is a critical organ for the elimination of autoreactive T cells by apoptosis. We studied the expression of apoptosis-associated genes, bcl- xL, bad, caspase-3, and c-myc family genes in myasthenia gravis (MG) thymus es. We observed that the mRNA levels of myc family genes, c-myc and max, we re markedly reduced in MG thymuses. These results indicate that c-myc-media ted signaling is abnormal in MG thymuses. The levels of molecules whose exp ressions are associated with myc, such as STAM, prothymosin-alpha, and NFka ppaB, were also analyzed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserve d.