The Study Of Telomerase Activity Of Peripheral Blood CD4～+T Lymphocytes In The MG Patients

Objective: To investigate the expression feature of telomerase activity of peripheral blood CD4~+T lymphocytes in the MG patients and the correlation between it and clinic score,the serum level of AchRab and PsmRab in MG.Methods: Telomerase activity of CD4~+T lymphocytes were detected by telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assays by polymerase chain reaction-based enzyme immunoassay (PCR-ELISA) in 40 patients and 30 healthy individuals(NC group). The serum levels of AchRab and PsmRab were detected with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 40 patients. MG group were subdivided into subgroups according to their clinical absolute scores.Results: (1) Telomerase activity of CD4~+T lymphocytes in MG group were significantly higher than those in NC group(p<0. 01). (2)There were no difference between subgroups of MG groups. (3)There was a positive correlation between telomerase activity of CD4~+T lymphocytes and the clinical absolute scores in MG patients(r=0.507, p<0.05). The telomerase activity of CD4~+T lymphocytes between subgroups of different course of disease had no statistical significant. (4) The telomerase activity of CD4~+T lymphocytes in patients with abnormal thymus (including thymic hyperplasia and thymoma) were higher than those with normal' s. (p <0. 05). (5)There were no difference among the telomerase activity of CD4~+T lymphocytes with different antibodies. (6)The telomerase activity of CD4~+T lymphocytes and the clinical absolute scores were decreased after immunotherapy, but no correlation was found between the relative telomerase activity of CD4~+ T lymphocytes and the clinical relative scores .Conclusion: There may be a correlation between increased telomerase activity of CD4~+T lymphocytes and the pathogenesy of MG. The telomerase activity of CD4~+ T lymphocytes was a meaningful parameter in evaluating the disabilities in MG patients and the effect of immunotherapy. There were no correlations between the telomerase activity of CD4~+T lymphocytes with different antibodies. Thymic hyperplasia and thymoma may contribute to the induced telomerase activity of CD4~+T lymphocytes in MG.