Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disease that impairs neuromuscular transmission. Autoantibodies and cellular immunity mediate the immunopathology of MG, yet the mechanism of CD8+ T cells in this process remains elucidated. In this study, we discovered a novel subset of CD8 alpha alpha+ T cells in the peripheral blood of an 18-year-old Chinese man diagnosed as MG, who has undergone thymectomy and persistent myasthenia crisis. Designated as CD161neg T cell, this subset was characterized by TCR alpha beta+CD8 alpha alpha+PLZF+V alpha 7.2+ but notably lacked CD161, distinct from mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells known for high CD161. The patient exhibited unusually high levels of CD161neg T cells compared to other MG patients, which fluctuated with infections but not MG severity. RNA sequencing revealed that CD161neg T cells lacked the genes characteristic of mature MAIT cells including CCR6, CXCR6, ZBTB16, and IL18RAP, but expressed cytotoxic T cell-related genes GZMH and IFNG. This study shed new light on the heterogeneity and complexity of CD8 alpha alpha+ T cells in MG patients with thymoma.
基金：
National Nature Science Foundation of China [81702071, 82070730]; Shanghai Outstanding Academic Leader Science and Technology Program [21XD1403000]; Changning District Master Doctor Innovative Talent Base [RCJD2021B01]; Shanghai Jiao Tong University key project of medical engineering [YG2021ZD33, YG2024ZD27]; Project of Changning Dis-trict Health Commission [20234Y003]; Youth project of Changning District Health Commission [2022QN02]; [81971181]
第一作者机构：[1]Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ, Tongren Hosp, Sch Med, Dept Neurol, Shanghai 200336, Peoples R China
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推荐引用方式(GB/T 7714)：
Liu Yujia,Sun Hanxiao,Xu Yingchen,et al.Identification and characteristics of a novel CD8αα T cell subset in a refractory myasthenia gravis patient[J].JOURNAL OF NEUROIMMUNOLOGY.2025,400:doi:10.1016/j.jneuroim.2025.578551.
APA：
Liu, Yujia,Sun, Hanxiao,Xu, Yingchen,Xuan, Binbin,Xia, Guofang...&Sheng, Huiming.(2025).Identification and characteristics of a novel CD8αα T cell subset in a refractory myasthenia gravis patient.JOURNAL OF NEUROIMMUNOLOGY,400,
MLA：
Liu, Yujia,et al."Identification and characteristics of a novel CD8αα T cell subset in a refractory myasthenia gravis patient".JOURNAL OF NEUROIMMUNOLOGY 400.(2025)
