Here we report the result of a case-control study which evaluated the association of two oestrogen receptor alpha gene polymorphisms with myasthenia gravis in Caucasian patients.
The dysregulation of ER expression in MG lymphocytes could affect the maintenance of the homeostatic conditions and might influence the progression of the autoimmune response.
In MG patients, we found an increased expression of ER alpha on thymocytes and both ERs on T cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, indicating that the signals provided by thymic and peripheral microenvironments are distinct.