title: Allospecific DR gene expression on the human thyroid cell.
abstract: Human thyroid epithelial cells, stimulated with recombinant gamma interferon (IF) (100 U/ml), were HLA-DR typed by means of antibody-dependent, complement-mediated cytotoxicity. The thyroid cell lysis reaction patterns were found to be similar to those obtained with autologous peripheral B cells in four of five separate experiments. Since the cytotoxic reactions with thyroid cells were sometimes incomplete with many antisera, a two-color fluorescence technique was developed to measure the specificity of the antibody-dependent, complement-mediated lysis. Using constitutively HLA-D antigen-positive Raji B lymphoblastoid cells as controls, we showed that non-polymorphic HLA-D and HLA-DR determinants could be detected on the thyroid cell surfaces by this cell lysis approach. In addition, gamma IF stimulated thyroid cells from a DR3 positive individual were lysed to a significantly greater than unstimulated autologous thyroid cells with the use of a specific monoclonal antibody to HLA-DR3, thus confirming the original HLA typing studies. These data demonstrate, for the first time, that the expression of HLA-DR antigen on the surface of human thyroid cells is allospecific and may, therefore, play an important role in the immunopathology of autoimmune thyroid disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Dower
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Piccinini
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Roman
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Safirstein
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Davies
mesh_terms: D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D015870:Gene Expression; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D006684:HLA-DR Antigens