title: Thyroglobulin-treated blood dendritic cells induce IgG anti-thyroglobulin antibody in vitro in Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
abstract: Nonadherent, low density cells of dendritic morphology from the blood of patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis were treated with human thyroglobulin (Tg) in vitro and cultured under serum-free conditions with autologous patient B cells and irradiated T cells. The patients were selected for high serum levels of IgG antithyroglobulin antibody (anti-Tg IgG). In 2 out of 12 patients the Tg-treatment induced production of anti-Tg IgG in excess of that secreted spontaneously. The amount of antibody produced in vitro (whether increased by Tg or not) correlated with the serum levels of antibody. In 5 patients (including the 2 who responded to Tg) the ratio of supernatant IgG anti-Tg antibody to total IgG was reduced when polyclonal stimulation was done with BCGF (10%). Antibody production was absent in cultures of cells from 2 patients with Graves disease and 4 normal individuals. Thus, in some patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an extrinsically added autoantigen (Tg) on blood-derived dendritic cells can induce IgG anti-Tg antibody in vitro. These data suggest that "professional" antigen-presenting cells may play a role in autoimmune thyroid disease.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000276:immunology*; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D013954:Thyroglobulin