Binding of immunoglobulin-G from patients with thyroid autoimmune disease to normal T lymphocytes.
Sera from patients with Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis were reacted with normal T lymphocyte preparations in an attempt to detect binding of immunoglobulin G (IgG) to T cells. Sera from normal subjects and patients with toxic adenomas served as controls. Each serum was reacted with at least three different preparations of normal T cells. Bound IgG was identified using a fluoresceinated second antibody, antihuman IgG. Positive cells were enumerated by means of epifluorescent microscopy. IgG from 57.8% of toxic Graves' patients, 30.7% of Graves' patients who were euthyroid after treatment, and 41.6% of Hashimoto's patients bound to normal T cells more than did IgG from normal controls. Reactivity of toxic adenoma sera was similar to that of normal sera. When the positive sera were reacted with helper or suppressor/cytotoxic T cell preparations (separated by negative selection technique), the binding was shown to be directed against suppressor/cytotoxic T cells but not against helper cells. These data indicate that a significant proportion of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease have IgG in their serum which react with a subset of normal T suppressor/cytotoxic cells. This phenomenon could be the expression of anti-lymphocyte antibodies, which may relate to previously recognized reductions in number and function of suppressor T cells in autoimmune thyroid disease.
D000236:Adenoma / Q000276:immunology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000276:immunology*
D007074:Immunoglobulin G