title: Binding of solubilized human TSH-receptor protein by peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with Graves' disease.
abstract: Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from patients with hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease (GD) were investigated for the ability to bind radioiodinated TSH receptor protein as hypothetical autoantigen (ABL). Thyrotropin-displacing antibody (TDA)-positive patients, who relapsed and were investigated shortly after starting antithyroid drug therapy, as well as TDA-positive patients with a first diagnosis of GD, who were investigated before starting therapy, showed significantly increased numbers of ABLs (0.2 +/- 0.17%, p less than 0.01 and 0.15 +/- 0.08%, p less than 0.001, respectively) when compared to controls (0.018 +/- 0.016%). In contrast, TDA - negative patients had no significant increase of ABLs (0.08 +/- 0.09%). Preincubation of PBLs with excess unlabelled antigen and nylon wool filtration of PBLs, reduced the number of ABLs markedly. Blocking of the binding sites on the lymphocytes with anti-Ig serum and blocking of the antigen itself by TSH depleted PBLs almost totally from ABLs. The present data indicate that: i) there are lymphocytes of B-cell characteristics capable of binding TSH-receptor; ii) there is a correlation between appearance of ABLs in hyperthyroid GD patients and the detection of TDA in patients' sera; iii) in Hashimoto, toxic nodular goiter and in some normals, a small amount of TSH receptor binding ABLs are detectable.
mesh_terms: D006111:Graves Disease / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006980:Hyperthyroidism / Q000097:blood; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000097:blood*; D011989:Receptors, Thyrotropin; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D011989:Receptors, Thyrotropin