title: Thyroglobulin-specific T cell line from a healthy individual does not produce proinflammatory cytokines on antigenic stimulation: an implication for possible fail-safe mechanism to avoid autoimmunity.
abstract: In order to investigate the regulation of autoimmune response to thyroglobulin (Tg), one of the thyroid autoantigens, we established a Tg-specific T cell line by stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a healthy volunteer with Tg and characterized its cytokine production pattern. The Tg-specific T cell line, designated DH5D1, obtained from a limiting dilution culture bore alpha beta T cell receptor and was CD4 and CD45RO positive. Upon stimulation with Tg, DH5D1 secreted little or no titers of IL-2, TNF-alpha, and IFN-gamma, whereas activation with combination of phorbol myristate acetate and calcium ionophore produced measurable levels of these cytokines. These results indicate that the Tg-specific T cell line is not defective in its capacity to produce proinflammatory cytokines and suggest that the inability of cytokine production by autoreactive T cells of healthy individuals is one fail-safe mechanism for preventing aggression of harmful autoimmune response.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Chiba University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shimojo
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katsuki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tarutani
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kohno
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niimi
mesh_terms: D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D000939:Epitopes; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D016207:Cytokines; D000939:Epitopes; D013954:Thyroglobulin