Expression of thyrotropin-receptor mRNA in healthy and Graves' disease retro-orbital tissue.
It is not clear whether the ophthalmopathy present in Graves' disease is related to autoimmune reactions to common thyroid/orbit components or is due to specific ocular antigens unrelated to the thyroid. In Graves' disease, serum antibodies to the thyrotropin receptor (TSH-R) can stimulate thyroid function, but no link between the TSH-R and ocular tissues has been found. We have shown, by polymerase chain reaction amplification of specific cDNA, that mature TSH-R mRNA is expressed in the retro-orbital tissue of both healthy subjects and patients with Graves' disease. Of other tissues and cells tested (fibroblasts, lymphocytes, muscle, and thyroid), only thyroid tissue expressed the TSH-R mRNA.
Feliciello
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A
Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Molecolare e Cellulare, Facoltà di Medicina, Università di Napoli, Italy.
Porcellini
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A
Ciullo
I
I
Bonavolontà
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G
Avvedimento
E V
EV
Fenzi
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G
D001483:Base Sequence; D015342:DNA Probes; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009915:Orbit / Q000737:chemistry*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D011989:Receptors, Thyrotropin / Q000737:chemistry*
D015342:DNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011989:Receptors, Thyrotropin