Accumulation of identical T cell clones in the right and left lobes of the thyroid gland in patients with Graves' disease: analysis of T cell clonotype in vivo.
To elucidate the involvement of intrathyroidal T cells in the thyroid antigen-specific immune response in Graves' disease (GD), we investigated whether identical T cell clonotypes accumulate clonally in the right and left lobes of thyroid glands of GD patients. mRNAs extracted from thyroid glands of five females patients with GD were reverse-transcribed to cDNA and then the genes coding the T cell receptor B chain variable (V-NDN-J) region were amplified using polymerase chain reaction. Single strand conformation polymorphism analysis and subsequently nucleotide sequencing were also performed to determine the clonotype of accumulating T cells. T cells infiltrating the thyroid glands showed oligoclonal expansion. The expanded T cell clonotypes were not detected in peripheral blood of the same patients. Importantly, the majority of expanding T cell clonotypes in the two lobes of the thyroid glands were identical. Our findings suggest that the clonal expansion of identical T cell clonotypes in the two lobes is driven by factors common to both lobes, such as thyroid-specific antigens, in patients with Graves' disease.
Sekine
T
T
Rheumatology, Immunology and Genetics Program, Institute of Medical Science, St. Marianna University, Kanagawa, Japan.
Kato
R
R
Kato
T
T
Masuko-Hongo
K
K
Kameko
F
F
Maruyama
M
M
Nishioka
K
K
Yamamoto
K
K
D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002999:Clone Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta