Thyroid fetal male microchimerisms in mothers with thyroid disorders: presence of Y-chromosomal immunofluorescence in thyroid-infiltrating lymphocytes is more prevalent in Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease than in follicular adenomas.
The presence of fetal cells in a maternal compartment is defined as fetal-maternal microchimerism, which has been detected in thyroids of mothers suffering from autoimmunity. We analyzed the immunohistology of paraffin-embedded thyroid specimen taken at surgery from 49 women with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (n = 25), Graves' disease (n = 15), or nodular or diffuse follicular adenomas (n = 9), whose childbirth history was positive for sons. By fluorescence in situ hybridization we screened for X-chromosome- and Y-chromosome-specific staining and compared the finding with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DQ types of the mothers and, where available, their offspring. In 23 thyroids we found Y-chromosome-specific staining, which was more frequent in thyroid autoimmune disease (60% Hashimoto's thyroiditis and 40% Graves' disease) than in follicular adenomas (22.2%). There was no significant difference for HLA DQ alleles among women whose thyroids showed Y-chromosome staining and those without. However, a subgroup of all investigated microchimerism-positive mother-child pairs and women with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease more often had the susceptibility alleles HLA DQA1*0501-DQB1*0201 or DQB1*0301. In conclusion, fetal microchimerism is observed in thyroids of mothers with sons, and this is found more frequently in thyroid autoimmune diseases.
Renné
Christoph
C
Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Theodor-Stern-Kai 7, D-60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Ramos Lopez
Elizabeth
E
Steimle-Grauer
Susanne A
SA
Ziolkowski
Piotr
P
Pani
Michael A
MA
Luther
Christina
C
Holzer
Katharina
K
Encke
Albrecht
A
Wahl
Robert A
RA
Bechstein
Wolf O
WO
Usadel
Klaus H
KH
Hansmann
Martin-Leo
ML
Badenhoop
Klaus
K
D000236:Adenoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000483:Alleles; D018951:Antigens, CD20 / Q000032:analysis; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000032:analysis; D002678:Chimera; D041322:Chromosomes, Human, Y; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology*; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
D018951:Antigens, CD20; D017252:CD3 Complex; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens