title: Absence of anti-pendrin auto-antibodies in the sera of Tunisian patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We previously demonstrated that the PDS gene is involved in the genetic susceptibility to autoimmune thyroid diseases (AITD) in Tunisia. In the same population, we now investigated the presence of anti-pendrin auto-antibodies (aAbs) in AITD patients' sera.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty seven Tunisian AITD patients and 19 healthy subjects from families previously linked to the PDS gene, 75 unrelated patients and 20 healthy unrelated subjects were included in our study. The detection of anti-pendrin aAbs in patients' sera was performed by ELISA using membrane protein extracts of CHO cells expressing pendrin (CHO-hPDS) and by immunofluorescence using transient COS-7 cells expressing a GFP tagged pendrin. CHO cells transfected with human TPO in the same ELISA conditions were used as positive control.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of AITD patients' sera were positive for the presence of anti-TPO aAbs. In contrast, no reactivity was detected with CHO-hPDS membrane protein extracts. Likewise, no significant immunostaining was found on transfected COS-7cells upon exposure to patients' and controls' sera.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data point to the absence of anti-pendrin aAbs in Tunisian AITD patients' sera.
authors.affiliation: Unité Cibles pour le Diagnostic et la Thérapie, Centre de Biotechnologie de Sfax, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Salima
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belguith-Maalej
authors.forename: Hassen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hadj-Kacem
authors.forename: Sandra A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Rebuffat
authors.forename: Mouna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mnif-Feki
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abid
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gross
authors.forename: Hammadi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ayadi
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Peraldi-Roux
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D016466:CHO Cells; D019556:COS Cells; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D000076988:Sulfate Transporters; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D014162:Transfection; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; C085609:SLC26A4 protein, human; D000076988:Sulfate Transporters