title: Autoantibody against WD repeat domain 1 is a novel serological biomarker for screening of thyroid neoplasia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Thyroid nodules are common among adults, and accurate diagnosis is critical in for management decisions. Ultrasound and fine needle aspiration cytology are the most common methods to evaluate nodules, but they are not practical for screening large numbers of patients because of cost and time considerations.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to isolate an autoantibody to tumour antigen, WD repeat domain 1 (WDR1), and evaluate its diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for thyroid neoplasms.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated serological biomarkers in patients with thyroid carcinoma who had a poor prognosis. Using a serological analysis of recombinant cDNA expression cloning (SEREX) strategy, we isolated WDR1 and its specific autoantibody in the sera of patients with undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma (UTC). We examined using indirect ELISA, the titre of the anti-WDR1 antibody (AWA) in 54 study patients: 10 with UTC, 20 with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), 17 with benign thyroid nodule (BTN), 7 with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), as well as 38 controls (N).
  
  
  RESULTS
  WDR1 was ubiquitously expressed in various types of thyroid tissues. However, the titre of AWA in UTC and PTC was significantly higher than that in BTN, AITD and N (P < 0·001). No significant correlation was observed between thyroid function, serum thyroglobulin and tumour diameter. The cut-off value estimated using ROC to differentiate malignancies from others was 0·95 (sensitivity 96·7%, specificity 91·9%, AUC 0·969, P < 0·001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Anti-WDR1 antibody could be a novel approach for serological screening of PTC and UTC, and could be an efficient and inexpensive biomarker.
authors.affiliation: Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Tottori University Faculty of Medicine, Yonago, Japan.
authors.forename: Shoichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Izawa
authors.forename: Tomohisa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okamura
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsuzawa
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohkura
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohkura
authors.forename: Kiyosuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishiguro
authors.forename: Jaeduk Yoshimura
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Noh
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kamijo
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: Chiaki
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shigemasa
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Shin-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D002460:Cell Line; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D015723:Gene Library; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000097:blood; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016606:Thyroid Nodule / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; C118067:WDR1 protein, human; D013954:Thyroglobulin