title: Low frequency of pendrin autoantibodies detected using a radioligand binding assay in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pendrin is a transmembrane protein located at the apical end of the thyrocyte in which it mediates the efflux of iodide through the thyroid follicular cell. Recently pendrin was described as a significant antibody target in Japanese patients with Graves' disease (GD) or autoimmune hypothyroidism (AH) using an immunoblotting assay. However, a subsequent study failed to verify this in autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD) patients of Tunisian origin.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the current study was to evaluate a UK population of patients with ATD for the presence of pendrin autoantibodies using a novel radioligand binding assay (RBA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sera from 71 GD and 66 AH patients and 28 healthy controls were evaluated for pendrin autoantibody reactivity in RBAs. The results indicated that 8.8% of patients with ATD (9.9% GD and 7.6% AH) were positive for pendrin autoantibodies. Overall, the frequency of pendrin autoantibodies did not differ significantly between the ATD patient cohorts and the healthy control group: P = .186 and P = .317 for GD and AH patients, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pendrin autoantibodies, detected using a novel RBA, are not widely prevalent in UK patients with ATD, nor do they differ in frequency between GD and AH. These autoantibodies are therefore unlikely to be a useful marker for disease diagnosis, although the role that pendrin may play as an autoantigen in the initiation or maintenance of thyroid autoimmunity remains to be established.
authors: Department of Human Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Beech Hill Road, Sheffield S10 2RX, United Kingdom. e.h.kemp@sheffield.ac.uk
authors: E Helen
authors: EH
authors: Kemp
authors: Harpreet K
authors: HK
authors: Sandhu
authors: Philip F
authors: PF
authors: Watson
authors: Anthony P
authors: AP
authors: Weetman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D000076988:Sulfate Transporters; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D026901:Membrane Transport Proteins; C085609:SLC26A4 protein, human; D000076988:Sulfate Transporters