title: NKG2A expression and impaired function of NK cells in patients with new onset of Graves' disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Graves' disease (GD) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease. A significant decrease of the distribution of NK cells in the peripheral blood in children and adolescents with untreated GD has been observed. However, the role of NK and its subsets in adults with GD remains unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 28 adult patients with new onset of GD and 23 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. The number of activated inhibitory NK cells in peripheral blood of individual subjects was determined by flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of CD3(-)CD56(+) and CD3(-)CD16(+)NK cells in peripheral blood was significantly decreased in the GD patients than the HC. Compared to the HCs, decreased number of NKG2D(+), NKG2C(+), NKp30(+) and NKG2A(+) NK cells and increased number of KIR3DL1(+) NK cells were detected in the GD patients. Moreover, the number of inducible CD107a(+) and IFN-γ-secreting NK cells in GD patients significantly decreased than those in HC. Interestingly, the number of NKG2A(+)NK cells was negatively correlated with the level of serum TRAb in GD patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data indicate that decreased number and impaired function of NK cells may contribute to the pathogenesis of GD.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China. Electronic address: zhangyupan007@163.com.
authors.forename: Yupan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China. Electronic address: lgy08@sina.com.
authors.forename: Guoyue
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China. Electronic address: xiaolou001009@163.com.
authors.forename: Xiaoqian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Center Hospital of Tonghua City, Tonghua 134000, China. Electronic address: pengdi55@126.com.
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China. Electronic address: quxiaozhang2013@163.com.
authors.forename: Xiaozhang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China. Electronic address: xige_yang@163.com.
authors.forename: Xige
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Haramaya University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. Electronic address: desadmassu@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Desalegn Admassu
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Ayana
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China. Electronic address: nfmguohui@126.com.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, Ministry of Education, The First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou 225009, China. Electronic address: yanfangjiang@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Yanfang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D015550:Cell Degranulation / Q000276:immunology; D002469:Cell Separation; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055654:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D054341:Receptors, KIR3DL1 / Q000378:metabolism; D055607:Receptors, Natural Killer Cell / Q000378:metabolism; D011988:Receptors, Thyroid Hormone / Q000276:immunology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D001323:Autoantibodies; C515083:KIR3DL1 protein, human; D055654:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C; D054341:Receptors, KIR3DL1; D055607:Receptors, Natural Killer Cell; D011988:Receptors, Thyroid Hormone; D007371:Interferon-gamma
keywords: GD; KIR3DL1; NK; NKG2A; NKG2D; NKP30