title: Th17/Treg cells imbalance and GITRL profile in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
abstract: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is an organ-specific immune disease characterized by the presence of lymphocytic infiltration and serum autoantibodies. Previous studies have confirmed the critical role of Th17 cells in the pathopoiesis of HT patients. Additionally, regulatory T cells (Treg) display a dysregulatory function in autoimmune disease. The purpose of this study is to investigate the alteration of Th17 and Treg cells in HT patients and explore contributing factors. We found there was an increased ratio of Th17/Treg in HT patients and a positive correlation with autoantibodies (anti-TgAb). In addition, there was an increased level of GITRL, which has been demonstrated to be correlated with the increassement of Th17 cells in the serum and thyroid glands of HT patients; the upregulated serum level of GITRL has a positive correlation with the percentage of Th17 cells in HT patients. In summary, an increase in GITRL may impair the balance of Th17/Treg, and contribute to the pathopoiesis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, the Affiliated People's Hospital, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212002, China. zjliuyingzhao@126.com.
authors.forename: Yingzhao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. xinyitang0301@sina.com.
authors.forename: Xinyi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. tjj850913@163.com.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. zcl51234@163.com.
authors.forename: Chenlu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, the Affiliated People's Hospital, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212002, China. penghuiyong33815@163.com.
authors.forename: Huiyong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. j827864988@163.com.
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rui
authors.affiliation: Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. wyg1223@126.com.
authors.forename: Yungang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. mcm20040901@126.com.
authors.forename: Chaoming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. zjflmj19780723@126.com.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Centre of Infection and Immunology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China. liweilu@hkucc.hku.hk.
authors.forename: Liwei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. xuhx@ujs.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Huaxi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, the Affiliated People's Hospital, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212002, China. sjwjs@ujs.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Shengjun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D050031:Hashimoto Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057132:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D013954:Thyroglobulin / Q000276:immunology; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D048069:Tumor Necrosis Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020381:Interleukin-17; D057132:Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C478967:TNFSF18 protein, human; D048069:Tumor Necrosis Factors; D013954:Thyroglobulin