title: Interleukin-10 influences susceptibility to experimental autoimmune thyroiditis independently of the H-2 gene.
abstract: Both BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice are relatively resistant to experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT) due to their histocompatibility (H-2) genetic background; however, susceptibility to EAT is also influenced by other genetic factors. Given the curative effect of interleukin-10 (IL-10) on thyroiditis, in the present study, we investigated whether IL-10 functions as a non-H-2 genetic factor that influences the development of EAT in mice with an EAT-resistant genetic background. In this study, we observed that the development of EAT could be induced in both C57BL/6 IL-10‑deficient (IL-10-/-) and BALB/c IL-10-/- female mice following immunization with mTg, which indicated that IL-10 may be a non-H-2 factor that affects susceptibility to EAT. However, the role of the H-2 factor remained dominant, as the incidence of EAT was low and its severity was mild. We further investigated the underlying pathogenic mechanisms of EAT in IL-10-/- female mice. We found that Th1 cells, Th17 cells, CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells, and their associated cytokines were all involved in the development of EAT. The absence of IL-10 promoted the polarization of pathogenic cells and the production of associated cytokines, and suppressed the proliferation of protective T cell clones. Together, these factors may contribute to the development of EAT in IL-10-/- mice. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that IL-10 plays a critical role in the susceptibility to EAT, and a better understanding of the role of IL-10 in autoimmune thyroiditis may facilitate the development of novel strategies for the treatment of autoimmune thyroid diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Endocrine Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhenqian
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Endocrine Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Tong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Endocrine Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Shanshan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Endocrine Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Hongjin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xuren
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Endocrine Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaoguang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Endocrine Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Yushu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Endocrine Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhongyan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Shan
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Institute of Endocrinology, Liaoning Provincial Key Laboratory of Endocrine Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning 110001, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Weiping
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Teng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016753:Interleukin-10 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D013967:Thyroiditis, Autoimmune / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D006183:H-2 Antigens; C556062:IL10 protein, mouse; D016753:Interleukin-10