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Hansen M, Cheever A, Weber KS, O’Neill KL. Characterizing the Interplay of Lymphocytes in Graves' Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:6835. [PMID: 37047805 PMCID: PMC10094834 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24076835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 04/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Graves' disease (GD) is a thyroid-specific autoimmune disease with a high prevalence worldwide. The disease is primarily mediated by B cells, which produce autoantibodies against the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR), chronically stimulating it and leading to high levels of thyroid hormones in the body. Interest in characterizing the immune response in GD has motivated many phenotyping studies. The immunophenotype of the cells involved and the interplay between them and their secreted factors are crucial to understanding disease progression and future treatment options. T cell populations are markedly distinct, including increased levels of Th17 and follicular helper T cells (Tfh), while Treg cells appear to be impaired. Some B cells subsets are autoreactive, and anti-TSHR antibodies are the key disease-causing outcome of this interplay. Though some consensus across phenotyping studies will be discussed here, there are also complexities that are yet to be resolved. A better understanding of the immunophenotype of Graves' disease can lead to improved treatment strategies and novel drug targets.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Kim L. O’Neill
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA; (M.H.); (A.C.); (K.S.W.)
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Qin D, Xu H, Chen Z, Deng X, Jiang S, Zhang X, Bao S. The peripheral and decidual immune cell profiles in women with recurrent pregnancy loss. Front Immunol 2022; 13:994240. [PMID: 36177021 PMCID: PMC9513186 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.994240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) affects 1-2% of couples of reproductive age. Immunological analysis of the immune status in RPL patients might contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of RPL. However, the exact immune cell composition in RPL patients is still unclear. Here, we used flow cytometry to investigate the immune cell profiles of peripheral blood and decidual tissue of women who experienced RPL. We divided peripheral immune cells into 14 major subgroups, and the percentages of T, natural killer T (NKT)-like and B cells in peripheral blood were increased in RPL patients. The decidual immune cells were classified into 14 major subpopulations and the percentages of decidual T, NKT-like cells and CD11chi Mφ were increased, while those of CD56hi decidual NK cells and CD11clo Mφ were decreased in RPL patients. The spearmen correlation analysis showed that the proportion of peripheral and decidual immune cells did not show significant correlations with occurrences of previous miscarriages. By using flow cytometry, we depicted the global peripheral and decidual immune landscape in RPL patients. The abnormalities of peripheral and decidual immune cells may be involved in RPL, but the correlations with the number of previous miscarriages need further verification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dengke Qin
- Department of Reproductive Immunology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Huihui Xu
- The Center for Microbes, Development and Health, Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology & Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences/University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Zechuan Chen
- The Center for Microbes, Development and Health, Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology & Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences/University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xujing Deng
- Department of Reproductive Immunology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Shan Jiang
- The Center for Microbes, Development and Health, Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology & Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences/University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoming Zhang
- The Center for Microbes, Development and Health, Key Laboratory of Molecular Virology & Immunology, Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, Chinese Academy of Sciences/University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Shihua Bao, ; Xiaoming Zhang,
| | - Shihua Bao
- Department of Reproductive Immunology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Shanghai Institute of Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Gynecologic Oncology, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
- *Correspondence: Shihua Bao, ; Xiaoming Zhang,
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Liu S, Miao JJ, Zhou X, Sun Q, Mao XM. High levels of thyroid hormones promote recurrence of Graves' disease via overexpression of B-cell-activating factor. J Clin Lab Anal 2022; 36:e24701. [PMID: 36097969 PMCID: PMC9550970 DOI: 10.1002/jcla.24701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Elevated thyroid hormone (TH) levels have been suggested to be associated with the pathological progression of Graves' disease (GD). However, direct evidence from clinical studies remains unclear. Methods Peripheral blood samples were collected from patients with or without the recurrence of Graves' hyperthyroidism (GH) and healthy donors. Thyroid tissue samples were obtained from patients with benign thyroid nodules. To assess the differentiation of autoreactive B cells, the expression of B‐cell‐activating factor (BAFF) and the proportion of CD11c+/–IgG+/− subsets of B cells stimulated by high levels of triiodothyronine (T3) in vivo and in vitro were examined by ELISA, flow cytometry, western blotting, and qRT‐PCR. Results Serum BAFF levels in patients with GD were significantly and positively correlated with FT3, FT4, and TRAb levels. Furthermore, the ratio of abnormally differentiated CD11c+ autoreactive B cells positively correlated with BAFF and TRAb. High levels of triiodothyronine (T3) induced BAFF overexpression in thyroid follicular cells and mononuclear cells of the normal thyroid in vitro, thereby promoting the differentiation of CD11c+IgG+ autoreactive secretory B cells (ASCs). However, the precise knockdown of BAFF expression significantly inhibited the abnormal differentiation of ASCs. Conclusion The pathological progression of GD was prolonged and exacerbated by autoimmune positive feedback modulation caused by high TH levels. BAFF could be considered a potential target for localized thyroid immunosuppressive treatment of Graves' hyperthyroidism recurrence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu Liu
- Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Jing-Jing Miao
- Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiao Zhou
- Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Qi Sun
- Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiao-Ming Mao
- Department of Endocrinology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
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