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Updated: Aug 9, 2026
Generation of a Mouse Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis Model
Published on: March 17, 2023
[Gene and protein expression of thyrotropin-receptor in retro-bulbar tissue from thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy]
Feng-yuan Sun1, Ye Pan, Guo-xiang Song
1Department of Ophthalmology, Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300211, China. sfyeye@sina.com
Objective:
To investigate gene and protein expression level of thyrotropin-receptor (TSHR) in retro-bulbar connective tissue and fat tissue in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO).
Methods:
Retro-bulbar tissues specimens were obtained from 11 cases of TAO patients and 10 control cases during the operation. RNA was extracted from the tissue specimens using single-step method of acid guanidinium-thiocyanate-phenol-chloroform extraction and TSHR mRNA was analyzed by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Immunochemistry staining was performed in patients expressed TSHR, using a mouse polyclonal anti-TSHR peptide antibody to observe protein expression level of TSHR.
Results:
The size of TSHR mRNA segment is 521 bp. The rate of TSHR mRNA expression in TAO retro-bulbar tissue was 91% and was 20% in the control cases, the former was significantly greater than the later. Protein expression rate was 66.7% in TAO patients, and was negative in the controls.
Conclusions:
High TSHR mRNA expression level and protein level in TAO retro-bulbar tissue and no expression in control tissue indicate that TSHR exists as a common antigen in the orbit and thyroid, and plays a key role in the pathogenesis of TAO.
