Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026
Generation of a Mouse Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis Model
Published on: March 17, 2023
Apoptosis-induced decrease of intrathyroidal CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells in autoimmune thyroid diseases
Aiko Nakano1, Mikio Watanabe, Takao Iida
1Division of Biomedical Informatics, Course of Health Science, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
Background:
We previously showed that the proportion of CD4(+) T cells was lower and both the proportion and intensity of Fas expression on intrathyroidal CD4(+) T cells were higher in the thyroid than in the peripheral blood of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD).
Objective:
To clarify whether the intrathyroidal CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells are decreased by Fas-mediated apoptosis in patients with AITD.
Design:
We examined intrathyroidal and peripheral lymphocytes in 20 patients with AITD (15 patients with Gravesâ disease and five patients with Hashimotoâs disease) and peripheral lymphocytes in 10 healthy volunteers by three-color flow cytometry.
Main Outcome:
The proportion of CD4(+)CD25(+) cells was lower in the thyroid of patients with AITD than in the peripheral blood of the same patients or the peripheral blood of the healthy subjects. The proportions of CD4(+)CD25(+)CD69() cells and Forkhead box P3 (Foxp3)(+)CD4(+)CD25(+) cells, which constitute more specific Treg subsets than CD4(+)CD25(+) cells, were also lower in the thyroid than in the peripheral blood of patients with AITD. The proportion of apoptotic cells was higher among intrathyroidal CD4(+) cells than among peripheral CD4(+) cells and higher among intrathyroidal CD4(+)CD25(+) cells than among intrathyroidal CD4(+)CD25() cells.
Conclusion:
These results indicate that intrathyroidal Treg cells are decreased in response to apoptosis in patients with AITD. This decrease in Treg cells may contribute to the incomplete regulation of autoreactive T cells in AITD.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Synthesis and Regulation of Thyroid Hormones
Upon reaching the thyroid gland, TSH stimulates the follicular cells' active uptake of iodide ions from the blood. The ions diffuse to the apical surface of the cells and are oxidized to iodine. The iodine is then...
01:24T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
01:30Apoptosis
01:24Graves Disease II: Pathophysiology
01:28Graves' Disease I: Introduction
01:27Cytotoxic T Cells-mediated Immune Response
Immunological surveillance is the ability of immune cells to monitor and eliminate infected cells with intracellular pathogens, neoplastically transformed cells, and cells with non-self antigens. Cytotoxic T cells and NK...