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Generation of a Mouse Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis Model
Published on: March 17, 2023
Clonal relationship between Hashimoto thyroiditis and thyroid lymphoma
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Royal University Hospital, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Journal of Clinical Pathology
|November 17, 2007
Summary
Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) can predispose individuals to thyroid lymphoma. This study found significant sequence similarity between clonal B-cells in HT and subsequent thyroid lymphomas, suggesting a potential evolutionary link.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Oncology
- Pathology
Background:
- Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is a known risk factor for B-lineage thyroid lymphoma.
- However, identifying clonal B-cell populations within HT is uncommon.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clonal relationship between Hashimoto thyroiditis and primary thyroid lymphoma.
- To determine if thyroid lymphomas arise from pre-existing clonal populations in HT.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and gene sequencing to analyze immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) gene rearrangements.
- Compared IgH gene sequences from HT and lymphoma samples to germline sequences and to each other.
Main Results:
- Of 20 primary thyroid lymphoma patients, 12 had a prior HT diagnosis.
- Clonal IgH bands were detected in 4 of these 12 HT cases, with 3 showing reproducible bands in their subsequent lymphoma.
- High sequence similarity (90-96.3% homology to germline, 62-100% homology between HT and lymphoma clones) was observed.
Conclusions:
- The significant sequence similarity between clonal bands in HT and thyroid lymphoma supports the hypothesis that primary thyroid lymphoma may evolve from Hashimoto thyroiditis.
- This suggests a potential pathway for lymphomagenesis in patients with HT.
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