Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026

In Vivo Inhibition of MicroRNA to Decrease Tumor Growth in Mice
Published on: August 23, 2019
Decrease of intrathyroidal CD161+Valpha24+Vbeta11+ NKT cells in Graves' disease
Mikio Watanabe1, Yukiyo Nakamura, Fumio Matsuzuka
1Department of Biomedical Informatics, Division of Health Science, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
To clarify changes in the intrathyroidal natural killer T (NKT) cell subset, which prevents autoimmunity in patients with Graves' disease (GD), we examined intrathyroidal and peripheral lymphocytes in 11 patients with GD and peripheral lymphocytes in nine healthy volunteers using three-color flow cytometry. The proportion of CD161 (+) T cell receptor Valpha24 (+) Vbeta11 (+) cells, which represent the NKT cell subset, was lower in the thyroid of patients with GD than in the peripheral blood of the same patients and in the peripheral blood of healthy subjects. These results indicate that the proportion of intrathyroidal NKT cells is decreased in patients with GD and that this decrease may contribute to incomplete regulation of autoreactive T cells in GD.
To clarify changes in the intrathyroidal natural killer T (NKT) cell subset, which prevents autoimmunity in patients with Graves' disease (GD), we examined intrathyroidal and peripheral lymphocytes in 11 patients with GD and peripheral lymphocytes in nine healthy volunteers using three-color flow cytometry. The proportion of CD161 (+) T cell receptor Valpha24 (+) Vbeta11 (+) cells, which represent the NKT cell subset, was lower in the thyroid of patients with GD than in the peripheral blood of the same patients and in the peripheral blood of healthy subjects. These results indicate that the proportion of intrathyroidal NKT cells is decreased in patients with GD and that this decrease may contribute to incomplete regulation of autoreactive T cells in GD.
Related Concept Videos
Graves Disease II: Pathophysiology
Graves' Disease I: Introduction
Hyperthyroidism II: Pathophysiology
Hypothyroidism II: Pathophysiology
Hyperthyroidism I: Introduction
Synthesis 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...
