Excess dietary iodine differentially affects thyroid gene expression in diabetes, thyroiditis-prone versus -resistant...

To identify genes involved in the susceptibility to iodine-induced autoimmune thyroiditis.

Diabetes, thyroiditis-prone (BBdp) and -resistant (BBc) rats were fed either a control or a high-iodine diet for 9 wk. Excess iodine intake increased the incidence of insulitis and thyroiditis in BBdp rats. BBdp rats fed the high-iodine diet that did not develop thyroiditis had higher mRNA levels of Fabp4, Cidec, perilipin, Pparγ and Slc36a2 than BBdp rats fed the control diet and BBc rats fed either the control or the high-iodine diet. BBdp rats fed the high-iodine diet that did develop thyroiditis had higher mRNA levels of Cidec, Icam1, Ifitm1, and Slpi than BBdp rats fed the control diet and BBc rats fed either the control or the high-iodine diet. BBdp rats that did develop thyroiditis had lower mRNA levels of Fabp4, perilipin and Slc36a2 but higher mRNA levels of Icam1, Ifitm1 and Slpi than BBdp that did not develop thyroiditis. Excess dietary iodine also increased the protein levels of Fabp4, Cidec and perilipin in BBdp rats.

Differential expression of thyroid genes in BBdp versus BBc rats caused by excess dietary iodine may be implicated in autoimmune thyroiditis and insulitis pathogenesis.