[Expression of T3 receptor genes in peripheral lymphocytes from patients with thyroid dysfunction]

In order to explore the expression and regulation of T3 receptor genes, the relative amount of peripheral lymphocytes c-erbA alpha and c-erbA beta mRNA from patients with Graves disease and Hashimoto thyroiditis with hypothyroidism (HTH) was determined with hybridization by using human c-erbA alpha and c-erbA beta probes. The results showed that there were two types of c-erbA alpha mRNA (6.0 kb, 3.2 kb) and three types of c-erbA beta mRNA (5.0 kb, 3.0 kb, 2.0 kb). The levels of c-erbA alpha and c-erbA beta mRNA were found to increase in HTH patients, but unaltered in Graves disease patients. This result suggests the presence of up-regulation of nuclear T3 receptor at the gene level in the lymphocytes of hypothyroid patients. The high level of c-erbA alpha and c-erbA beta mRNA may contribute in part to the increase in T3 receptor.