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T-Lymphocyte Sensitization in Graves’ and Hashimoto’s Diseases Confirmed by an Indirect Migration Inhibition Factor Test^*

NOBUMITSU OKITA, DUNCAN TOPLISS, MARK LEWIS, VAS V. ROW and ROBERT VOLPEÉ

Endocrinology Research Laboratory, The Wellesley Hospital, University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario,

Address requests for reprints to: Dr. Robert Volpe, Endocrinology Research Laboratory, The Wellesley Hospital, 160 Wellesley Street East, Toronto, Ontario M4Y 1J3, Canada.

T-Lymphocyte sensitization in Graves’ disease (GD) and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) was studied by an indirect migration inhibition factor test using normal T-lymphocytes as second stage indicator cells. In the first stage, mononuclear cells or T-lymphocytes, fractionated by the standard Ficoll-Hypaque procedure from the blood of patients with untreated GD and HT, were cultured in Eagle’s medium containing thyroid antigen, and their cell-free supernatants were saved. Normal Tlymphocytes as second stage indicator cells were packed in capillary tubes and placed in planchettes with the above supernatants to complete the indirect migration inhibition factor test.Inhibition of the migration of indicator T-lymphocytes was demonstrated when either GD or HT culture supernatants were employed. Moreover, there was a good correlation between theindirect procedure using the culture supernatants and the direct migration inhibition factor test using mononuclear cells or Tlymphocytes. On the other hand, in both direct and indirect migration inhibition factor tests using mononuclear cells and mononuclear cell culture supernatants, respectively, in the presence of human liver antigen as a nonspecific antigen, there was no significant difference between controls and patients. From these results, we can conclude that GD and HT T-lymphocytes are sensitized to thyroid antigen and produce the lymphokine, migration inhibition factor, into the supernatant when exposed to this antigen.

^* This work was supported by a grants from the Medical Research Council (MT 859).

Grantee of the Wellesley Hospital Research Foundation.

Recipient of the Beecham Travelling Fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Grantee of the Wellcome Foundation.

Received July 18, 1980.

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