help button home button Endocrine Society JCEM JCEM Call for Nominations for EIC
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
This Article
Right arrow Submit a related Letter to the Editor
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Copyright Permission
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Tao, T. W.
Right arrow Articles by Kriss, J. P.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Tao, T. W.
Right arrow Articles by Kriss, J. P.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 60, 279-282, Copyright © 1985 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal individuals can be induced to secrete immunoglobulin G antibodies against self-antigen thyroglobulin in vitro

TW Tao, SL Leu and JP Kriss

Autoantibodies to the self-antigen thyroglobulin (Tg) are usually not found in sera of normal individuals, but are often present in sera of patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases. To determine if the presence of such autoantibodies could be due to the abnormal appearance of self- reactive B cells, which are otherwise absent in normal subjects, or to an alteration in the mechanisms regulating such B cells, peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from normal individuals and patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases were cultured and stimulated in vitro with the polyclonal stimulant pokeweed mitogen (PWM). A modified plaque assay was used to enumerate cells secreting protein A-binding immunoglobulins (Igs) and specific antibodies against Tg. PBL from all individuals tested, including normal subjects (n = 26), could be induced by PWM to produce antibodies against Tg in vitro and these antibodies were of IgG isotypes. PBL from patients with detectable serum anti-Tg had more inducible cells secreting anti-Tg [27,000 +/- 10,700 (+/- SD)/10(6) PBL] than those from patients with autoimmune thyroid diseases, who had no detectable serum anti-Tg (8,000 +/- 5,000), and those from normal individuals (7,200 +/- 4,200). The demonstration of inducible mature (IgG) anti-Tg-producing cells in normal individuals suggests that subclinical autoimmunity against certain self-antigens may be a normal phenomenon in man and that its escalation into clinical autoimmune conditions is prevented through regulation of the specific self-reactive cells.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USAHome page
J. Li, T. Sai, M. Berger, Q. Chao, D. Davidson, G. Deshmukh, B. Drozdowski, W. Ebel, S. Harley, M. Henry, et al.
Human antibodies for immunotherapy development generated via a human B cell hybridoma technology
PNAS, March 7, 2006; 103(10): 3557 - 3562.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Endocrinology Endocrine Reviews J. Clin. End. & Metab.
Molecular Endocrinology Recent Prog. Horm. Res. All Endocrine Journals
Copyright © 1985 by The Endocrine Society