Studies on the pathogenesis of Graves' disease and new treatment using our recently established mouse model.

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1. Suppression of disease development by CD4^+CD25^+ regulatory T cells (Treg) : Depletion of Treg by anti-CD25 antibody induced Graves' hyperthyroidism in 30 % of resistant C57BL/6 mice, and increased serum T_4 levels by 200 % in susceptible BALB/c mice. This effect was attributed to decreased stimulatory antibody titers and increased blocking antibody titers. Furthermore, in transfer experiments to naive wt mice, splenocytes from Graves' mice induced little anti-TSHR antibody, but CD25-depleted splenocytes did low but significant levels of antibody.2. Suppression of disease development by regulatory cytokines : adenovirus expressing IL-10 or TGF-beta (both are regulatory cytokines) were constructed, and administered to mice together with adenovirus coding the TSHR (Ad-TSHR). Only Ad-IL-10 significantly inhibited hyperthyroidism.3. Suppression of disease development by apoptosis-inducing Fas ligand (FasL) : Adenovirus expressing FasL was constructed, and infected into dendritic cells (DCs) derived from bone-marrow cells by using GMCSF and IL-4 together with Ad-TSHR. These DCs inhibited anti-TSHR immune response and development of Graves' disease induced by intramuscular injection of Ad-TSHR.4. TSHR-specific T cell lines are now being established by the TSHR protein and three : peptides which induced IFNgamma release in recall assay. Abilities of individual clones to produce cytokine(s) and to induce hyperthyroidism as well as amino acid sequences of T cell receptors will be studied.