Experimental autoimmune thyroiditis and/or sialadenitis induced by sodium iodide symporter

目前尚不清楚为什么大约20%的桥本甲状腺炎患者表现出干燥综合征的症状，如结膜炎和口干症。碘化钠同调体（NIS）不仅在甲状腺中表达，也在唾液腺中表达。本研究的目的是探讨NIS在自身免疫性甲状腺炎（桥本甲状腺炎）和自身免疫性涎腺炎（干燥综合征）中的病理作用，特别是在两种疾病的患者中。因此，我计划检查免疫后的NIS小鼠是否表现为甲状腺炎和/或涎腺炎。用表达NIS的293细胞和TiterMax Gold佐剂或完全弗氏佐剂免疫CBA/J小鼠。在一些小鼠中，将表达NIS的细胞注入IL-12诱导Th1细胞因子，可能会加重甲状腺炎。对照小鼠用不表达NIS的293细胞免疫。而用NIS表达细胞免疫小鼠，甲状腺和唾液腺未见淋巴细胞浸润。放射配体和碘吸收抑制试验均未检出nis抗体。因此，用表达NIS的细胞免疫不能诱导足够的自身免疫反应。最近有报道称，TSH受体是一种类似于NIS的膜蛋白，可通过遗传免疫诱导甲状腺炎。我计划用NIS基因免疫小鼠，诱导甲状腺炎和涎腺炎。

It is not known why about twenty percent of patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis show the symptoms of Sjogren's syndrome, such as conjunctivitis and xerostomia. Sodium iodide symporter (NIS) expresses not only in thyroid gland but also in salivary gland. The purpose of this study is to examine the pathological role of NIS in autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's thyroiditis) and autoimmune sialadenitis (Sjogren's syndrome), especially in patients with both diseases. So I plan to examine whether the immunized mice with NIS show thyroiditis and/or sialadenitis or not. CBA/J mice were immunized with NIS expressing 293 cells with TiterMax Gold Adjuvant or Complete Freund's Adjuvant. In some mice, IL-12 was injected with NIS expressing cells to induce Th1 cytokines, which may enhance thyroiditis. Control mice were immunized with NIS non-expressing 293 cells. However the mice immunized with NIS expressing cells did not show lymphocyte infiltration in thyroid gland or salivary gland. Moreover anti-NIS antibody could not be detected in their sera by radioligand assay and iodide-uptake-inhibition assay. I conclude that the immunization with NIS expressing cells could not induce sufficient autoimmune reaction. Recently TSH receptor, which is a membrane protein like NIS, was reported to induce thyroiditis by genetic immunization. I plan to immunize mice with NIS by genetic immunization to induce thyroiditis and sialadenitis.