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会出现干燥综合征的症状，如结膜炎和口干症。钠碘转运体(NIS)不仅在甲状腺中表达，而且在唾液腺中也有表达。本研究的目的是研究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，特别是在这两种疾病的患者中。因此，我计划检查免疫的NIS小鼠是否出现甲状腺炎和/或涎腺炎。用表达293细胞的NIS免疫CBA/J小鼠，分别用TiterMax金佐剂和完全弗氏佐剂免疫。在一些小鼠中，IL-12被注射NIS表达细胞来诱导Th1细胞因子，这可能会增强甲状腺炎。用不表达NIS的293细胞免疫对照小鼠。然而，NIS表达细胞免疫的小鼠在甲状腺和唾液腺中未见淋巴细胞浸润。放射配基试验和碘摄取抑制试验均未检测到抗NIS抗体。结论：NIS表达细胞免疫不能诱导足够的自身免疫反应。TSH受体是一种与NIS类似的膜蛋白，近年来有报道称TSH受体通过基因免疫诱导甲状腺炎症。我计划通过基因免疫的方式用NIS免疫小鼠，以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.