INTERFERON-GAMMA INDUCES HLA-DR EXPRESSION BY THYROID EPITHELIUM

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  • 1 January 1985
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 61  (2) , 265-273
Abstract
Human thyroid epithelial cells, which are normally negative for HLA-DR molecules, express HLA-DR in thyroid autoimmunity. Induction of HLA-DR on normal thyroid cells can be achieved by culture with plant lectins. It was found that recombinant human interferon-.gamma. (IFN-.gamma.) induces expression of HLA-DR molecules on cultured human thyroid cells, whereas Namalva IFN-.alpha., recombinant IFN-.beta. or recombinant interleukin-2 (IL-2) do not. All 3 IFN, but not IL-2, enhanced thyroid cell HLA-A,B,C expression. The results strongly implicate T cells (which are the source of IFN-.gamma.) in the aberrant induction of DR on thyroid epithelial cells which is proposed to be a central feature of the immunopathological processes leading to autoimmunity.