Analysis of TSH receptors and microsomal antigen in different human thyroid tissue specimens.

Affinity labelling with a 125I-labelled photoactive derivative of TSH (HSAB-TSH) was used to analyse TSH receptor size in the following specimens of human thyroid tissue: (1) cold nodules; (2) autonomous nodules; (3) papillary carcinoma; (4) medullary carcinoma; (5) metastasis of papillary carcinoma to lymph node; (6) anaplastic carcinoma, and (7) Graves' thyroid. In addition, a sample of histologically normal thyroid tissue surrounding specimens 1-4 was analysed in each case. Thyroid microsomes were also prepared from the tissue samples, solubilized using 1% deoxycholate and labelled with 125I. The preparations were immunoprecipitated using microsomal autoantibodies and protein A and analysed by SDS-PAGE and autoradiography. These studies indicated that no differences in the characteristics of the TSH receptor or of microsomal antigen were observed in the tissue samples 1-3 and 7. Neither protein was detected in tissue specimens 4-6.