Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Polish Mother's Memorial Hospital-Research Institute, 93-338 Lodz, Poland.
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Medical University of Lodz, 93-338 Lodz, Poland.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Oct 24;25(21):11434. doi: 10.3390/ijms252111434.
The expression of thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) has been documented on various immune cells, including B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, Natural Killer (NK) cells, monocytes, and dendritic cells (DCs). Natural Killer T (NKT) cells serve as a crucial link between innate and adaptive immunity, playing significant roles in immunological interactions and autoimmune diseases. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the presence of TSHR on NKT cells. Our research involved patients with thyroid disease, as well as healthy controls. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and, thereafter, NKT cells were isolated from 86 patients with benign nodular thyroid disease with and without autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) (28 and 56 cases, respectively), and TSHR expression was analyzed using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). In order to confirm the results, the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method was used in cells obtained from healthy individuals. Our findings obtained with application of the FACS method revealed that TSHR is not expressed on NKT cells in either AITD or non-AITD patients, though TSHR was detected in the total PBMC population (TSHR+ cells 2.77%). The absence of TSHR on NKT cells was further confirmed with RT-PCR in healthy individuals ( < 0.0001). These results questioned the previously suggested direct influence of NKT cells on AITD development.
促甲状腺激素受体（TSHR）的表达已在各种免疫细胞上得到证实，包括 B 淋巴细胞、T 淋巴细胞、自然杀伤（NK）细胞、单核细胞和树突状细胞（DC）。自然杀伤 T（NKT）细胞作为先天免疫和适应性免疫之间的重要纽带，在免疫相互作用和自身免疫性疾病中发挥着重要作用。本研究旨在评估 NKT 细胞上是否存在 TSHR。我们的研究涉及甲状腺疾病患者和健康对照者。从 86 例患有良性结节性甲状腺疾病且伴有或不伴有自身免疫性甲状腺疾病（AITD）的患者（分别为 28 例和 56 例）外周血单核细胞（PBMC）中分离出 NKT 细胞，并使用荧光激活细胞分选（FACS）分析 TSHR 表达。为了确认结果，我们使用从健康个体获得的细胞应用逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）方法。我们应用 FACS 方法获得的研究结果表明，无论 AITD 患者还是非 AITD 患者，NKT 细胞上均不表达 TSHR，尽管在总 PBMC 群体中检测到 TSHR（TSHR+细胞为 2.77%）。在健康个体中，RT-PCR 进一步证实了 NKT 细胞上不存在 TSHR（<0.0001）。这些结果对先前提出的 NKT 细胞对 AITD 发展的直接影响的假设提出了质疑。
