Pathogenesis of Graves' Disease Determined Using Single-Cell Sequencing with Thyroid Autoantigen Peptide Stimulation in B Cells.

This study reports the use of single-cell RNA sequencing to evaluate B cells in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and intrathyroidal blood mononuclear cells of patients with Graves' disease (GD) undergoing thyroidectomy. These cells were stimulated with overlapping peptides of thyroid autoantigens, including thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR), thyroglobulin (Tg), and thyroid peroxidase (TPO). In PBMCs, naive B cells are characterized by and , whereas memory B cells express , , and . , , , , , , and expression increased in peptide-stimulated naive and memory B cells compared to those in the controls. Thyroid naive B cells are characterized by and , whereas memory B cells express , , and Thyroid B cells showed higher , , , , , and immunoglobulin gene expression than control PBMCs and thyroid cells. B-cell receptor analysis revealed frequent and usage in controls, whereas expression was increased in TSHR-stimulated groups. We concluded that B-cell responses to TSHR, Tg, and TPO differed and that changes in B-cell reactivity also occurred in PBMCs and the thyroid. Additionally, and may be associated with autoantibody production in GD.