Expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 mRNA and protein in cultured human thyrocytes.

Monocytes as well as lymphocytes infiltrate in the stroma of thyroid tissue in autoimmune and destructive thyroiditis. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a cytokine that attracts T-lymphocytes as well as monocytes. Using human thyrocytes in primary cultures, we show that expression of MCP-1 mRNA and protein is remarkably stimulated by both interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and also that interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) by itself is a weak stimulant but has a synergistic activity with either IL-1 or TNF-alpha. The finding indicates that MCP-1 can be produced by thyrocytes themselves, suggesting a possible role of thyrocytes on accumulation of monocytes and T-lymphocytes to the tissue from the blood in autoimmune and destructive thyroiditis.