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Autoimmune hypothyroidism: T cells caught in the act

Nature Medicine volume 10, pages 895–896 (2004)Cite this article

Autoantibodies to thyroid peroxidase are the hallmark of Hashimoto thyroiditis, the most common form of thyroid autoimmunity. However, the relative contribution of antibodies and T cells to disease has been a long-standing controversy—now settled by a transgenic mouse model. Thyroid peroxidase–specific T cells, in the absence of mature B cells and antibodies, spontaneously infiltrate and destroy the thyroid gland, causing overt hypothyroidism and obesity (pages 920–926).

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Figure 1: The TAZ10 transgenic mouse model10 and the immunological basis for Hashimoto thyroiditis.

Michael Pace

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Autoimmune Disease Unit, Cedars-Sinai Research Institute and School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, 90048, California, USA

    Sandra M McLachlan & Basil Rapoport

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  1. Sandra M McLachlan
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  2. Basil Rapoport
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McLachlan, S., Rapoport, B. Autoimmune hypothyroidism: T cells caught in the act. Nat Med 10, 895–896 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0904-895

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