Published in

American Association of Immunologists, The Journal of Immunology, 8(181), p. 5768-5774, 2008

DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.181.8.5768

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B Cells from Patients with Graves' Disease Aberrantly Express the IGF-1 Receptor: Implications for Disease Pathogenesis

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

Abstract Graves’ disease (GD) is an autoimmune process involving the thyroid and connective tissues in the orbit and pretibial skin. Activating anti-thyrotropin receptor Abs are responsible for hyperthyroidism in GD. However, neither these autoAbs nor the receptor they are directed against have been convincingly implicated in the connective tissue manifestations. Insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R)-bearing fibroblasts overpopulate connective tissues in GD and when ligated with IgGs from these patients, express the T cell chemoattractants, IL-16, and RANTES. Disproportionately large fractions of peripheral blood T cells also express IGF-1R in patients with GD and may account, at least in part, for expansion of IGF-1R+ memory T cells. We now report a similarly skewed B cell population exhibiting the IGF-1R+ phenotype from the blood, orbit, and bone marrow of patients with GD. This expression profile exhibits durability in culture and is maintained or increased with CpG activation. Moreover, IGF-1R+ B cells produce pathogenic Abs against the thyrotropin receptor. In lymphocytes from patients with GD, IGF-1 enhanced IgG production (p < 0.05) and increased B cell expansion (p < 0.02) in vitro while those from control donors failed to respond. These findings suggest a potentially important role for IGF-1R display by B lymphocytes in patients with GD in supporting their expansion and abnormal Ig production.