1984 Volume 7 Issue 1 Pages 28-39
Autoantibodies against thyroid organ specific membrane antigens were studied using complement fixing test, double immunodiffusion, fluorescent antibody technique (FAT), cytotoxic test and antibodydependent cell-midiated cytotoxicity (ADCC) assay.
In complement fixing test, the antibody against thyroid microsome fraction and the antibody against plasma membrane strongly fixed complement but the antibody against thyroglobulin poorly fixed compelment.
Using double immunodiffusion, the anti-membrane antibody could be detected by the use of the solubilized membrane fractions.
Precipitin lines of Hashimoto sera and Graves sera with the solubilized thyroid microsome fraction fused in complete immunological identity.
Precipitin lines of both microsome and plasma membrane fractions with patients' sera also fused in a complete immunological identity. The serum of rat (Rt) immunized with solubilized thyroid microsome fraction had an antibody compatible with the human autoantibody against thyroid membranes.
The antibodies against plasma membrane could be detected by FAT in sera of patients who had high titers of microsome hemagglutination (MCHA). The inhibition test using FAT revealed that the cytoplasmic staining was not interfered by the pretreatment with Rt but the cell surface staining was abolished by the pretreatment with Rt. The antibody against plasma membrane that was eluted by the use of dispersed thyroid cells compatible with antigens recognized by anti-microsome antibody.
86Rb was employed to detect the cytotoxic activity of sera of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease. The high titers of cytotoxic activity were observed in sera of patients with Hashimoto's disease or Graves' disease that had high titer of MCHA.
51Cr was employed to detect ADCC. The activities of ADCC could be detected in sera of Hashimoto's disease or Graves' disease that had high titer of MCHA.
Those results revealed that: 1) Anti-microsome antibody was identical with anti-plasma membrane antibody. 2) Anti-microsome antibodies observed in sera of patients with Hashimoto's disease were identical with those in sera of patients with Graves' disease. 3) Antimicrosome antibodies of patients with Graves' disease also had the activities of direct cytotoxicity and ADCC against dispersed thyroid cells.
