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M Ludgate

Publications and source records attributed to M Ludgate.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Antibodies reactive with an intracellular epitope of a recombinant 64 kDa thyroid and eye muscle protein in patients with thyroid autoimmunity and ophthalmopathy.

We have developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the measurement of antibodies reactive with a 98 amino acid fragment, called D1, of a recombinant thyroid and eye muscle membrane protein corresponding to a MW of 64 kDa (called 1D) in the serum of patients with thyroid autoimmunity with and without ophthalmopathy. Antibodies against the D1 fragment expressed as a fusion protein with beta galactosidase, were detected in 29% of patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) of < 1 yr duration, in 33% of those with disease of > 3 yr duration, in 40% of patients with Graves' hyperthyroidism (GH) without evident eye disease, in 31% of patients with lid lag and retraction but no other signs of progressive ophthalmopathy, in 25% of patients with euthyroid Graves' disease and in 43% of patients with untreated Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), but in none of 14 patients with other (non-immunological) thyroid disorders. Although tests were positive in 6 out of the 15 patients with ophthalmopathy and no overt thyroid autoimmunity overall there was no close association of the antibodies with clinical features of the eye disease or its course. In those sera in which Western blotting for antibodies reactive with a 64 kDa eye muscle membrane protein and ELISA were both carried out there was no close correlation between the two tests.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Detection of thyroid-stimulating antibody using Chinese hamster ovary cells transfected with cloned human thyrotropin receptor.

A clone of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells transfected with the cloned human TSH receptor (CHO-R) was used to optimize an assay for thyroid-stimulating antibody (TSAb), measuring adenylate cyclase stimulation by purified immunoglobulin G from patients with Graves' disease. Optimal sensitivity to bovine TSH (1 mU/L) and TSAb was obtained using hypotonic buffer and measuring extracellular cAMP. In time-response experiments, TSAb stimulation was maximal after 2 h of incubation in hypotonic buffer. Under these conditions, a significant stimulation by Graves' immunoglobulin G was obtained with 33 of 35 (94%) samples from patients with untreated Graves' disease and with 21 of 23 (91%) from patients who relapsed after a course of antithyroid drugs. On the other hand, TSAb was detected in only 12 of 20 (60%) patients who were euthyroid during methimazole treatment and in 4 of 11 (36%) who were euthyroid after a course of antithyroid drugs. All samples from Graves' patients were also tested for TSAb activity on FRTL-5 cells. The results of cAMP stimulation in FRTL-5 and CHO-R showed a fairly good correlation (r = 0.60; P < 0.0001). In particular, of the 58 patients with active Graves' disease (35 with untreated hyperthyroidism and 23 relapsed after methimazole), 43 (74%) were positive in both assays, 3 (5%) were negative in both, 11 (19%) were negative in FRTL-5 and positive in CHO-R, and 1 (1.7%) was negative in CHO-R and positive in FRTL-5. In conclusion, CHO cells transfected with the cloned human TSH receptor are suitable for the clinical assay of TSAb. The sensitivity of this assay is higher than that obtained using FRTL-5 cells, having the additional advantages of expressing the human TSH receptor and requiring less cumbersome procedures for cell culture.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Tissue specificity and serologic reactivity of an autoantigen associated with autoimmune thyroid disease.

A recent report has identified a new autoantigen called D1 that appears to be associated with Graves' ophthalmopathy and is expressed in the thyroid and eye muscle. To better characterize the tissue specificity and disease relevance of this antigen, we evaluated the expression of D1 RNA in various human tissues using a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay. These studies indicate a wide tissue distribution of the messenger RNA for this antigen, including the thyroid, eye muscle, parathyroid, spleen, skeletal muscle, and uterus. There were variations in the relative amounts of specific message for D1 in the different tissues, with the uterus, thyroid, and eye muscle having the greatest amount of product per microgram of total RNA. A maltose binding protein-D1 fusion protein was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and used to assess serologic reactivity to D1 by Western blot. Autoantibodies to this antigen were noted in 19 of 24 (78%) of Hashimoto's disease patients, 26 of 41 (63%) of Graves' disease patients, and in 9 of 17 (53%) of normal controls. Sixty percent of Graves' disease patients with clinical ophthalmopathy had antibodies to D1, as did 63% of Graves' patients without signs or symptoms of clinical ophthalmopathy. There was no correlation between reactivity to D1 and either clinical measures of hyperthyroidism or antibody titers to thyroid peroxidase or thyroglobulin. The presence of autoantibodies to this antigen in patients with Hashimoto's disease, in Graves' disease patients without ophthalmopathy and in normal controls indicate that serologic recognition of this antigen is not restricted to patients with ophthalmopathy. In addition, the expression of messenger RNA for this antigen in multiple types of cells questions the tissue specificity of this autoantigen.

Adult↗

Thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins, like thyrotropin activate both the cyclic AMP and the PIP2 cascades in CHO cells expressing the TSH receptor.

In human thyrocytes and in a permanent CHO cell line expressing the human thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor cDNA (JP09 cells), TSH activates both the cyclic AMP and the phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) cascade, although the latter effect requires higher TSH concentrations. Thyroid stimulating autoantibodies (TSAb) activate also the human thyroid leading to the hyperthyroidism of Graves' disease. They bind to the TSH receptor and mimic the TSH stimulation of the gland by increasing intracellular cyclic AMP, but they do not enhance PIP2 hydrolysis in human thyroid slices. We show in this study that TSAb are able to activate the PIP2 cascade in JP09 cells, a cell line expressing high levels of TSH receptor. This suggests that the mechanism of action of TSAb on the TSH receptor is qualitatively similar to that of TSH.

Animals↗

Recombinant TSH-receptor for determination of TSH-receptor-antibodies.

We have expressed the complete coding sequence of the human TSH-R in eucaryotic cells. Limiting dilution enabled us to select two clones, JP09 and JP26, which have formed the basis of binding and bioassays respectively, for TSH-R antibodies. Results obtained in the binding assay correlated well with those obtained in the TRAK (Henning Berlin) assay, while the bioassay was at least as sensitive as measurements made with FRTL5 or human thyroid cells. These cell lines provide a reliable source of human TSH-R which will be useful in routine diagnosis.

Animals↗

Characterization of monoclonal antibodies to the human thyrotropin receptor.

We have produced four monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 34A, 49G, 11E7, and 12E3, which bind the human TSH receptor (hTSH-R) when expressed on a human thyroid cell line (GEJ), freshly dissociated human and murine thyroid cells, or Chinese hamster ovary cells stably transfected with the hTSH-R gene. These mAbs were obtained after immunization of DBA/1 mice with affinity-purified TSH-binding sites from GEJ cells. Biochemical studies, including sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, Western blot, and immunoprecipitation of solubilized GEJ cell membranes or human thyroid cells showed that most of the mAbs recognized two bands: one located at 46-48 kilodaltons and the other at 86-88 kilodaltons. Inhibition of [125I]hTSH binding to solubilized porcine membranes (TSH-receptor auto-antikörper assay) or Chinese hamster ovary cell membranes previously transfected with hTSH-R gene showed that mAb 34A recognizes the hTSH-binding site of both receptors. In contrast, mAbs 49G, 11E7, and 12E3 recognize a structure located near the hTSH-binding site. Lastly, the ability of these mAbs to stimulate murine thyroid function was investigated by measuring cAMP production and iodide accumulation. The 34A mAb, which fully competes with [125I]TSH for binding to hTSH-R, was able to induce both functions. Conversely, the 12E3 mAb, which was the least potent inhibitor of [125I]TSH binding to hTSH-R-transfected cells had no effect. A relationship was, therefore, established between the capacity of mAb to hTSH-R to inhibit [125I]hTSH binding and their ability to induce thyroid functions.

Animals↗

Binding assay for thyrotropin receptor autoantibodies using the recombinant receptor protein.

We have characterized a transfected Chinese hamster ovary cell line, JP09, which expresses high levels of the human TSH receptor (TSH-R). Based on a theoretical biological activity for TSH of 40 IU/mg, JP09 has approximately 90,000 receptors per cell, having a dissociation constant of 1.64 x 10(3) mU/L or 1.47 x 10(-9) mol/L. We have used JP09 to prepare solubilized TSH-Rs which have formed the basis of a binding assay for thyroid-binding inhibiting immunoglobulins in unfractionated sera. We have compared the JP09 assay with the TRAK assay (which is based on solubilized porcine TSH-R) and found a highly positive correlation between the two assays, r = 0.83 P < 0.0001, in 55 sera from patients with autoimmune thyroid disease. JP09 can be adapted to growth in suspension culture, permitting large scale production. The tracer in the assay is bovine [125I]TSH; surprisingly, despite the use of a hTSH-R, hTSH had no effect on the binding of the tracer up to 10(3) mU/L and only a minor effect at 10(4) mU/L.

Animals↗

Antibodies in the serum of patients with autoimmune thyroid disorders react with a recombinant 98 amino acid fragment of a full length 64 kDa eye muscle membrane protein which is also expressed in the thyroid.

We have tested sera from patients with autoimmune thyroid disorders with or without ophthalmopathy for immunoreactivity, in a dot blot assay, against a recombinant 98 amino acid fragment of a cloned 64 kDa protein, D1, which is expressed in human eye muscle and thyroid, in the form of a Lac Z fusion protein. Tests were positive in 19 out of 40 patients with established thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), in 12 out of 21 patients with Graves' hyperthyroidism (GH) without clinically evident ophthalmopathy, in 5 out of 10 patients with thyroid autoimmunity and lid retraction but no other signs of ophthalmopathy, in 4 out of 23 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) without evident ophthalmopathy and in 2 out of 18 patients with benign adenoma or multinodular goitre, but in only 2 out of 37 normal subjects tested. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting for an antibody reactive with a 64 kDa antigen in pig eye muscle membranes was also carried out on sera from patients with TAO and GH. While immunoblotting for antibodies reactive with a 64 kDa protein was more often positive in patients with TAO, in whom 58% had serum antibodies which reacted with a 64 kDa protein, this was not the case in patients with GH without eye signs in whom the prevalence of positive immunoblot tests was 35%. Overall there was a fairly close correlation between the two tests although there were many exceptions.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Unlike thyrotropin, thyroid-stimulating antibodies do not activate phospholipase C in human thyroid slices.

The effects of thyroid-stimulating antibodies (TSAb) and of thyrotropin (TSH) were compared, on the generation of cyclic AMP and inositol phosphates (InsP), in human thyroid slices incubated in vitro, and on the Rapoport cyclic AMP bioassay. The TSAb positive sera were obtained from 19 patients with Graves' disease. In 14 experiments with the slices system, TSH significantly increased cyclic AMP accumulation (TSH, 0.03-10 mU/ml) as well as the cyclic AMP-independent inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) generation (TSH, 1-10 mU/ml). In the same 14 experiments, TSAb (0.10-28 mg/ml) enhanced cyclic AMP intracellular levels as expected while they did not induce any InsP accumulation. Even when TSAb increased cyclic AMP levels to the same or higher values as those obtained with TSH concentrations allowing InsP3 generation. TSAb were still unable to activate the phosphatidylinositol-Ca2+ cascade. The patterns of the response curves of TSAb and TSH on cyclic AMP accumulation were different, suggesting that different mechanisms may be involved. In addition, unlike TSH, TSAb were not able to stimulate H2O2 generation, which in human tissue mainly depends on the activation of the phosphatidylinositol-Ca2+ cascade. Immunoglobulins from six additional Graves' patients lacking measurable cyclic AMP-stimulating activity in both slices and cells systems did not activate phospholipase C either. In conclusion, our results show that TSAb do not share all the metabolic actions of TSH on human thyroid tissue. The data provide support for the concept that the pathogenesis of Graves' disease can be fully accounted for by the ability of TSAb to stimulate adenylate cyclase. This work also confirms that TSH activates the cyclic AMP and the phosphatidylinositol cascade by independent pathways in the human thyroid.

Adolescent↗

Demonstration of the existence of the alternatively spliced form of thyroid peroxidase in normal thyroid.

We have investigated whether the alternatively spliced form of thyroid peroxidase (TPO), which has been shown clearly to occur in Graves' thyroid, is present in normal thyroid. We have performed a polymerase chain reaction on cDNAs prepared from normal thyroid mRNAs using primers 100 bases up-stream and down-stream from the 171 nucleotides that have been shown to be spliced out. Size analysis of the polymerase chain reaction products by agarose gel electrophoresis revealed bands at 0.2 and 0.37 kilobases (kb), sizes predicted to be obtained when the two forms of TPO cDNA are present. This was confirmed by hybridization with a 32P-labeled probe corresponding to the 20 nucleotides of the junction site. After stringent washing, the 0.2-kb band gave a clear positive signal, which was stronger than that of the 0.37-kb band despite the latter cDNA being more abundant. This demonstrates clearly that the alternatively spliced form of TPO exists in normal thyroid. Its significance is discussed.

Base Sequence↗

Cloning and sequencing of a novel 64-kDa autoantigen recognized by patients with autoimmune thyroid disease.

Screening 10(6) plaque-forming units from a lambda gt11 human thyroid cDNA library with a pool of 10 sera from patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis resulted in the isolation of a clone, D1, of 292 basepairs with an open reading frame of 97 amino acids which did not share significant similarity with any known protein. Rescreening the library using D1 as a probe led to the full-length cDNA being cloned and sequenced which has the potential to encode a 572-amino acid polypeptide. This would correspond to a 63-kDa nonglycosylated protein which is probably membrane bound. The recombinant fusion protein from the original D1 clone was recognized in dot blot or Western blot assays by 4 of 19 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, 3 of 9 patients with Graves' disease, and 1 of 6 patients with idiopathic myxedema; all other sera (12), including that from normal subjects, were negative. Clone affinity-purified autoantibodies bound to a protein of 64 kDa in a Western blot of human thyroid tissue. Using D1 as a probe in a Northern blot revealed 3.9-kilobase (kb) transcripts in poly(A)+ RNA from normal human thyroid and extraocular muscle, but not skeletal muscle. The dog equivalent of D1 cDNA was isolated by screening 10(6) plaque-forming units from a dog thyroid cDNA library using clone D1. A fragment of dog cDNA was, in turn, used as a probe in a Northern blot of dog poly(A)+ RNAs from thyroid, brain, lung, heart, liver, kidney, spleen, and stomach; a faint signal at 3.9 kb was observed in all tissues except the thyroid, which displayed a strong transcript of 2.6 kb. It is concluded that the D1 cDNA clone encodes an autoantigen shared by the thyroid and eye muscle. Its possible relevance to autoimmune ophthalmopathy is discussed.

Animals↗

Thyroperoxidase, but not the thyrotropin receptor, contains sequential epitopes recognized by autoantibodies in recombinant peptides expressed in the pUEX vector.

The sequential epitopes on the human thyroperoxidase (TPO) recognized by antibodies in the sera of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease were investigated using a recombinant DNA technique. Previous studies led to the isolation of two overlapping cDNA clones that encode polypeptides of TPO (85 residues, C2; 100 residues, C21) recognized by sera from several patients with autoimmune disease that contained antimicrosomal autoantibodies. In this report the vector pUEX1 was used to clone and express small random fragments of TPO cDNA in Escherichia coli as a beta-galactosidase fusion protein. Colonies were screened with a serum from a patient with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and immunoreactive peptides were identified by sequencing the corresponding DNA inserts. Two linear epitopes of human TPO (amino acids 590-622 and 710-722) were recognized by the autoantibodies. This confirmed our previous results and provide a more precise localization of the antigenic determinants involved. The same approach has been applied in an attempt to identify the binding site(s) for autoantibodies on the human TSH receptor. In contrast to the data obtained with TPO, sera from patients with blocking (from idiopathic myxoedema) or stimulating (from Graves' disease) activity did not recognize the linear TSH receptor peptide fragments generated in our libraries.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Use of the recombinant human thyrotropin receptor (TSH-R) expressed in mammalian cell lines to assay TSH-R autoantibodies.

We report on two assays for autoantibodies to the TSH-R which have been developed using materials from mammalian cells transfected with the cDNA for the human TSH-R. In the first, a particulate fraction has been prepared from COS cells, transiently expressing the human TSH-R and used in a radioreceptor assay in conjunction with bovine 125I-TSH. Immunoglobulins (IgGs) from patients with Graves' disease (n = 11) and idiopathic myxoedema (n = 2) have been used as competitors of 125I-TSH binding to the COS TSH-R membranes and the results have been compared with those obtained with a commercially available kit for measuring TSH-R autoantibodies, which uses solubilised porcine TSH-R. Both assays showed similar performance, being particularly sensitive to antibodies from patients with idiopathic myxoedema. In the second assay system we have used a CHO cloned cell line (JP26) stably transfected with the human TSH-R. A selection of IgG preparations from patients with Graves' disease and of six normal controls was used to test the ability of this cell line to detect thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins (TSAb) by increasing its cAMP production. The assay was performed under two conditions: in standard (isotonic) medium or in hypotonic medium. Freshly thawed human thyrocytes incubated in hypotonic medium served as a reference method. Only five patients scored positive when tested in the JP26 cell line under isotonic conditions. When the assay was performed in a hypotonic medium, a significant positive correlation was observed between the results given by JP26 cells and human thyrocytes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Stable expression of the human TSH receptor in CHO cells and characterization of differentially expressing clones.

The human thyrotropin receptor cDNA was transfected in CHO cells and individual clones were isolated. They were tested for their response to thyrotropin, forskolin and antibodies from a patient with high levels of thyroid stimulating antibodies. Several clones were characterized extensively with respect to membrane binding of labeled thyrotropin, cAMP accumulation in response to thyrotropin and kinetics of cAMP production. Data for three representative clones are presented. Receptor number as assessed by membrane binding of labeled thyrotropin, and cAMP production, measured in a thyrotropin response bioassay, are correlated. The Kd value for the human thyrotropin receptor expressed in CHO was estimated to be 50 pM.

Animals↗

Studies with recombinant autoepitopes of thyroid peroxidase: evidence suggesting an epitope shared between the thyroid and the gastric parietal cell.

In a previous work we characterized a major epitope of thyroid peroxidase (TPO), which was recognised by 66% of 157 patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD) and 9 out of 50 patients with non-thyroidal autoimmune disease (NTAID) 6 of whom had antibodies to the gastric parietal cell antigen (PCA). In the present study we have affinity purified C2 antibodies and demonstrated that they bind to the native TPO enzyme in a radioimmunoassay (RIA). We have measured antibodies to the C2 peptide and a second TPO peptide, C21, in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in 30 patients with NTAID all of whom have antibodies to the gastric PCA, having first determined the incidence of antibodies to C21 in 98 patients with AITD who do not have antibodies to the gastric PCA. 58% of patients with AITD have antibodies to C21, a peptide of TPO which overlaps C2 by 21 amino acids in the region containing an 11 residue fragment which is very similar to a fragment of the H+ K+ ATPase, which has recently been shown to be a major component of the gastric PCA. In patients having NTAID and antibodies to the gastric PCA, 60% are positive for C2 Ab and 100% for C21 Ab, which is suggestive of an epitope shared by TPO and H+ K+ ATPase, corresponding to TPO 659----669 and H+ K+ ATPase 177----187. We conclude that C2 antibodies are heterogenous and comprise activities which bind to the intact enzyme and activities binding to an epitope which may be common to TPO and H+ K+ ATPase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗