TY - JOUR
T1 - Relative overexpression of macrophage-derived cytokines in orbital adipose tissue from patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy
AU - Kumar, Seema
AU - Bahn, Rebecca S.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2008 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2003/9/1
Y1 - 2003/9/1
N2 - Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) is an autoimmune disorder involving the adipose and connective tissues of the orbit. The study of cytokines present in these tissues may reveal the nature of the cells and immune responses involved in GO pathogenesis. In the current study, we performed relative quantification of the expression of cytokine genes in orbital adipose tissue from patients with GO (n = 6) and normal individuals (n = 2). Real-time RT-PCR was performed using fluorescent probes and primers for cytokines including IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-8, IL-10, IFN-γ, and TNF-α. Results showed IL-1β to be the gene having the greatest fold expression increase over normal in four of six patients. TNF-α was increased in all six GO patients. In addition, IL-8, IL-10, and IFN-γ were increased in five of six GO patients. We found no evidence of either IL-4 or IL-5 expression in any of the GO or normal samples. The increased expression of the macrophage-derived cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10 suggests the presence of macrophage activation and ongoing antigen presentation within the orbit in GO. In addition, the overexpression of IFN-γ, without evidence of IL-4 or IL-5 expression, supports the concept that cell-mediated, rather than humoral, immunity plays the predominant role in pathogenesis of this disorder.
AB - Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) is an autoimmune disorder involving the adipose and connective tissues of the orbit. The study of cytokines present in these tissues may reveal the nature of the cells and immune responses involved in GO pathogenesis. In the current study, we performed relative quantification of the expression of cytokine genes in orbital adipose tissue from patients with GO (n = 6) and normal individuals (n = 2). Real-time RT-PCR was performed using fluorescent probes and primers for cytokines including IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-8, IL-10, IFN-γ, and TNF-α. Results showed IL-1β to be the gene having the greatest fold expression increase over normal in four of six patients. TNF-α was increased in all six GO patients. In addition, IL-8, IL-10, and IFN-γ were increased in five of six GO patients. We found no evidence of either IL-4 or IL-5 expression in any of the GO or normal samples. The increased expression of the macrophage-derived cytokines IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-10 suggests the presence of macrophage activation and ongoing antigen presentation within the orbit in GO. In addition, the overexpression of IFN-γ, without evidence of IL-4 or IL-5 expression, supports the concept that cell-mediated, rather than humoral, immunity plays the predominant role in pathogenesis of this disorder.
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U2 - 10.1210/jc.2003-030380
DO - 10.1210/jc.2003-030380
M3 - Article
C2 - 12970294
AN - SCOPUS:0141787948
VL - 88
SP - 4246
EP - 4250
JO - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
JF - Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
SN - 0021-972X
IS - 9
ER -