Expression of Cytokines and Cytokine Receptors-Genes in Patients with Different Forms of Thyroid Pathology in Ukrainian Population

Abstract

Abstract Multiple susceptibility genes can be involved in the development of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Some of these genes are implicated in other autoimmune diseases, while others are specific to thyroid autoimmune response. 153 patients with thyroid pathology were enrolled in the study (152 women and 1 man, the average age was 46,02±14,3). They were divided into 3 groups: 16 patients with postoperative hypothyroidism; 65 patients with hypothyroidism resulting from autoimmune thyroiditis, and 72 patients with both AIT and elevated serum an anti-thyroglobulin and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies. We used a pathway-specific real-time Polymerase chain reaction array to identify and verify cytokines and receptor pathway-associated gene expression in peripheral white blood cells in randomly selected 12 individuals from each group. In the patients with postoperative hypothyroidism and those with hypothyroidism resulting from autoimmune thyroiditis, the expression of Chemokine (C-X3-C motif) receptor 1, Chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4, Interleukin 6, and Interleukin 6 receptor significantly decreased, while the expression of IL6ST and IL10RA increased. In contrast, mRNA levels of Chemokine (C-X3-C motif) receptor 1, Chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4, Interleukin 6, and Interleukin 6 receptor increased in the autoimmune thyroiditis patients with elevated serum anti-thyroglobulin and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies, while the expression of Interleukin 6 signal transducer and Interleukin 10 receptor, alpha decreased in this group of patients. The patients with hypothyroidism resulting from autoimmune thyroiditis and patients with elevated serum anti-thyroglobulin and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibodies had significantly lowered expression of Interleukin 10, while the expression of Interleukin 1, beta and Interleukin 1 receptor, type I was elevated. autoimmune thyroiditis and hypothyroidism affect the mRNA-level expression of cytokines and cytokine receptor genes in a gene-specific manner, and these changes to gene expression can be among the triggers of autoimmune inflammation progression in the thyroid gland. Transcriptional activity of cytokines, inducer, and receptor genes in the peripheral white blood cells can be used as an important minimally invasive prognostic marker of the autoimmune thyroid disease severity.