EXPRESSION OF MONOCYTE CHEMOATTRACTANT PROTEIN-1 MESSENGER-RNA AND PROTEIN IN CULTURED HUMAN THYROCYTES

Monocytes as well as lymphocytes infiltrate in the stroma of thyroid t issue in autoimmune and destructive thyroiditis, Monocyte chemoattract ant protein-1 (MCP-1) is a cytokine that attracts T-lymphocytes as wel l as monocytes, Using human thyrocytes in primary cultures, we show th at expression of MCP-1 mRNA and protein is remarkably stimulated by bo th interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a nd also that interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) by itself is a weak stimulan t but has a synergistic activity with either IL-1 or TNF-alpha. The fi nding indicates that MCP-1 can be produced by thyrocytes themselves, s uggesting a possible role of thyrocytes on accumulation of monocytes a nd T-lymphocytes to the tissue from the blood in autoimmune and destru ctive thyroiditis.