Faculty Collaboration Database

Thyroiditis in the BB rat is associated with lymphopenia but occurs independently of diabetes. J Autoimmun 1995 Aug;8(4):493-505

Date

08/01/1995

Pubmed ID

7492346

DOI

10.1016/0896-8411(95)90004-7

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0028982212 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   34 Citations

Abstract

The spontaneously diabetic BB rat is an excellent and well studied model for human insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM), sharing many important features with the human disease. Similarities include an equal frequency of IDDM in males and females, production of antibodies against pancreatic cell antigens, and an MHC disease association. In addition, the BB rat shares with human IDDM patients an increased frequency of autoantibodies against the parietal cells of the stomach and colloid cells of the thyroid gland. Here we investigate the genetic basis of thyroiditis in the BB rat. Based on crosses between BB, Lewis and Fischer rats, we show that two susceptibility factors for diabetes--the lymphopenia trait present in diabetes prone BB rats and the MHC--also appear to be risk factors for thyroiditis. However, the nature of the susceptibility was different for the two autoimmune diseases, with lymphopenia being absolutely required for diabetes although it only conferred increased risk for thyroiditis. Also, in contrast to IDDM, the MHC conferred dominant susceptibility to thyroiditis. Despite these shared risk factors, diabetes per se did not show significant correlation with thyroiditis.

Author List

Pettersson A, Wilson D, Daniels T, Tobin S, Jacob HJ, Lander ES, Lernmark A

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Chromosome Mapping
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1
Disease Models, Animal
Disease Susceptibility
Female
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Genotype
Histocompatibility Antigens
Humans
Lymphopenia
Major Histocompatibility Complex
Male
Rats
Rats, Inbred BB
Rats, Inbred F344
Rats, Inbred Lew
Risk Factors
Thyroiditis