6 research outputs found
The tyrosine kinase receptor c-met, its cognate ligand HGF and the tyrosine kinase receptor trasducers STAT3, PI3K and RHO in thyroid nodules associated with Hashimoto's thyroiditis: an immunohisto-chemical characterization
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) exerts proliferative activities in thyrocytes upon binding to its tyrosine kinase receptor c-met and is also expressed in benign thyroid nodules as well as in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT)
Immunoexpression of the CD30 ligand-CD30 and IL-6-IL-6R signals in thyroid autoimmune diseases
To elucidate the role of Th2 cytokines in
autoimmune thyroid diseases, we have studied by
immunohistochemistry the expression of two Th2
ligand/receptor systems (CD30-L/CD30 and IL-6/IL-6R)
in goitrous Gravesâ disease (GD) and Hashimotoâs
thyroiditis (HT).
A total number of 50 nodular goiters (NG),
including 10 GD showing a lymphoid aggregate grade I,
30 HT 8 of which had a lymphoid aggregate of grade I,
12 of grade II and 10 grade III, and 10 colloid goiters
have been evaluated. In addition, 5 normal thyroids were
included in the study as controls.
Reactivity of ligand and cognate receptor of both
CD30-L/CD30 and IL-6/IL-6R pathways was observed
in a greater proportion of GD, compared to HT
(P<0.005). In HT, the expression of CD30-L/CD30
system was detected more frequently than IL-6/IL-6R
(P<0.05) and showed an inverse correlation with the
grade of lymphoid aggregate, whereas IL-6/IL-6R
correlated positively with lymphocyte infiltration
(P<0.05).
Based on our results concerning a dominance of Th2
cytokines in GD, we postulate that CD30-L/CD30 and
IL-6/IL-6R systems could play a major role in the
pathogenesis of GD. However, the expression of CD30L/CD30 and IL-6/IL-6R in HT suggests that Th2
mechanisms are involved also in tissue damage of HT.
The two systems could contribute to drive the
autoimmune response skewing toward a Th2 phenotype
and this appears to be correlated with the lymphoid
aggregate grade
Distinctive expression of STAT3 in papillary thyroid carcinomas and a subset of follicular adenomas
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), HGF
receptor (c-met) and the interleukin 6 (IL-6) are
expressed in thyroid nodules. In extra-thyroidal tissues,
the HGF/c-met and IL-6/IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) systems
activate STAT3, a member of the signal transducers and
activators of transcription (STATs) family. To evaluate
whether either system utilizes STAT3 in thyroid nodules,
we examined the immunohistochemical expression of
HGF, c-met, IL-6, IL-6R, STAT3 in 6 normal thyroids
and in 68 thyroid nodules.
STAT3 expression was observed in 12/12 (100%)
papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) but in none of the
follicular tumors. Among benign thyroid nodules, only
2/10 (20%) follicular adenomas (FA) were STAT3+. All
these 14 STAT3+ cases expressed both HGF and c-met,
but only 5 PTC co-expressed IL-6 and IL-6R and the 2
FA were IL-6+ but IL-6R-. The remaining 8 FA were all
HGF-/c-met-, but IL-6+; of these 8, only 2 were also IL-
6R+.
In conclusion, in thyroid nodules STAT3 is
expressed only in PTC and a number of FA. Since these
cases are consistently HGF+/c-met+ and only one-third
of them co-express IL-6/IL-6R, STAT3 expression
correlates with the HGF/c-met expression, not with the
IL-6/IL-6R expression. The 100% rate of expression of
the HGF/c-met/STAT3 signaling in PTC could be
relevant for the establishment of the papillary phenotype.
Because of the communeness of a HGF/c-met/STAT3
pattern between all PTC and a subset of FA, we
speculate that a fraction of FA may progress to PTC