The Journal of Immunology, Vol 142, Issue 3 744-747, Copyright © 1989 by American Association of Immunologists

ARTICLES

Thyrotropin: an endogenous regulator of the in vitro immune response

TE Kruger, LR Smith, DV Harbour and JE Blalock
Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.

We have previously shown that thyrotropin (TSH), which is produced by lymphocytes in response to the T cell mitogen staphylococcal enterotoxin A, enhances in vitro antibody production to T cell- dependent and independent Ag (SRBC and trinitrophenylated Brucella abortus [BA-TPN], respectively) as determined by a direct plaque- forming cell assay. As a result of these studies, experiments were designed to examine the possible immunoregulatory function of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) on the in vitro antibody response to the T cell-independent Ag BA-TNP. Our studies demonstrate that TRH at very low concentrations (pM) enhances the in vitro plaque-forming cell response to BA-TNP and also induces splenocyte production of TSH. Other hypothalamic-releasing factors were without effect. This enhancement effect by TRH was specifically blocked by rabbit antisera to the TSH-beta subunit, whereas addition of normal rabbit sera had no effect. These data suggest that TRH specifically enhances the in vitro antibody response via production of immunoreactive TSH.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. R. Klein The immune system as a regulator of thyroid hormone activity. Experimental Biology and Medicine, March 1, 2006; 231(3): 229 - 236. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. R. Klein and H.-C. Wang Characterization of a novel set of resident intrathyroidal bone marrow-derived hematopoietic cells: potential for immune-endocrine interactions in thyroid homeostasis J. Exp. Biol., January 1, 2004; 207(1): 55 - 65. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H.-C. Wang, J. Dragoo, Q. Zhou, and J. R. Klein An intrinsic thyrotropin-mediated pathway of TNF-alpha production by bone marrow cells Blood, January 1, 2003; 101(1): 119 - 123. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. U. Bagriacik and J. R. Klein The Thyrotropin (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone) Receptor Is Expressed on Murine Dendritic Cells and on a Subset of CD45RBhigh Lymph Node T Cells: Functional Role for Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone During Immune Activation J. Immunol., June 15, 2000; 164(12): 6158 - 6165. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.-J. Montagne, A. Ladram, P. Nicolas, and M. Bulant Cloning of Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone Precursor and Receptor in Rat Thymus, Adrenal Gland, and Testis Endocrinology, March 1, 1999; 140(3): 1054 - 1059. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				C. P. Castro, R. Peñalva, M. P. Pereda, U. Renner, J. M. H. M. Reul, G. K. Stalla, F. Holsboer, and E. Arzt Early Activation of Thyrotropin-Releasing-Hormone and Prolactin Plays a Critical Role during a T Cell-Dependent Immune Response Endocrinology, February 1, 1999; 140(2): 690 - 697. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				J. Wang, M. Whetsell, and J. R. Klein Local Hormone Networks and Intestinal T Cell Homeostasis Science, March 28, 1997; 275(5308): 1937 - 1939. [Abstract] [Full Text]