Spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis in chickens. II. Evidence for autoresponsive thymocytes
Livezey, M.D.; Sundick, R.S.; Rose, N.R.
Journal of Immunology 127(4): 1469-1472
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-1767 PMID: 6974193 Document Number: 173468
A major factor involved in spontaneous autoimmune thyroiditis obese strain (OS) chickens is the presence of thyroid reactive cells in the thymus of young OS chicks. This was investigated by transferring OS and normal strain thymocytes to T cell-depleted histocompatible normal chickens and examining the recipients for thyroiditis. Although both thymocyte populations reconstituted T cell function, only the OS thymocytes induced thyroiditis. Additional evidence for hyperactivity of the young OS thymus was provided by studying the in situ uptake of a radiolabelled thymidine analogue.