Fetal microchimeric cells in autoimmune thyroid diseases

Figures & data

Table 1. Studies describing fetal microchimerism in AITD

Author	(Autoimmune) Thyroid Disease or Healthy	Biological material	Technique	% of women positive for fetal cells (n/total)	Number of fetal cells/number of maternal cells
Lepez et al.^4	HT	Blood	FISH and repeated FISH	100% (7/7)	7–11 /1.000.000
	GD			100% (4/4)	14–29 /1.000.000
	Healthy			90% (9/10)	0–5 /1.000.000
Renne et al.^7	HT	Paraffin-embedded thyroid tissue	FISH	60% (15/25)	1–6/section, CD45+ (no thyrocytes)
	GD			40% (6/15)	ND
	Thyroid adenoma			22% (2/9)	ND
Klintschar et al.^6	HT	Paraffin-embedded thyroid tissue	qualitative PCR SRY and Amelogenin	47% (8/17)	ND
	Nodular goiter			4% (1/25)	ND
Klintschar et al.^10	HT	Paraffin-embedded thyroid tissue	qualitative PCR of DYS14 of Y chromosome	38% (8/21)	15–4900/100.000
	Multinodular goiter			5% (1/18)	182/100.000
	Healthy			0% (0/17)	ND
Ando et al.^9	GD	Paraffin-embedded thyroid tissue	PCR-ELISA SRY	20% (4/20)	ND
	Thyroid adenoma			0% (0/6)	ND
	GD	Fresh-frozen thyroid tissue		85% (6/7)	14–295/100.000
	Thyroid adenoma			25% (1/4)	17/100.000
	GD	Blood		47% (8/17)	1–10/100.000
	Healthy			28% (4/14)	1–87/100.000
	Polycystic ovary syndrome never pregnant			0% (0/16)	0/100.000
Srivatsa et al.^8	Various thyroid disorders, without documented male children	Paraffin-embedded thyroid tissue	FISH	44% (4/9)	1–165/section, individual or in cluster
	Various thyroid disorders, with male children			63% (12/20)
	Healthy controls			0% (0/8)	ND

ND, not determined.

Figure 1. Potential mechanisms of harmful (red), beneficial (green) and innocent (blue) microchimerism in the thyroid gland.

Lepez T, Vandewoestyne M, Hussain S, Van Nieuwerburgh F, Poppe K, Velkeniers B, et al. Fetal microchimeric cells in blood of women with an autoimmune thyroid disease. PLoS One 2011; 6:e29646; http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0029646; PMID: 22216337

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Renné C, Ramos Lopez E, Steimle-Grauer SA, Ziolkowski P, Pani MA, Luther C, et al. Thyroid fetal male microchimerisms in mothers with thyroid disorders: presence of Y-chromosomal immunofluorescence in thyroid-infiltrating lymphocytes is more prevalent in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Graves’ disease than in follicular adenomas. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004; 89:5810 - 4; http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/jc.2004-1049; PMID: 15531546

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Klintschar M, Schwaiger P, Mannweiler S, Regauer S, Kleiber M. Evidence of fetal microchimerism in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2001; 86:2494 - 8; http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/jc.86.6.2494; PMID: 11397845

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Klintschar M, Immel UD, Kehlen A, Schwaiger P, Mustafa T, Mannweiler S, et al. Fetal microchimerism in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis: a quantitative approach. Eur J Endocrinol 2006; 154:237 - 41; http://dx.doi.org/10.1530/eje.1.02080; PMID: 16452536

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Ando T, Imaizumi M, Graves PN, Unger P, Davies TF. Intrathyroidal fetal microchimerism in Graves’ disease. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002; 87:3315 - 20; http://dx.doi.org/10.1210/jc.87.7.3315; PMID: 12107242

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Srivatsa B, Srivatsa S, Johnson KL, Samura O, Lee SL, Bianchi DW. Microchimerism of presumed fetal origin in thyroid specimens from women: a case-control study. Lancet 2001; 358:2034 - 8; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(01)07099-4; PMID: 11755610

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