TSH receptor antibody synthesis by thyroid lymphocytes.

Several indirect observations have indicated that lymphocyte in the thyroid may be an important site of TSH receptor antibody synthesis in Graves' disease and we now describe an investigation of this possibility using improved lymphocyte isolation and TSH receptor antibody assay procedures. Our studies demonstrate that thyroid lymphocytes spontaneously produce TSH receptor antibody in culture. Furthermore, experiments with mitogen tend to suggest that these cells, in contrast to lymphocytes from lymph nodes draining the thyroid, are part of an active immune response to the TSH receptor.