T lymphocyte line specific for thyroglobulin produces or vaccinates against autoimmune thyroiditis in mice.

We investigated Ly-1+ T lymphocyte line cells specifically reactive to thyroglobulin (Tg) that were isolated from mice primed with mouse Tg in adjuvant. Intravenous inoculation of as few as 10(5) line cells was sufficient to cause severe and prolonged thyroiditis in recipient mice that were intact, irradiated, or athymic nudes. Disease was independent of circulating Tg antibodies, suggesting that anti-Tg T lymphocytes could cause thyroiditis unaided by antibodies. Thyroiditogenic T lymphocytes could be isolated as cell lines from apparently healthy mice that had been immunized with non-thyroiditogenic bovine Tg in adjuvant, which indicates that autoimmune effector T lymphocytes may develop covertly in the course of immunization with foreign antigens. Finally, a single i.v. inoculation of anti-Tg T lymphocyte line cells attenuated by irradiation vaccinated mice completely against subsequent development of autoimmune thyroiditis produced either by active immunization to Tg or by passive transfer of intact line cells. Vaccinated mice that were protected from inflammatory lesions of thyroiditis still produced high titers of Tg antibodies in response to active immunization. Thus, vaccination specifically inhibited thyroiditogenic T lymphocytes but not helper T lymphocytes required for the production of Tg autoantibodies.