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Horm Metab Res 2013; 45(04): 257-260
DOI: 10.1055/s-0032-1330014
Original Basic
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Reduced DNASE1 Gene Expression in Thyroid Autoimmunity

M. Dittmar
1   Department of Medicine I, Gutenberg University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany
2   Department of Human Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Germany
,
K. Woletz
1   Department of Medicine I, Gutenberg University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany
,
G. J. Kahaly
1   Department of Medicine I, Gutenberg University Medical Center, Mainz, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

received 15 May 2012

accepted 25 October 2012

Publication Date:
07 December 2012 (online)

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Abstract

The enzyme DNASE1 plays an important role in the hydrolysis of double-stranded DNA and might be related to autoimmunity. Therefore, the authors hypothesized that patients with autoimmune thyroid disease show a reduced expression of the DNASE1 gene. DNASE1 mRNA was quantitatively analyzed in 20 patients (10 with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and 10 with Graves’ disease) and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls by real-time reverse transcription PCR in a lightcycler using SYBR-Green-format. For relative quantification, the mRNA ratio of the DNASE1 gene to the house keeping gene β2-MICROGLOBULIN was used. The house keeping gene was proved not to be regulated by autoimmune thyroid disease. The interassay coefficient of variation for patients and controls was 22.2% and 15.6%, respectively, suggesting good reproducibility of measurements. The mean expression of the DNASE1 mRNA in patients was 0.52±0.22 (range 0.18–0.99) and in controls 0.95±0.22 (0.66–1.43). The expression level of the DNASE1 gene was strongly decreased in patients, amounting only 54.7% of that in controls (p<0.001). The lowered expression level in patients was not related to age or sex. This study demonstrated for the first time a downregulation of the DNASE1 mRNA expression in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease. This might result in degrading less DNA from dying cells, thereby promoting the development of thyroid autoimmunity.

Key words

DNASE1 gene - autoimmune thyroid disease - relative quantification - real-time PCR - human
 

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