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This Article Accepted manuscript (PDF) All Versions of this Article: JOE-09-0089v1 202/2/217    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Endo, T. Articles by Kobayashi, T. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Endo, T. Articles by Kobayashi, T.

T Endo, Third Department of Internal Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo-City, 409-3898, Japan
T Kobayashi, Third Department of Internal Medicine, University of Yamanash, Chuo-City, Japan

Correspondence: Toyoshi Endo, Email: endot{at}yamanashi.ac.jp

We immunized AKR/N mice with bovine thyroglobulin once every two weeks and monitored their time-dependent changes in 125I uptake activity in the thyroid glands. After 3 months, anti-thyroglobulin antibody was positive in all sera from the immunized mice. Serum free T3 and free T4 levels in the immunized mice (n=6) were significantly higher than those in the saline njected (control) mice (n=6). Neck counts as well as scintigraphy of the thyroid glands revealed that iodide uptake activity of the immunized mice was not suppressed, but was instead higher than that of the control mice. Two of the 6 immunized mice showed extremely high iodide uptake activity. The thyroid glands of these two mice were diffusely enlarged and the height of the epithelial cells was also increased. In addition, two mice with high iodide uptake activity produced a high titer of thyroid-stimulating antibody. Additional experiments showed that 4 of 11 AKR/N mice and 3 of 10 C57 BL 6 mice immunized with thyroglobulin had high serum free T3/free T4 levels, high 125I uptake activity of the thyroid, and positive thyroid-stimulating antibody activity. Diffuse goiter, thyrotoxicosis, high iodide uptake activity, and positive thyroid-stimulating antibody are characteristics of Graves' disease. Thus, these mice exhibit the symptoms of Graves' disease. These results suggest that immunization with thyroglobulin induces Graves'-like disease in mice and that our methods will provide a new animal model of Graves' disease.