Leptin receptor is a key gene involved in the immunopathogenesis of thyroid‐associated ophthalmopathy

[helvella]

All too little is really understood about thyroid‐associated ophthalmopathy (TAO)/Graves ophthalmopathy/Thyroid Eye Disease (TE).

Although this paper doesn't seem to indicate any new treatments, it does discuss issues and observations which might, in time, result in improved treatment or even prevention.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Open Access

Leptin receptor is a key gene involved in the immunopathogenesis of thyroid‐associated ophthalmopathy

Ziyi Chen

Zhe Chen

Jingya Wang

Meng Zhang

Xiaofei Wang

Deji Cuomu

Bingyin Shi

Yue Wang

First published: 14 May 2021

doi.org/10.1111/jcmm.16605

Abstract

Thyroid‐associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), the most common and severe manifestation of Graves' disease (GD), is a disfiguring and potentially blinding autoimmune disease. The high relapse rate (up to 20%) and substantial side effects of glucocorticoid treatment further decrease the life quality of TAO patients. To develop novel therapies, we amid to explore the immunopathogenesis of TAO. To identify the key immune‐related genes (IRGs) in TAO, we integrated the IRG expression profiles in thyrocytes from a GD patient set (GD vs healthy control) and a TAO patient set (TAO vs GD). Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), protein‐protein interaction (PPI) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses identified the leptin receptor (LEPR) gene as the key IRG in TAO immunopathogenesis. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) suggested enrichment of the antigen presentation pathway in TAO patients with higher LEPR. Increased LEPR expression was validated in TAO orbital tissues, and weighted gene co‐expression network analysis (WGCNA) showed that cell adhesion processes were positively correlated with LEPR. Our study revealed that LEPR is a key gene in TAO immunopathogenesis and plays different roles in thyrocytes and orbital tissues. Our findings provide new insights into diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers for TAO.

Full paper freely available here:

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi...

[amala57]

I have thyroid eye disease. It's mostly stable now I'm gluten free & on NDT.If I eat ANY amount of gluten, by mistake, the only symptom I get is a headache & a swollen painful eye.

I guess gluten triggers the antibodies.

When I told my eye doctor at the hospital they were not interested. Endocrinologist dismissed it too.

I've now been discharged by both.

[london81 in reply to amala57]

i was just thinking as i read this, how none of the medics i’ve seen seem the least bit interested in immune system connection to thyroid illness full stop. my dad had 30 years of eye symptoms and as soon as he went onto ndt and probiotics he stopped getting them ( plus folate etc but i think the ndt was key: his tsh was 126 at one point)