Why do some eye cells in Graves’ disease make too much goo?
Thyrotropin Receptor-Stimulating Graves' Disease Immunoglobulins Induce Hyaluronan Synthesis by Differentiated Orbital Fibroblasts from Patients with Graves' Ophthalmopathy Not Only Via Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate Signaling Pathways
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
GD-IgG triggers major hyaluronan production without strong cAMP activation, while rhTSH activates cAMP but not HA synthesis.
Scientists long assumed cAMP was the key signal turning on HA production after TSHR activation. This study shows that in most patients, HA is made through other, unknown pathways.
Practical Takeaways
Treatments for Graves’ ophthalmopathy may need to target immune antibodies and non-cAMP signaling pathways, not just hormone levels.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
GD-IgG triggers major hyaluronan production without strong cAMP activation, while rhTSH activates cAMP but not HA synthesis.
Scientists long assumed cAMP was the key signal turning on HA production after TSHR activation. This study shows that in most patients, HA is made through other, unknown pathways.
Practical Takeaways
Treatments for Graves’ ophthalmopathy may need to target immune antibodies and non-cAMP signaling pathways, not just hormone levels.
Publication
Journal
Thyroid
Year
2011
Authors
C. V. van Zeijl, E. Fliers, C. V. van Koppen, Olga V. Surovtseva, M. D. de Gooyer, M. Mourits, W. Wiersinga, A. Miltenburg, A. Boelen
Related Content
Claims (5)
In Graves’ disease, certain immune proteins can mistakenly attack eye tissue, causing swelling and bulging eyes.
In eye cells from people with a thyroid eye disease, a lab-made version of a hormone turns on a cellular signal but doesn't trigger the production of a gooey substance that causes swelling — meaning the signal doesn't always lead to the swelling effect.
When eye cells from people with a serious eye condition get turned into fat-like cells, they start making more of a certain protein receptor — this might explain why the disease gets worse when fat builds up in the eyes.
Autoantibodies from people with Graves' disease can turn on a gooey substance in eye fat cells, which might explain why their eyes bulge out.
In most people with a thyroid eye problem called Graves' ophthalmopathy, certain immune proteins seem to make eye cells produce a gooey substance, and they do it using backup routes instead of the main one scientists expected.