IL37 and autoimmune thyroid disease

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) and Graves’ disease (GD) differ in clinical presentation and pathophysiology, but both carry thyroid T cells that escape the immune tolerance process and infiltrate the thyroid. Inflammatory cytokines are key in this process. Yan et al. assessed the association of four SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) of IL37 (a natural suppressor of innate and acquired immunity) with HT and GD in the Chinese Han population. The minor A allele of rs2723176/ rs2723186/rs3811047 and the minor G allele of rs3811046 were found to have a protective influence on GD susceptibility, but there were no significant associations with HT. Haplotype analysis of IL37 showed that GCG conferred a significant risk for GD, whereas haplotype ACG was associated with an increased risk of HT. Haplotype AAA was significantly lower in GD, indicating a protective role. The apparent association of the IL37 gene with susceptibility to autoimmune thyroid disease leads us to ask whether there is an IL37 gene risk associated with other autoimmune diseases or autoimmune disease susceptibility. Read the full article in Journal of Molecular Endocrinology 55 209–218