Figure 1.

TSHR antibodies and serum T₄ in Aire−/−, +/−, and +/+ mice. Mice were immunized three times with A-subunit Ad. Sera were tested 1 wk after two immunizations (2×, A and B) and 4 wk after the third injection (3×, D and E). Data are shown for individual mice. TBI and T₄ values for Con-Ad immunized mice immunized twice and three times are combined (C and D). A–C, TSHR antibodies measured by TBI (%) in sera diluted 1:5 (Materials and Methods). The shaded area represents the mean ± 2 sd values for Con-Ad immunized mice. Values in Aire −/− mice were significantly greater than in Aire +/+ mice: *, P = 0.025 (t test). D–F, Serum T₄ (mg/dl). The shaded area represents the mean ± 2 sd values for T₄ levels in Con-Ad immunized mice. The number of hyperthyroid vs. the total number of animals in each group is indicated. ns, Not significant.