The Expression of T Cell FOXP3 and T-Bet Is Upregulated in Severe but Not Euthyroid Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

Figure 1

Relative mRNA levels of Th1/Treg-associated TF in HT patients and healthy controls. Compared to healthy controls (CTRL), (a) T-bet and (c) FOXP3 mRNA levels were upregulated in hypothyroid, both untreated (HYPO HT, , Kruskal-Wallis test and Bonferroni-Dunn’s post hoc comparison) and thyroxine-supplemented (SUBST HT, ) patients but not in spontaneously euthyroid HT (EU HT) subjects. Conversely, differences in T-bet and FOXP3 mRNA levels, compared between HYPO HT and SUBST HT or between EU HT and CTRL subgroups, were not significant ( for all). Similarly, no difference was found in (b) ETS1, (d) BLIMP1, or (e) HIF1α mRNAs levels across the studied groups.

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