The Thyroid Research Laboratory is focused on autoimmune thyroid disease and has received Federal Funding for over 25 years in order to understand the mechanisms by which the body attacks its own thyroid gland causing underactivity (Hashimoto’s disease) or overactivity (Graves’ disease). Currently the laboratory is evaluating the molecular structure of the TSH receptor, the major autoantigen of Graves’ disease, and the genetic propensity to develop an immune attack on this molecule. Recently, the laboratory has identified X chromosome inactivation as an important susceptibility phenomenon in these diseases and the relationship between this observation and the autoimmune diathesis is intriguing.

Areas of research

1. Molecular characterization of the TSH receptor and its post-translational processing. This includes the molecular mechanisms of receptor multimerization and cleavage and the role of the TSHR in thyrocyte development.
2. The autoantibody and T cell responses to the TSH receptor in human autoimmune thyroid disease and animal models of Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. This includes the characterization of monoclonal thyroid stimulating antibodies.
3. The complex genetics of human autoimmune thyroid disease involving the study of 200 families with these diseases and the determination of the responsible genes and their function.
4. The influence of femaleness and pregnancy on autoimmune thyroid disease with emphasis on the role of X chromosome inactivation and fetal microchimerism in the precipitation and prolongation of postpartum thyroid disease.