Major histocompatibility class II HLA-DRα gene expression in thyrocytes: Counter regulation by the class II transactivator and the thyroid y box protein

Aberrant expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II proteins on thyrocytes, which is associated with autoimmune thyroid disease, is mimicked by γ-interferon (γ-IFN). To define elements and factors that regulate class II gene expression in thyrocytes and that might be involved in aberrant expression, we have studied γ-IFN-induced HLA-DRα gene expression in rat FRTL-5 thyroid cells. The present report shows that class II expression in FRTL-5 thyrocytes is positively regulated by the class II transactivator (CIITA), and that CIITA mimics the action of γ-IFN. Thus, as is the case for γ-IFN, several distinct and highly conserved elements on the 5'-flanking region of the HLA-DRα gene, the S, X₁, X₂, and Y boxes between -137 to -65 bp, are required for class II gene expression induced by pCIITA transfection in FRTL-5 thyroid cells. CIITA and γ-IFN do not cause additive increases in HLA-DRα gene expression in FRTL-5 cells, consistent with the possibility that CIITA is an intermediate factor in the γ-IFN pathway to increased class II gene expression. Additionally, γ-IFN treatment of FRTL-5 cells induces an endogenous CIITA transcript; pCIITA transfection mimics the ability of γ-IFN treatment of FRTL-5 thyroid cells to increase the formation of a specific and novel protein/DNA complex containing CBP, a coactivator of CRE binding proteins important for cAMP-induced gene expression; and the action of both γ-IFN and CIITA to increase class II gene expression and increase complex formation is reduced by cotransfection of a thyroid Y box protein, which suppresses MHC class I gene expression in FRTL-5 thyroid cells and is a homolog of human YB-1, which suppresses MHC class II expression in human glioma cells. We conclude that CIITA and TSH receptor suppressor element binding protein-1 are components of the γ-IFN-regulated transduction system which, respectively, increase or decrease class II gene expression in thyrocytes and may, therefore, be involved in aberrant class II expression associated with autoimmune thyroid disease.