CITED2: a novel hub gene downregulated in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and associated with M1 macrophages via bioinformatics analysis and clinical validation

This study defines a robust transcriptomic and immune signature for HT. The significant downregulation of CITED2, specifically within thyroid follicular cells, and its inverse correlation with M1 macrophages, imply that its suppression may disrupt thyroid follicular cell function and contribute to the pro-inflammatory immune microenvironment, thereby revealing a novel potential mechanism in HT pathogenesis.