PAX8 and autoimmune thyroid disease: mRNA expression validation was also done for several genes that were upregulated in the absence of Pax8, including the genes encoding: CCL2, a chemokine involved in thyroid autoimmunity [27]; S100A4, a calcium-binding protein which plays a role in angiogenesis, extracellular matrix remodelling and tumor microenvironment, and reported to be overexpressed in metastatic papillary thyroid microcarcinomas [28]; SCNN1G and PADI1, which exert a role in Na+ transport and differentiation in epithelial cells, respectively [29,30] (Figure 7B, lower panel).