Enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis is associated with increased expression of the mitochondrial ATP-dependent Lon protease. (1/2275)

Rats bearing the Zajdela hepatoma tumor and T3-treated hypothyroid rats were used to study the role of protein degradation in the process of mitochondrial biogenesis. It was shown that the activity, protein and mRNA levels of the ATP-dependent Lon protease increased in rapidly growing Zajdela hepatoma cells. The increase in the rate of mitochondrial biogenesis by thyroid hormone was similarly accompanied by enhanced expression of the Lon protease. The results imply that mitochondrial biogenesis in mammalian cells is, at least partially, regulated by the matrix Lon protease.  (+info)

Expression of uncoupling protein-3 and mitochondrial activity in the transition from hypothyroid to hyperthyroid state in rat skeletal muscle. (2/2275)

We sought a correlation between rat skeletal muscle triiodothyronine (T3)-mediated regulation of uncoupling protein-3 (UCP3) expression and mitochondrial activity. UCP3 mRNA expression increased strongly during the hypothyroid-hyperthyroid transition. The rank order of mitochondrial State 3 and State 4 respiration rates was hypothyroid < euthyroid < hyperthyroid. The State 4 increase may have been due to the increased UCP3 expression, as the proton leak kinetic was stimulated in the hypothyroid-hyperthyroid transition and a good correlation exists between the State 4 and UCP3 mRNA level. As a significant proportion of an organism's resting oxygen consumption is dedicated to opposing the proton leak, skeletal muscle mitochondrial UCP3 may mediate part of T3's effect on energy metabolism.  (+info)

Stimulation of Na,K-ATPase by hypothyroidism in the thyroid gland. (3/2275)

Although studies have documented the regulatory effects of thyroid hormones on the Na,K-ATPase in peripheral tissues, there is little information on the regulation of this transporter in the thyroid gland itself. Accordingly, we investigated the effects of thyroid status on Na,K-ATPase specific activity and the abundance of its constituent subunits in rat thyroid. Exogenous tri-iodothyronine (T3) was administered daily to produce hyperthyroidism. 6n-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU), an inhibitor of thyroid hormone synthesis, was used to induce hypothyroidism. There was a four-fold increase in Na,K-ATPase specific activity in the follicular membranes from PTU-treated animals after 7 days. Enzymatic activities were not changed in the T3-treated glands. Immunoblotting of membranes from T3-treated rats revealed a 75% reduction in alpha1 subunit abundance and a slight, but nonsignificant reduction in beta1 abundance. On the other hand, the membranes from PTU-treated rats displayed 136 and 567% increases in the abundance of the alpha1 and beta1 subunits respectively. These data demonstrate that thyroid hormone status regulates Na,K-ATPase in the gland, but the effects are in direct contrast to those seen in the periphery.  (+info)

Electrophysiologic effects of chronic amiodarone therapy and hypothyroidism, alone and in combination, on guinea pig ventricular myocytes. (4/2275)

Amiodarone is a widely used antiarrhythmic drug, the mechanisms of action of which remain incompletely understood. Indirect evidence suggests that the class III properties of amiodarone may be mediated by cardiac antithyroid effects. We sought to determine whether the effects of chronic amiodarone on repolarization in guinea pig hearts can be attributed to an antithyroid action by studying the changes in dofetilide-sensitive rapid (IKr) and dofetilide-resistant slow (IKs) delayed rectifier currents, inward rectifier K+ current (IK1), and action potentials of ventricular myocytes from five groups of guinea pigs: control, hypothyroid, amiodarone-treated for 7 days, hypothyroid plus amiodarone, and vehicle (dimethyl sulfoxide) treated. IKs was reduced by amiodarone (to 61% of control, P <.05, at 50 mV) but was more strongly reduced by hypothyroidism (to 35% of control, P <.01, 50 mV). Amiodarone significantly reduced IKr and IK1 (by 55 and 64% at 10 mV and -50 mV, respectively), which were unaffected by hypothyroidism. Amiodarone alone and hypothyroidism alone had similar action potential-prolonging actions. Hypothyroid animals treated with amiodarone showed a combination of ionic effects (strong IKs reduction, similar to hypothyroidism alone; reduced IKr and IK1, similar to amiodarone alone), along with action potential prolongation significantly greater than that caused by either intervention alone. We conclude that chronic amiodarone and hypothyroidism have different effects on ionic currents and that their combination prolongs action potential duration to a greater extent than either alone in guinea pig hearts, suggesting that the class III actions of amiodarone are not mediated by a cardiac hypothyroid state.  (+info)

Monophasic action potentials of right atrium and electrophysiological properties of AV conducting system in patients with hypothyroidism. (5/2275)

In 12 patients with manifest hypothyroidism right atrial monophasic action potentials showed a significant prolongation in comparison with data from normal or euthyroid patients. Atrial effective refractory periods were also significantly prolonged. After thyroid treatment the monophasic action potential duration and the effective refractory period of the right atrium were within normal ranges. In 6 hypothyroid patients studies of AV conduction with the aid of His bundle electrography and atrial pacing showed a supraHisian conduction delay which was manifest in one case and latent in another two. InfraHisian conduction delay was encountered in 2 cases.  (+info)

Juvenile hypothyroidism among two populations exposed to radioiodine. (6/2275)

We found an epidemic of juvenile hypothyroidism among a population of self-defined "downwinders" living near the Hanford nuclear facility located in southeast Washington State. The episode followed massive releases of 131I. Self-reported data on 60 cases of juvenile hypothyroidism (<20 years of age) among a group of 801 Hanford downwinders are presented, as well as data concerning the thyroid status of approximately 160,000 children exposed to radioiodine before 10 years of age as a result of the 26 April 1986 Chernobyl explosion in the former Soviet Union. These children were residents of five regions near Chernobyl. They were examined by standardized screening protocols over a period of 5 years from 1991 to 1996. They are a well-defined group of 10 samples. Fifty-six cases of hypothyroidism were found among boys and 92 among girls. Body burdens of 137Cs have been correlated with hypothyroidism prevalence rates. On the other hand, the group of juvenile (<20 years of age) Hanford downwinders is not a representative sample. Most of the 77 cases of juvenile hypothyroidism in the Hanford group were diagnosed from 1945 to 1970. However, the ratio of reported cases to the county population under 20 years of age is roughly correlated with officially estimated mean levels of cumulative thyroid 131I uptake in these counties, providing evidence that juvenile hypothyroidism was associated with radioiodine exposures. Because even subtle hypothyroidism may be of clinical significance in childhood and can be treated, it may be useful to screen for the condition in populations exposed to radioiodine fallout. Although radiation exposure is associated with hypothyroidism, its excess among fallout-exposed children has not been previously quantified.  (+info)

Na,K-ATPase mRNA beta 1 expression in rat myocardium--effect of thyroid status. (7/2275)

The abundance of Na,K-ATPase and its alpha and beta subunit mRNAs is upregulated in cardiac and other target tissue by thyroid hormone (T3). Multiple Na,K-ATPase mRNA beta 1 species encoding an identical beta 1 polypeptide are expressed in the heart. The different mRNA beta 1 species result from utilization of two transcription start-sites in the first exon and multiple (five) poly(A) signals in the terminal exon of the beta 1 gene. In the present study we identify the mRNA beta 1 species that are expressed in rat ventricular myocardium under basal conditions, and determine whether they are differentially regulated by T3. mRNA beta 1 species were identified by 3'-RACE followed by DNA sequencing, and by Northern blotting using probes derived from different regions of rat cDNA beta 1. Five mRNA beta 1 species are expressed in rat heart: mRNA beta 1 species that are initiated at the first transcription start-site and end at the first, second and fifth poly(A) sites (resulting in mRNAs of 1630, 1810, and 2780 nucleotides), and mRNA beta 1 species initiated at the second transcription start-site and ending at the second and fifth poly(A) sites (resulting in mRNAs of 1500 and 2490 nucleotides); in order of increasing length, the five mRNAs constitute 0.04, 0.15, 0.38, 0.11 and 0.32 of total mRNA beta 1 content. In hypothyroid rats (induced by addition of propyl-thiouracil to the drinking water for 3 weeks), total mRNA beta 1 content decreased to 0.18 euthyroid levels, which was associated with a disproportionate 7.5-fold decrease in the abundance of the longest transcript (P < 0.05); transcripts initiating at the first transcription start-site and ending at the second poly(A) signal in hypothyroid hearts were 0.26 euthyroid levels (P < 0.05). Hyperthyroidism induced by injection of normal rats with three doses of 100 micrograms T3/100 g body weight every 48 h resulted in an overall approximately 2-fold increase in mRNA beta 1 content with no change in the fractional contribution of any of the mRNA beta 1 species. The results indicate a complex heterogeneity in the expression of mRNA beta 1 in myocardium.  (+info)

Assessment of thyroid hormone assays. (8/2275)

Four techniques for estimating serum T4 and three for estimating serum T3 have been investigated and found to be satisfactory in routine use. Normal ranges for each techniques have been established. Estimation of serum T3 by the commerical kits tested appears to have a high discriminant value in the diagnosis of hyperthyroidism, although the diagnostic definition used inevitably enhances the apparent sensitivity of these techniques. Estimation of serum T4 will identify the majority of patients with symptomatic hypothyroidism. The low sensitivity of T3 in the diagnosis of thyroid failure is confirmed.  (+info)