Estimation of antithyroid antibodies occurrence in children with coeliac disease. (65/847)

INTRODUCTION: The coexistence of coeliac disease (CD) and the diseases of autoimmune origin is often discussed in literature. In this study the evaluation of antithyroid antibodies (antimicrosomal-TMA, anti-thyreoglobulin-ATG, thyroid peroxidase antibodies anti-TPO) occurrence against clinical and laboratory determinants of thyroid function is demonstrated in children with coeliac disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 34 IgA-EmA positive children; control group consisted of 28 children with negative screening tests for coeliac disease. RESULTS: In both groups, the level of antithyroid antibodies (TMA, ATG, anti-TPO) and determinants of thyroid gland function (TSH, fT3, fT4) were evaluated; USG examination of thyroid gland was also performed. Elevated titres of antithyroid antibodies observed in children with coeliac disease (41.1%) in comparison to control group (3.56%) indicate the need for performing the screening tests for antithyroid antibodies in children with CD.  (+info)

Transient thyrotoxicosis and hypothyroidism following administration of the GnRH agonist leuprolide acetate. (66/847)

A 45-year-old women with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura was given monthly injections of the GnRH agonist leuprolide acetate for the treatment of uterine leiomyoma. Two weeks after the fifth injection, she showed mild symptoms of thyrotoxicosis. At that time, serum thyroxin (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) levels were elevated whereas TSH level was suppressed. Anti-thyroglobulin (anti-Tg) and anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO) antibodies were positive, whereas TSH binding inhibitory immunoglobulin (TBII) was undetectable. Two months later, serum T4 and T3 levels spontaneously decreased below the normal ranges. Five months after the onset of the disease, they returned to normal without any treatment. Anti-TPO and anti-Tg antibodies gradually decreased during the clinical course. Thus, the present case was indicated to be an instance wherein silent thyroiditis developed after leuprolide acetate administration. This is the first report to demonstrate the association of thyroid disorder with leuprolide injection.  (+info)

Preparation and properties of a selenium-containing catalytic antibody as type I deiodinase mimic. (67/847)

Conversion of thyroxine (T4) to 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine is an essential first step in controlling thyroid hormone action. Type I deiodinase (DI) can catalyze the conversion to produce the bulk of serum 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine. Acting as a mimic of DI, a selenium-containing catalytic antibody (Se-4C5) prepared by converting the serine residues of monoclonal antibody 4C5 raised against T4 into selenocysteines, can catalyze the deiodination of T4 with dithiothreitol (DTT) as cosubstrate. The mimic enzyme Se-4C5 exhibited a much greater deiodinase activity than model compound ebselen and another selenium-containing antibody Se-Hp4 against GSH. The coupling of selenocysteine with the combining pocket of antibody 4C5 endowed Se-4C5 with enzymatic activity. To probe the catalytic mechanism of the catalytic antibody, detailed kinetic studies were carried out in this paper. Investigations into the deiodinative reaction revealed the relationship between the initial velocity and substrate concentration. The characteristic parallel Dalziel plots demonstrated that Se-4C5-catalyzed reaction mechanism was ping-pong one, involving at least one covalent enzyme intermediate. The kinetic properties of the catalytic antibody were similar to those of DI, with Km values for T4 and DTT of approximately 0.8 microm and 1.8 mm, respectively, and a Vm value of 270 pmol per mg of protein per min. The activity could be sensitively inhibited by 6-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU) with a K(i) value of approximately 120 microm at 2.0 microm T4 concentration. The PTU inhibition was progressively alleviated with the increasing concentration of added DTT, revealing that PTU was a competitive inhibitor for DTT.  (+info)

Evidence for a role of the type III-iodothyronine deiodinase in the regulation of 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine content in the human central nervous system. (68/847)

OBJECTIVE: Thyroid hormone is essential for maintaining normal neurological functions both during development and in adult life. Type III-iodothyronine deiodinase (D3) degrades thyroid hormones by converting thyroxine and 3,5,3'-triiodothyroinine (T3) to inactive metabolites. A regional expression of D3 activity has been observed in the human central nervous system (CNS), and a critical role for D3 has been suggested in the regulation of local T3 content in concert with other enzymes. DESIGN: This study was undertaken to further characterize D3 activity in human CNS and to understand its role in the local regulation of T3 content. METHODS: Autoptic specimens from various areas of human CNS were obtained 6--27 h postmortem from 14 donors who died from cardiovascular accident, neoplastic disease or infectious disease. D3 was determined by measuring the conversion of T3 to 3,3'-diiodothyronine. The T3 content was measured by radioimmunoassay in ethanol extracts, using a specific antiserum. RESULTS: High levels of D3 activity were observed in hippocampus and temporal cortex, lower levels being found in the thalamus, hypothalamus, midbrain cerebellum, parietal and frontal cortex, and brain stem. An inverse relationship between D3 activity and T3 content in these areas was demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: We have concluded that D3 contributes to the local regulation of T3 content in the human CNS.  (+info)

Regional physiological adaptation of the central nervous system deiodinases to iodine deficiency. (69/847)

The goal of the present investigation was to analyze the types 2 (D2) and 3 (D3) iodothyronine deiodinases in various structures within the central nervous system (CNS) in response to iodine deficiency. After 5-6 wk of low-iodine diet (LID) or LID + 2 microg potassium iodide/ml (LID + KI; control), rats' brains were processed for in situ hybridization histochemistry for D2 and D3 mRNA or dissected, frozen in liquid nitrogen, and processed for D2 and D3 activities. LID did not affect weight gain or serum triiodothyronine, but plasma thyroxine (T4) was undetectable. In the LID + KI animals, D3 activities were highest in the cerebral cortex (CO) and hippocampus (HI), followed by the olfactory bulb and was lowest in cerebellum (CE). Iodine deficiency decreased D3 mRNA expression in all CNS regions, and these changes were accompanied by three- to eightfold decreases in D3 activity. In control animals, D2 activity in the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) was similar to that in pituitary gland. Of the CNS D2-expressing regions analyzed, the two most responsive to iodine deficiency were the CO and HI, in which an approximately 20-fold increase in D2 activity occurred. Other regions, i.e., CE, lateral hypothalamus, MBH, and pituitary gland, showed smaller increases. The distribution of and changes in D2 mRNA were similar to those of D2 activity. Our results indicate that decreases in the expression of D3 and increases in D2 are an integral peripheral component of the physiological response of the CNS to iodine deficiency.  (+info)

Timing of metamorphosis and the onset of the negative feedback loop between the thyroid gland and the pituitary is controlled by type II iodothyronine deiodinase in Xenopus laevis. (70/847)

Two important features of amphibian metamorphosis are the sequential response of tissues to different concentrations of thyroid hormone (TH) and the development of the negative feedback loop between the pituitary and the thyroid gland that regulates TH synthesis by the thyroid gland. At the climax of metamorphosis in Xenopus laevis (when the TH level is highest), the ratio of the circulating precursor thyroxine (T4) to the active form 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) in the blood is many times higher than it is in tissues. This difference is because of the conversion of T4 to T3 in target cells of the tadpole catalyzed by the enzyme type II iodothyronine deiodinase (D2) and the local effect (cell autonomy) of this activity. Limb buds and tails express D2 early and late in metamorphosis, respectively, correlating with the time that these organs undergo TH-induced change. T(3) is required to complete metamorphosis because the peak concentration of T4 that is reached at metamorphic climax cannot induce the final morphological changes. At the climax of metamorphosis, D2 expression is activated specifically in the anterior pituitary cells that express the genes for thyroid-stimulating hormone but not in the cells that express proopiomelanocortin. Physiological concentrations of T3 but not T4 can suppress thyrotropin subunit beta gene expression. The timing and the remarkable specificity of D2 expression in the thyrotrophs of the anterior pituitary coupled with the requirement for locally synthesized T3 strongly support a role for D2 in the onset of the negative feedback loop at the climax of metamorphosis.  (+info)

Novel mutations of the thyroid peroxidase gene in patients with permanent congenital hypothyroidism. (71/847)

OBJECTIVE: It is suggested that iodide organification defects account for 10% of all cases with congenital hypothyroidism (CH). One candidate gene for these defects is the thyroid peroxidase (TPO) gene. DESIGN: Exons 2, 8-10 and 14 of the TPO gene were examined in 30 patients with permanent CH without a family history of CH. This group was characterized by the presence of an orthotopic thyroid gland and elevated TSH levels. METHODS: The mutational screening was performed by single-strand conformational polymorphism followed by sequence analysis of fragments with abnormal migration patterns and by restriction enzyme analysis. RESULTS: In four patients we were able to identify mutations on both alleles which have not been described so far. One patient was a carrier of a new homozygous point mutation in exon 9 resulting in an exchange from Leu to Pro at codon 458. Another patient was found to be compound heterozygous for two mutations, a 20 bp duplication in exon 2 and a new mutation in exon 9 (Arg491His). Two brothers of consanguineous parents showed a homozygous T deletion in exon 14 at position 2512. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm the genetic heterogeneity of TPO defects and support the suggested prevalence of organification defects.  (+info)

The human type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase is a selenoprotein highly expressed in a mesothelioma cell line. (72/847)

Types 1 and 3 iodothyronine deiodinases are known to be selenocysteine-containing enzymes. Although a putative human type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase (D2) gene (hDio2) encoding a similar selenoprotein has been identified, basal D2 activity is not selenium (Se)-dependent nor has D2 been labeled with (75)Se. A human mesothelioma cell line (MSTO-211H) has recently been shown to have approximately 40-fold higher levels of hDio2 mRNA than mesothelial cells. Mesothelioma cell lysates activate thyroxine (T(4)) to 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine with typical characteristics of D2 such as low K(m) (T(4)), 1.3 nm, resistance to propylthiouracil, and a short half-life ( approximately 30 min). D2 activity is approximately 30-fold higher in Se-supplemented than in Se-depleted medium. An antiserum prepared against a peptide deduced from the Dio2 mRNA sequence precipitates a (75)Se protein of the predicted 31-kDa size from (75)Se-labeled mesothelioma cells. Bromoadenosine 3'5' cyclic monophosphate increases D2 activity and (75)Se-p31 approximately 2.5-fold whereas substrate (T(4)) reduces both D2 activity and (75)Se-p31 approximately 2-3-fold. MG132 or lactacystin (10 microm), inhibitors of the proteasome pathway by which D2 is degraded, increase both D2 activity and (75)Se-p31 3-4-fold and prevent the loss of D2 activity during cycloheximide or substrate (T(4)) exposure. Immunocytochemical studies with affinity-purified anti-hD2 antibody show a Se-dependent increase in immunofluorescence. Thus, human D2 is encoded by hDio2 and is a member of the selenodeiodinase family accounting for its highly catalytic efficiency in T(4) activation.  (+info)