title: Region-specific effects of hypothyroidism on the relative expression of thyroid hormone receptors in adult rat brain.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine whether changes in the circulating thyroid hormone (TH) and brain synaptosomal TH content affected the relative levels of mRNA encoding different thyroid hormone receptor (TR) isoforms in adult rat brain. Northern analysis of polyA+RNA from cerebral cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum of control and hypothyroid adult rats was performed in order to determine the relative expression of all TR isoforms. Circulating and synaptosomal TH concentrations were determined by radioimmunoassay. Region-specific quantitative differences in the expression pattern of all TR isoforms in euthyroid animals and hypothyroid animals were recorded. In hypothyroidism, the levels of TRalpha2 mRNA (non-T3-binding isoform) were decreased in all brain regions examined. In contrast the relative expression of TRalpha1 was increased in cerebral cortex and hippocampus, whereas in cerebellum remained unaffected. The TRbeta1 relative expression in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of hypothyroid animals was not affected, whereas this TR isoform was not detectable in cerebellum. The TR isoform mRNA levels returned to control values following T4 intraperitoneal administration to the hypothyroid rats. The obtained results show that in vivo depletion of TH regulates TR gene expression in adult rat brain in a region-specific manner.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Human and Animal Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Patras, Patras, Greece.
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Constantinou
authors.forename: Marigoula
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Margarity
authors.forename: Theony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Valcana
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011988:Receptors, Thyroid Hormone / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D013574:Synaptosomes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011988:Receptors, Thyroid Hormone; D013963:Thyroid Hormones