Thyroid Gland Flashcards
T or F. Almost all hormonal output of the thyroid gland is T3
F. It is T4, although T3 is much more active at target tissues
Describe the polarity of thyroid epithelial cells
These cells have a basal membrane facing the blood and an apical membrane facing the follicular lumen, which is composed mostly of colloid
What is colloid?
mostly newly synthesized thyroid hormones attached to thyroglobulin
How is thyroglobulin synthesized?
This is a glycoprotein, composed mostly of tyrosine, that is synthesized on the rough ER and the Golgi of the follicular cells and is then packaged into secretory vesicles (with thyroid peroxidase lining the inside) to be extruded across the apical membrane in the colloid-filled lumen to later have its tyrosine resides iodinated to form the precursors of thyroid hormones
How does iodide enter thyroid follicular cells?
the “I-trap” or 2Na+/I- cotransporter actively transports iodine from the basolateral side of the follicular cells against both electrical and chemical gradients and a 3Na/2K+ ATPase on the basolateral side maintains the gradient
NOTE: Iodide is passively taken up in the gut (about 80% of what we ingest)
What are some competitive inhibitors of the Na+/I- cotransporter?
thiocyanate (byproduct of tobacco smoke)
perchlorate (an industrial chemical)
What happens to I- once it enters the follicular cell?
It traverses to the apical membrane where it is oxidized to I2 by thyroid peroxidase
What can inhibit thyroid peroxidase?
propylthiouracial (PTU) (inhibits 5’-deionidase also)
Methimazole (inhibits thyroid peroxidase only)
What happens to I2?
It is ejected into colloid using a Cl- dependent channel called pendrin. At the apical membrane, just inside the follicular lumen, I2 combines with the tyrosine moieties of thyroglobulin (catalyzed by thyroid peroxidase) to form monoiodotyrosine (MIT) and diiodotyrosine (DIT)
What happens to MIT and DIT?
They remain attached to thyroglobulin in the follicular lumen until the thyroid gland is stimulated to secrete its hormones
What is the Wolff-Chaikoff effect?
High levels of serum I- inhibit organification (ie. formation of MIT and DIT)
What is the ‘coupling’ effect?
While still part of thyroglobulin, two seperate coupling rxns occur between MIT and DIT, again catalyzed by thyroid peroxidase. In one rxn, two molecules of DIT combine to form T4 or one molecule of MIT can combine with DIT to form T3
Why is more T4 produced than T3?
Because the DIT-DIT coupling rxn is much faster
What happens to the iodinated thyroglobulin with T4, T3, and leftover DIT and MIT?
It is stored in the follicular luman as colloid until the thyroid gland is stimulated to secrete its hormones
What happens when the thyroid gland is stimulated by TSH?
iodinated thyroglobulin is endocytosed into the follicular epithelial cells and transported to the basal membrane by microtubular action where T4 and T3 (and leftover DIT/MIT) are hydrolyzed from thyroglobulin by lysosomal enzymes and then transported across the basal membrane into nearby capillaries
What happens to the DIT and MIT that is left behind in the cell?
They are deionated by the enzyme thyroid deiodinase and the liberated I- is added to the intracellular pool to be used in the next cycle of hormone production.
What happens to T4 and T3 once they enter the bloodstream?
They circulate mostly bound to thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG), with smaller amounts bound to T4-binding prealbumin and albumin, and very little in free form.
NOTE: Because only the unbound thyroid hormones are physiologically active, the role of TBG is to provide a large reservoir of ciculating thyroid hormones, which can be released and added to the pool