Thyroid Gland Flashcards
What is the thyroid gland?
- one of the larger endocrine glands
- shaped like a butterfly
- lies across the trachea at the base of larynx
- it isn’t visible or palpable in health
How much does the thyroid gland weigh?
15-20g
What does the thyroid gland synthesise?
thyroid hormones
- T3 (triiodothyronine)
- T4 (thyroxine).
What are the 2 cell types that the thyroid gland contains?
- C (clear) cells
- Follicular cells
What are thyroid follicles?
spherical structures whose walls are made of follicular cells
What do C cells secrete?
Calcitonin (Ca regulating hormone)
What do follicular cells do?
- manufacture enzymes that make thyroid hormones as well as thyroglobulin
- actively concentrate iodide from the plasma and transport it into the colloid where it combines with the tyrosine residues to form the thyroid hormones
What is colloid?
Sticky glycoprotein matrix at centre of follicle
What do thyroid follicles contain?
2-3 months supply of TH
What do follicular cells manufacture?
enzymes that make thyroid hormones as well as thyroglobulin (a large protein rich in tyrosine residues)
What are packaged into the colloid?
The enzymes and thyroglobulin are secreted from the follicular cells into the colloid.
What are tyrosine and iodine derived from?
Diet
What catalyses the reaction of tyrosine to T4 and T3?
Thyroid peroxidase
Where is thyroid peroxidase located?
On the apical membrane of the follicular cells
How does iodide enter the follicular cell?
- Iodide enters the follicular cells from the plasma
- via a Na+/I- transporter (symport)
- coupling to Na+ enables the follicular cells to take up iodide against a concentration gradient.
How is iodide transported into the colloid?
Via the pendrin transporter
.
.
What does addition of iodine to tyrosine result in?
MIT (monoiodotyrosine)
What doe a second iodine to MIT result in?
DIT (diiodotyrosine)
MIT+ DIT=
T3 (trriodotyronine)
DIT + DIT =
T4 (tetraiodothyronine)
How does colloid respond to TSH?
- portions of the colloid are taken back up into the follicular cell by endocytosis
- within the cells they form vesicles which contain proteolytic enzymes that cut the thyroglobulin to release thyroid hormones
How do T3 and T4 exit the cell?
Both T3 and T4 are lipid soluble and so pass across the follicular cell membrane into the plasma
How are T3 and T4 circulated in the blood?
bind to plasma proteins, mainly thyroxine binding globulin (TBG)