Thyroid Hormone Physiology Flashcards
Thyroid Structure:
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Thyroid Gland: Overview:
- largest of endocrine glands
- produces thyroid hormones that regulate
the basal metabolic rate - requires dietary iodine which is absorbed
as iodide
Recommended daily intake of iodide for adults is
150 micrograms
Thyroid Gland: Location:
- inferior to the larynx
- either side of the cricoid cartilage and
upper trachea - covered by strap muscles of the neck,
overlapped by sternocleidomastoid
muscles - enclosed by pretracheal fascia, which
attaches it to the larynx - weight = 15-20g
Thyroid Gland Development:
- from the floor of the pharynx
- near the root of the tongue that descends
into the neck as a downgrowth
Thyroid Gland: Histology:
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colloid is stained pink because rich in protein
found inside epithelial cell
Colloid:
- substance found in thyroid
follicles - rich in thyroglobulin
- large, dimeric glycoprotein
- thyroglobulin is produced in
the ER and Golgi of epithelial
cells - secreted in the follicle colloid
The thyroid gland secretes the metabolic hormones:
- T4 = thyroxine = 93%
- T3 = triodothyronine = 7%
tyrosine based hormones that have four iodines and three iodine respectively
Calcitonin:
- hormone
- produced by thyroid C cells
- involved in calcium homeostasis
Which tyrosine based hormone is a precursor of the other?
T4 is a precursor of T3
can be converted to the active form of T3 through the removal of one iodine
removal of iodine catalysed by deiodinase enzymes converting T4 into T3
Where is the majority of T3 produced?
peripheral extra-thyroidal tissues
mainly liver and kidney
Deiodinases:
- D1 = liver, kidney, thyroid
- D2 = muscle, brain, pituitary,
skin and placenta - D3 = converts T4 into
reverse/inactive T3 ->
control mechanism
Thyroglobulin synthesis:
- produced in epithelial cells of
follicles - thyroglobulin is glycosylated
in Golgi - secreted to the follicular space
and is stored as colloid
Synthesis of Thyroid Hormones:
- thyrogobluin is a big molecule
with tyrosine - T3 and T4 are tyrosines with
iodine - in the basolateral membrane
of epithelial cell - Na+/I- symporter transports 2
Na+ and 1 I- into the cell - I- diffuses down the epithelial
cell and transported into the
follicular lumen where colloid
is stored - in the colloid I- is oxidised into
iodine - Pendrin (P) is involved in this
process and is a protein - apical membrane engulfs
blobs of colloid and is taken
into the cell again - colloid droplets fuse with
lysosome - proteolytic enzymes hydrolyse
colloid into thyroglobulin - TPO = thyroid peroxidase
- catalyses the oxidation of I-
into iodine and the
subsequent binding to
thyrogobulin - T3 = 3 iodine molecules
- T4 = 4 iodine molecules
one tyrosine can take one or two iodine molecules
tyrosines can join together in groups of 2 each with one or two iodines can join
thyroglobulin acts as a store of tyrosine dimers
when T3 and 4 needs to be produced the apical membrane takes in globs of colloid via endocytosis
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Advantage of stored colloid:
T3 and T4 are hormones that control metabolic rate
important that they are readily available
always some hormone precursor stored for quick secretion
if a cell can not produce thyroglobulin, symptoms will not show for a few months due to the stores of colloid
