triiodothyronine--reverse and Neuroblastoma

The binding of thyroid hormones to isolated plasma membranes was studied in NB41A3 neuroblasts. Saturable binding of L-T3, D-T3 and L-T4 was observed. Binding was time-dependent, with equilibrium reached in less than 60 min and maximal binding occurring between pH 7.4 and 7. Saturation experiments demonstrated two classes of sites for L-T3: a high-affinity site with Ka 8.4 X 10(9) M-1 and a low-affinity site with Ka 7.3 X 10(6) M-1.L-T3 and D-T3 inhibited each other's binding, L-T3 being several-times more potent. Affinity labeling of isolated membranes with bromoacetylated thyroid hormones disclosed stereospecific binding to SDS-PAGE bands with approximate molecular masses of 27 kDa (preferentially labeled by BrAc-L-T3), 32 kDa (preferentially labeled by BrAc-D-T3), and 48 and 87 kDa (preferentially labeled by BrAc-L-T4). Binding of BrAc-L-T3 to the 27 kDa band accounted for 3.4% of total binding, was selectively inhibited by excess L-T3, and may be involved in intracellular transport of L-T3.

Topics: Animals; Binding Sites; Binding, Competitive; Cell Line; Cell Membrane; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Kinetics; Membrane Proteins; Mice; Molecular Weight; Neuroblastoma; Thyroxine; Triiodothyronine; Triiodothyronine, Reverse

Neural T3 neogenesis is modulated by the enzyme T4-5'-deiodinase type II (T4-5'-DII). Hypothyroidism increases the activity of rat pituitary and cerebral cortex enzyme activity. Mouse neuroblastoma cells (NB41A3) incubated in thyroid hormone deficient medium also show a significant increase in T4-5'-DII activity. This response is rapidly (less than 30 minutes) reversed by reverse T3 (rT3) suggesting a mechanism independent of nuclear T3 receptor binding or new protein synthesis. This report details a series of studies performed to elucidate the nature of this rT3 effect. Confluent neuroblastoma cell culture preparations maintained in hypothyroid medium showed a 2-3 fold increase in T4-5'-DII activity compared to preparations in standard medium (p less than 0.001). RT3 (1-50 nM), the calcium ionophore A23187 (0.3-1.5 microM) and the phorbol ester TPA (0.1-1.0 microM) reversed the effect of thyroid hormone deficient medium on enzyme activity (p less than 0.001). Each agent showed a similar time course with maximal effect occurring between 15-30 minutes post medium supplementation. The suppressive effect of A23187 (1.5 microM) and TPA (0.5 microM) on enzyme activity was not additive. In addition, the combination o of rT3 (50 nM) and A23187 (1.5 nM) did not decrease enzyme activity compared to each agent alone. In contrast, the combined addition of rT3 (50 nM) and TPA (0.5 microM) did have an additive effect on neuroblastoma T4-5'-DII activity. A similar pattern of response was found, when the effects of these agents were analyzed on T4-5'-DII activity in neuroblastoma cells incubated in N-FSC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Animals; Calcium; Iodide Peroxidase; Mice; Neuroblastoma; Protein Kinase C; Triiodothyronine, Reverse; Tumor Cells, Cultured

The conversion of T4 to T3 in the brain and anterior pituitary gland contributes significantly to the T3 content of these tissues and appears to be an important modulator of thyroid hormone action. In the present study, the antimanic agent lithium was demonstrated in cultured neural and pituitary tissue to have a significant inhibitory effect on the activity of low Km (type II) iodothyronine 5'-deiodinase (I5'D), the enzyme mediating T3 formation. At medium lithium concentrations of 3.3-5 mM, 15'D activity was decreased 44 +/- 3% (P less than 0.001) in the NB41A3 mouse neuroblastoma cell line and 48 +/- 2% (P less than 0.001) in the GH3 rat pituitary tumor cell line. This inhibitory effect was only observed in intact cells. Significant inhibition of this enzymatic process was also noted in the anterior pituitary gland of thyroidectomized rats injected 3-24 h earlier with either 4 or 10 mmol/kg BW LiCl. This decrease in low Km I5'D activity was accompanied by significant decreases in the serum T3 concentration and the pituitary nuclear T3 content. Renal high Km (type I) I5'D activity was unaffected by lithium administration. These studies demonstrate that lithium, an agent of proven therapeutic benefit in patients with manic-depressive illness, can affect changes in T4 metabolism and cellular T3 content in neural and anterior pituitary tissue. Given the prominent mood changes that occur in patients with disordered thyroid function, this finding suggests that the therapeutic benefits of lithium in affective illness may be derived in part from alterations in thyroid hormone economy in the brain.

Topics: Animals; Cell Line; Cerebral Cortex; Chlorides; Iodide Peroxidase; Kidney; Kinetics; Lithium; Lithium Chloride; Male; Mice; Neuroblastoma; Pituitary Gland, Anterior; Pituitary Neoplasms; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains; Thyroidectomy; Thyroxine; Triiodothyronine; Triiodothyronine, Reverse

The central nervous system manifests complex homeostatic mechanisms for the maintenance of thyroid hormone economy. The present studies used the NB41A3 mouse neuroblastoma cell line as a model system to study the hormonal regulation of the enzymatic conversion of T4 to T3 in neural tissue. NB41A3 cells manifested a thiol-dependent 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil-insensitive iodothyronine 5'-deiodinase (I5'D) with a Km for T4 of approximately 10 nM. I5'D activity was increased 2- to 4-fold in cells grown in thyroid hormone-depleted medium. Exposure of cells in situ to various thyroid hormones resulted in a rapid dose-dependent inhibition of enzyme activity with the following order of potency: rT3 = T4 greater than T3. The potent inhibitory effect of rT3 on I5'D activity could not be attributed to substrate competition with T4 in the reaction assay. The addition of dexamethasone (2 X 10(-7) M) to the culture medium also inhibited I5'D activity by 46 +/- 6% (+/- SE; n = 4 experiments; P less than 0.02), whereas insulin and epinephrine were without effect. In other experiments, saturation analysis using a purified preparation of isolated nuclei from NB41A3 cells demonstrated the presence of saturable, high affinity nuclear binding sites which had a Kd value for T3 of 0.13 +/- 0.05 nM and a maximum binding capacity of 0.13 +/- 0.01 pmol T3/mg DNA. These studies demonstrate that NB41A3 cells have a low Km (type II) I5'D process and nuclear T3-binding sites very similar to those previously described in the rat central nervous system. I5'D activity in this cell line appears to be regulated by multiple serum factors, including thyroid hormones and glucocorticoids. The potent regulatory effect of rT3 and T4 suggests that T3 formation by thyroid hormones in neural tissue is controlled by a unique cellular mechanism independent of the nuclear T3 receptor. Since tissue and plasma concentrations of T4 are considerably higher than those of rT3, the former hormone is likely to be the principal thyroid hormone regulating this enzymatic process.

Topics: Animals; Cell Line; Dexamethasone; Dithiothreitol; Epinephrine; Insulin; Iodide Peroxidase; Kinetics; Mice; Neuroblastoma; Sulfhydryl Compounds; Thyroid Hormones; Thyroxine; Triiodothyronine; Triiodothyronine, Reverse