The ups and downs of thyrotropin-releasing hormone

Penetration of thyroliberin in the blood and brain regions at intranasal or intravenous administration

The maximum amounts of the thyroliberin in the blood and brain of rats at intranasal and intravenous administration were determined. It is found that rat hippocampal, cortical, and cerebellar membranes contain two types of specific binding sites (high- and low-affinity) for the labeled ligand. It was shown that, at intranasal and intravenous administration, maximum amounts of the thyroliberin were detected in the cerebellum and then in the cortex and hippocampus. The degradation of the thyroliberin in the rat brain and its regions at intranasal and intravenous administration was studied. It is shown that the degree of degradation and the formation of proteolytic products of the thyroliberin is different in different regions of the rat brain.

Family members CREB and CREM control thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) expression in the hypothalamus

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus is regulated by thyroid hormone (TH). cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) has also been postulated to regulate TRH expression but its interaction with TH signaling in vivo is not known. To evaluate the role of CREB in TRH regulation in vivo, we deleted CREB from PVN neurons to generate the CREB1(ΔSIM1) mouse. As previously shown, loss of CREB was compensated for by an up-regulation of CREM in euthyroid CREB1(ΔSIM1) mice but TSH, T₄ and T₃ levels were normal, even though TRH mRNA levels were elevated. Interestingly, TRH mRNA expression was also increased in the PVN of CREB1(ΔSIM1) mice in the hypothyroid state but became normal when made hyperthyroid. Importantly, CREM levels were similar in CREB1(ΔSIM1) mice regardless of thyroid status, demonstrating that the regulation of TRH by T₃ in vivo likely occurs independently of the CREB/CREM family.

Fundamentally distinct roles of thyroid hormone receptor isoforms in a thyrotroph cell line are due to differential DNA binding

Thyroid hormones have a profound influence on human development and disease. The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis involves finely tuned feedback mechanisms to maintain thyroid hormone (TH) levels. Despite the important role of TH-negative feedback in regulating this axis, the mechanism by which this occurs is not clearly defined. Previous in vivo studies suggest separate roles for the two thyroid hormone receptor isoforms, THRA and THRB, in this axis. We performed studies using a unique pituitary thyrotroph cell line (TαT1.1) to determine the relative roles of THRA and THRB in the regulation of Tshb. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we found that THRB, not THRA, bound to the Tshb promoter. By selectively depleting THRB, THRA, or both THRA and THRB in TαT1.1 cells, we found that simultaneous knockdown of both THRB and THRA abolished T(3)-mediated down-regulation of Tshb at concentrations as high as 100 nm T(3). In contrast, THRA knockdown alone had no effect on T(3)-negative regulation, whereas THRB knockdown alone abolished T(3)-mediated down-regulation of Tshb mRNA levels at 10 nm but not 100 nm T(3) concentrations. Interestingly, chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that THRA becomes enriched on the Tshb promoter after knockdown of THRB. Thus, a likely mechanism for the differential effects of THR isoforms on Tshb may be based on their differential DNA-binding affinity to the promoter.

NPY and MC4R signaling regulate thyroid hormone levels during fasting through both central and peripheral pathways

Fasting-induced suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis is an adaptive response to decrease energy expenditure during food deprivation. Previous studies demonstrate that leptin communicates nutritional status to the HPT axis through thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. Leptin targets TRH neurons either directly or indirectly via the arcuate nucleus through pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and agouti-related peptide/neuropeptide Y (AgRP/NPY) neurons. To evaluate the role of these pathways in vivo, we developed double knockout mice that lack both the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) and NPY. We show that NPY is required for fasting-induced suppression of Trh expression in the PVN. However, both MC4R and NPY are required for activation of hepatic pathways that metabolize T(4) during the fasting response. Thus, these signaling pathways play a key role in the communication of fasting signals to reduce thyroid hormone levels both centrally and through a peripheral hepatic circuit.