Thyroxine binding to serum thyronine-binding globulin in thyroidectomized adult and normal neonatal rats

Evaluating Chemicals for Thyroid Disruption: Opportunities and Challenges with in Vitro Testing and Adverse Outcome Pathway Approaches

BACKGROUND

Extensive clinical and experimental research documents the potential for chemical disruption of thyroid hormone (TH) signaling through multiple molecular targets. Perturbation of TH signaling can lead to abnormal brain development, cognitive impairments, and other adverse outcomes in humans and wildlife. To increase chemical safety screening efficiency and reduce vertebrate animal testing, in vitro assays that identify chemical interactions with molecular targets of the thyroid system have been developed and implemented.

OBJECTIVES

We present an adverse outcome pathway (AOP) network to link data derived from in vitro assays that measure chemical interactions with thyroid molecular targets to downstream events and adverse outcomes traditionally derived from in vivo testing. We examine the role of new in vitro technologies, in the context of the AOP network, in facilitating consideration of several important regulatory and biological challenges in characterizing chemicals that exert effects through a thyroid mechanism.

DISCUSSION

There is a substantial body of knowledge describing chemical effects on molecular and physiological regulation of TH signaling and associated adverse outcomes. Until recently, few alternative nonanimal assays were available to interrogate chemical effects on TH signaling. With the development of these new tools, screening large libraries of chemicals for interactions with molecular targets of the thyroid is now possible. Measuring early chemical interactions with targets in the thyroid pathway provides a means of linking adverse outcomes, which may be influenced by many biological processes, to a thyroid mechanism. However, the use of in vitro assays beyond chemical screening is complicated by continuing limits in our knowledge of TH signaling in important life stages and tissues, such as during fetal brain development. Nonetheless, the thyroid AOP network provides an ideal tool for defining causal linkages of a chemical exerting thyroid-dependent effects and identifying research needs to quantify these effects in support of regulatory decision making. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5297.

Practical considerations for developmental thyroid toxicity assessments: What's working, what's not, and how can we do better?

Thyroid hormones (THs; T3 and T4) play a role in development of cardiovascular, reproductive, immune and nervous systems. Thus, interpretation of TH changes from rodent studies (during pregnancy, in fetuses, neonates, and adults) is critical in hazard characterization and risk assessment. A roundtable session at the 2017 Society of Toxicology (SOT) meeting brought together academic, industry and government scientists to share knowledge and different perspectives on technical and data interpretation issues. Data from a limited group of laboratories were compiled for technical discussions on TH measurements, including good practices for reliable serum TH data. Inter-laboratory historical control data, derived from immunoassays or mass spectrometry methods, revealed: 1) assay sensitivities vary within and across methodologies; 2) TH variability is similar across animal ages; 3) laboratories generally achieve sufficiently sensitive TH quantitation levels, although issues remain for lower levels of serum TH and TSH in fetuses and postnatal day 4 pups; thus, assay sensitivity is critical at these life stages. Best practices require detailed validation of rat serum TH measurements across ages to establish assay sensitivity and precision, and identify potential matrix effects. Finally, issues related to data interpretation for biological understanding and risk assessment were discussed, but their resolution remains elusive.

Thyroxine secretion rates during pregnancy in the rat

Thyroxine secretion rates (TSR) at various stages of pregnancy in rats were measured by the radiothyroxine pool-turnover method. Groups of rats included normal controls (non-pregnant), days 5, 10, 20, and 22 of pregnancy and near term (within 24 hours prior to parturition if past 22 days of pregnancy). Each animal had blood samples taken just prior to injection of 10 microCi L-thyroxine (L-T4)-131I and at 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours afterwards. Determinations of thyroxine iodine (T4-I), volume of distribution (VD), fractional turnover rate (K), and L-T4 pool size were made from these samples. TSR was calculated as the product of (1.54) (T4-I) (VD) (K). An increase in TSR occurred near term, 3.65 micrograms L-T4/day compared to 1.23 micrograms L-T4/day in the controls, was primarily due to an increase in VD from 33.9 ml in the controls to 90.0 ml near term. A rapid increase in TSR to 3.65 micrograms L-T4/day just prior to term was postulated to be due to a stimulatory action of relaxin in the presence of estrogen upon L-T4 utilization. The mechanism of the increase in TSR in pregnant rats is probably due to the effect of several hormonal changes in maternal tissues throughout pregnancy and to adaptation of the pregnant animals to higher metabolic needs of the rapid developing fetuses.

Regulation of Na,K-ATPase gene expression by thyroid hormone in rat cardiocytes

Synthesis and activity of the enzymatic equivalent of the sodium pump, Na,K-ATPase, are regulated by thyroid hormone in responsive tissues. The purpose of this study was to determine whether triiodothyronine (T3) regulates the level of the messenger RNA (mRNA) coding for Na,K-ATPase alpha- and beta-subunits in the heart. The expression of Na,K-ATPase mRNAs in in vitro myocardial cells was directly assayed by Northern and slot blot hybridization using Na,K-ATPase alpha- and beta-isoform-specific cDNA probes. Exposure of cultured neonatal rat cardiocytes to 10(-8) M T3 resulted in 1) threefold to fourfold increase in alpha 1- and beta 1-mRNA accumulation, with a maximum elevation at 48 hours, 2) sevenfold increase in alpha 2-mRNA accumulation with a peak elevation at 72 hours, and 3) transient threefold increase in alpha 3-mRNA within the first 24 hours followed by a deinduction thereafter. The increase in alpha 1-mRNA accumulation by T3 occurred over the physiological T3 concentration range with an EC50 of 5 x 10(-10) M. This was associated with a twofold increase in alpha 1-subunit protein accumulation and an increase in Na,K-ATPase transport activity. The half-life of alpha 1-mRNA analyzed by actinomycin D chase was less than 3 hours and was not affected by T3. Transfection experiments with the luciferase reporter gene revealed that thyroid hormone response sequences are located within the 5'-flanking regions of each alpha-isoform gene.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Structural and functional microheterogeneity of rat thyroxine-binding globulin during ontogenesis

Thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG), the major carrier of thyroid hormones in human and murine sera, is in the rat a developmentally regulated protein, showing a large surge during post-natal growth followed by virtual disappearance in adults. Here we study as a function of age, from the 19-day embryo to 60 days after birth, the structural and binding characteristics of rat TBG microheterogeneity. Serum obtained throughout development, when pre-incubated with 125I-thyroxine (T4), was shown by isoelectric focusing (IEF; pH range 4-5) to contain six labelled isoforms of TBG, with isoelectric points between 4.25 and 4.55. These isoforms differ in their sialic acid content. The relative labelling densities of the isoforms show age-related changes: in neonates, the bulk of T4 is bound to the most alkaline (least sialylated) TBG isoforms; then, with advancing age, it shifts to the most acidic isoforms. To understand whether this progressive transfer of ligand reflects developmental changes in the relative abundance of isoforms, we submitted sera from rats of different ages to crossed immunoelectrofocusing analysis. We demonstrate that the relative proportions of the TBG isoforms remain fairly constant, independent of the level of total TBG. The most acidic forms always represented the majority (approximately 50%), with the most alkaline ones only representing 15% of total TBG. Experiments based on IEF of charcoal-treated sera, supplemented or not with lipidic serum extracts, further demonstrate that the paradoxical low labelling seen in the neonates for the most abundant highly sialylated isoforms is due to inhibition of their binding abilities by liposoluble components, which are particularly concentrated in the sera at the earlier post-natal ages. These studies represent the first analysis of concentration versus binding functions of rat TBG isoforms in the physiological conditions of normal ontogeny. Our results point to an important influence for the serum environment on the binding properties of TBG isoforms. The physiological significance of such interactions remains to be clarified.

Measurement of plasma thyroxine binding protein in relation to thyroidal condition in the turtle, Trachemys scripta, by radioimmunoassay

Polyclonal (rabbit) antisera were generated against a high-affinity plasma thyroxine (T4) binding protein (TBP) purified from the turtle, Trachemys scripta, and used to develop a specific radioimmunoassay (RIA). The RIA demonstrated the presence of an immunochemically related protein in the plasma of several other species of Trachemys and in members of several other genera from the same family, Emydidae. Plasma from all nonemydids and some emydid genera either showed no competition or nonparallelism in RIA. The presence and level of radioimmunoassayable TBP in diverse species correlated with results of previous comparative measurements of T4 binding activity. However, an immunoreactive protein of the same molecular weight as TBP was identified in all turtles by Western blot analysis. More detailed studies in T. scripta demonstrated that variations in plasma T4 binding activity induced by experimental or environmental manipulations were related to differences in TBP concentrations. The concentration of TBP varied by orders of magnitude (from less than 1 to ca. 150 mg/liter) in euthyroid animals; levels showed ontogenetic changes (virtually absent in hatchlings) and were directly related to thyroidal status. Experimentally induced hypothyroidism (goitrogen treatment or surgical thyroidectomy) resulted in a marked suppression of TBP, and T4 treatment prevented its decline or reinstated it. Thus, in the turtle, this T4 transport protein may exist in higher concentrations and its levels are more variable and show a different relationship to thyroid activity than the analogous T4 binding globulin (TBG) in mammals.

Thyroid hormone regulation of Na,K-ATPase subunit-mRNA expression in neonatal rat myocardium

Regulation of Na,K-ATPase mRNA alpha isoform and mRNA beta expression by thyroid hormone (T3) in neonatal rat myocardium was examined. In euthyroid neonates between ages of 2 and 5 days, mRNA alpha 1, mRNA alpha 3, and mRNA beta 1 abundances were nearly constant while mRNA alpha 2 was undetectable. During the interval between postnatal days 5 and 15, mRNA alpha 3 decreased to negligible levels and mRNA alpha 2 became expressed and increased in abundance to account for approximately 20% of the mRNA alpha pool by the 15th postnatal day. To examine the effect of T3 on this developmental program, neonates were injected with 75 micrograms T3/100 g body weight or diluent alone on the second and third postnatal days and myocardial Na,K-ATPase subunit-mRNA abundances were determined on the third and fourth postnatal days. Because T3 treatment increased the RNA/DNA ratios of myocardial tissue, the subunit-mRNA abundances were normalized per unit DNA. Following 24 and 48 hr of T3 treatment, the abundances of mRNA alpha 1, mRNA alpha 3, and mRNA beta 1 increased, while mRNA alpha 2 continued to remain undetectable during the 2-day interval between the second to fourth postnatal days. It is concluded that T3 augments the abundance of Na,K-ATPase subunit mRNAs that are already being expressed in the neonatal rat myocardium. The results further suggest that T3 does not act as a "molecular switch" in the developmental expression of the mRNA alpha isoforms in rat myocardium during the first four postnatal days.

Relation of plasma thyroxine binding to thyroidal activity and determination of thyroxine binding proteins in a turtle, Pseudemys scripta

The ability of plasma to bind thyroxine (T4) was examined in the turtle, Pseudemys scripta, in relation to variations in thyroidal state associated with age, sex, environment, and surgical and chemical manipulations. Relative plasma binding activity was assessed by use of binding to [125I]T4 on minicolumns of Sephadex G-25 (fine). Hypothyroidism induced by surgical thyroidectomy (Tx) or goitrogen (Methimazole) treatment resulted in a marked depression of plasma binding (50- to 100-fold) in juveniles, and T4 treatment restored binding after 4-6 weeks in long-term Tx animals and increased levels in intact animals. Among intact turtles or those made slightly hypothyroid by partial thyroidectomy, binding was consistently correlated with plasma T4. For example, juvenile turtles kept under continuous light and constant temperature (28 degrees) for 4.5 months showed a pronounced depression of plasma T4 (2.6 +/- 1.1 ng/ml) and binding capacity compared to animals raised under variable conditions (T4 = 69.6 +/- 22 ng/ml) for the last 2 months. Plasma T3 was less than 1 ng/ml in all cases. Binding levels in adult turtles were similar to juveniles, but females had significantly higher binding levels than males which paralleled differences in their plasma T4 (137 +/- 17.4 vs 83.9 +/- 13.8 ng/ml). These variations in binding were independent of total plasma protein and albumin. Plasma T4 binding measured on Sephadex G-25 was reversible and reduced by addition of exogenous T4. The affinity for T3 was 10- to 100-fold less than for T4. When plasma preincubated with [125I]T4 was electrophoresed on polyacrylamide slab gels (7% nonreducing) only a small percentage of radiolabel was associated with albumin and the majority with a slower migrating protein(s). Addition of unlabeled T4 displaced binding from the slower migrating region to the albumin and dye front (unbound). In contrast, plasma from Tx turtles showed only minimal binding and radiolabel was associated primarily with the albumin fraction. Elution of proteins from gels confirmed that only the slower migrating components bound T4 when tested on Sephadex G-25, and Tx animals lacked this binding component. The protein(s) responsible for most of the T4 binding appears to exist in low concentration. Limited comparative studies with human blood showed a similar binding activity on Sephadex G-25, but electrophoretic mobilities of binding proteins were distinct from those in the turtle. Evidence suggests that this binding protein is not prealbumin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The hepatic biosynthesis of rat thyroxine binding globulin (TBG): demonstration, ontogenesis, and up-regulation in experimental hypothyroidism

Using a human thyroxine binding globulin (TBG) cDNA probe, we demonstrate that rat liver contains two TBG mRNA species of different length, consisting of about 1.8 Kb and 2.4 Kb respectively. Slot blot analysis of the hepatic mRNAs from rats of different age reveals a fair correlation between the developmental trend of the messengers and that of the TBG circulating levels. Finally Northern blot and slot studies demonstrate that the increase of serum TBG induced in adults by thyroidectomy actually reflects an enhanced hepatic biosynthesis of the protein.

Thyroxine-binding globulin and thyroxine-binding prealbumin in hypothyroid and hyperthyroid developing rats

We present evidence based on equilibrium and non-equilibrium binding studies, as well as on immunological techniques, that of the two rat specific thyroid-hormone-binding proteins, i.e., thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) and thyroxine-binding prealbumin (TBPA), TBG but not TBPA is regulated by the thyroid hormones (TH). Hypothyroidism, induced from the day of birth by daily treatment with propylthiouracil (PTU-rats), leads to dramatic and sustained increases of the TH-binding abilities of the sera measured at equilibrium, whereas hyperthyroidism, induced by treatment with thyroxine (T4-rats), leads to the decrease of these abilities. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectrofocalisation of radioiodinated T4-labelled sera, together with immunoassay of TBPA, demonstrate that both effects are due to TBG, the levels of which rise in PTU-rats and decline in T4-rats, while TBPA levels do not respond to either depletion or excess of the thyroid hormones. TBG rather than TBPA appears as the key thyroid-hormone-binding protein of the rat, inasmuch as it alone expresses a regulatory function of the thyroid hormones at protein synthesis level.

Binding activities of thyroxine binding globulin versus thyroxine binding prealbumin in rat sera: differential modulation by thyroid hormone ligands, oleic acid and pharmacological drugs

We use gel equilibration and electrophoretic techniques to compare the binding properties of thyroxine binding globulin and thyroxine binding prealbumin in rat sera. The evidence indicates that TBG bears the serum lowest capacity highest affinity sites for thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) (Ka1 greater than or equal to 10(9) M-1) as well as weaker saturable T3 sites (Ka2 approximately 10(8) M-1). TBPA bears for T4 only Ka2 approximately 10(8) M-1 sites and for T3 only Ka approximately 10(6) M-1 sites. Consistent with these parameters are the specific responses of TBG and TBPA binding activities to varying serum concentrations of T4, T3, oleic acid, the drugs diphenylhydantoin or salicylate. The primary attack of these compounds is aimed at TBG. Small T4, oleate or DPH doses chase the TBG-bound T4 to TBPA, high doses of T4 or oleate but not of DPH inhibiting the T4 binding to both proteins. In the T3-serum interactions, all tested compounds displace the TBG-bound hormone without chasing it to TBPA. The high reactivity of TBG sites designates the protein as crucially involved in modulating the free vs bound serum levels of T4 and T3 against physiological or pathological variations of binding competitors.