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Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Aroclor 1254) Do Not Uniformly Produce Agonist Actions on Thyroid Hormone Responses in the Developing Rat Brain

Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. R. Thomas Zoeller, Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003. E-mail: tzoeller{at}bio.umass.edu.

Thyroid hormone (TH) is essential for normal brain development, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are known to interfere with TH action in the developing brain. Thus, it is possible that the observed neurotoxic effects of PCB exposure in experimental animals and humans are mediated in part by their ability to interfere with TH signaling. PCBs may interfere with TH signaling by reducing circulating levels of TH, acting as TH receptor analogs, or both. If PCBs act primarily by reducing serum TH levels, then their effects should mimic those of low TH. In contrast, if PCBs act primarily as TH agonists in the developing brain, then they should mimic the effect of T₄ in hypothyroid animals. We used a two-factor design to test these predictions. Both hypothyroidism (Htx) and/or PCB treatment reduced serum free and total T₄ on postnatal d 15. However, only Htx increased pituitary TSHβ expression. RC3/neurogranin expression was decreased by Htx and increased by PCB treatment. In contrast, Purkinje cell protein-2 expression was reduced in hypothyroid animals and restored by PCB treatment. Finally, PCB treatment partially ameliorated the effect of Htx on the thickness of the external granule layer of the cerebellum. These studies demonstrate clearly that PCB exposure does not mimic the effect of low TH on several important TH-sensitive measures in the developing brain. However, neither did PCBs mimic T₄ in hypothyroid animals on all end points measured. Thus, PCBs exert a complex action on TH signaling in the developing brain.