| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
ARTICLES |
Departments of Internal Medicine III (E.C.H.F., R.D., E.P.K., M.E.E., G.H., T.J.V.) and Nuclear Medicine (E.P.K.), Erasmus University Medical School, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Theo J. Visser, Department of Internal Medicine III, Room Bd234, Erasmus University Medical School, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands. E-mail: visser{at}inw3.azr.nl
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Besides deiodination, conjugation of the phenolic hydroxyl group with glucuronic acid or sulfate is another important step in thyroid hormone metabolism (2). In general, the purpose of these so-called phase II detoxification reactions is to increase the water solubility of lipophilic substances and, thus, to facilitate their excretion in bile and/or urine (4). The iodothyronine glucuronides are stable conjugates that are rapidly excreted in the bile (2). However, sulfate conjugation has been shown to facilitate the subsequent deiodination of iodothyronines by D1 in the liver (5, 6). Although sulfation blocks the ORD of T4, it strongly facilitates the IRD of both T4 and T3, suggesting that sulfation is an important step in the irreversible inactivation of thyroid hormone (5, 6).
Sulfate conjugation of various compounds is catalyzed by sulfotransferases, which represent a group of homologous enzymes with overlapping substrate specificities that occur in the cytosolic fraction of different tissues, in particular liver (7). For all these enzymes 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate (PAPS) acts as the sulfate donor. Iodothyronine sulfotransferase activities in rat and human tissues show a substrate preference for 3,3'-T2 >> T3 > rT3 > T4 (8, 9, 10, 11, 12).
In experiments to express plasma membrane transport proteins for thyroid hormone by injection of RNA from rat tissues in Xenopus laevis oocytes (13), we found that native oocytes transport and sulfate iodothyronines, in particular rT3. We have, therefore, investigated the uptake and metabolism of T4, T3, rT3, and 3,3'-T2 by X. laevis oocytes as well as the sulfation of these compounds by isolated oocyte cytosol.
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Capped rat D1 copy RNA (cRNA) was prepared from the complementary DNA in pBluescript (14) (provided by Dr. P. Reed Larsen), linearized with XhoI (Boehringer Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany), using the AmpliScribe T3 transcription kit (Epicentre Technologies, Madison, WI) according to the protocol of the supplier. For capping, the m7G[5']ppp[5']G cap analog was used. cRNA pellets were dissolved in water (0.04 µg/µl) and stored at -80 C.
Animals
Two- to 3-yr-old adult X. laevis females were
obtained from the Hubrecht Laboratory (Utrecht, The Netherlands). Frogs
were maintained in a water-filled tank with three dark sides at a
temperature of 1822 C. A 12-h light, 12-h dark cycle was maintained
to reduce seasonal variations in oocyte quality. Frogs were fed twice a
week, and water was changed immediately after feeding.
Oocyte isolation and RNA injection
Oocytes were prepared as described previously (13). After
isolation, the oocytes were sorted manually on morphological criteria,
such as size, polarization, pigmentation, and absence of follicular
layer debris. Healthy-looking stage VVI oocytes (15) were transferred
to six-well tissue culture plates and incubated in the dark at 18 C in
modified Barths solution [88 mM NaCl, 1 mM
KCl, 0.82 mM MgSO4, 0.4 mM
CaCl2, 0.33 mM
Ca(NO3)2, 2.4 mM
NaHCO3, and 10 mM HEPES (pH 7.4), containing 10
IU/ml penicillin and 10 µg/ml streptomycin]. The next day, oocytes
were injected with 23 nl water containing 0.92 ng D1 cRNA using the
Nanoject system (Drummond Scientific, Broomall, PA). Injected and
uninjected oocytes were maintained for 34 days at 18 C in modified
Barths solution, with daily change of medium.
Uptake and metabolism assays
Groups of 10 oocytes were transferred to a 96-well tissue
culture plate and subsequently incubated in the dark at 18 C with 4
nM [125I]T4, 5 nM
[125I]T3, 2 nM
[125I]rT3, or 2 nM
[125I]T2 in 0.1 ml sodium-containing
incubation medium (100 mM NaCl, 2 mM KCl, 1
mM CaCl2, 1 mM MgCl2,
10 mM HEPES, and 10 mM Tris, pH 7.5). After
20 h, incubation medium was collected, and the oocytes were
transferred to tubes and washed four times with 2.5 ml ice-cold sodium
buffer containing 0.1% BSA. Two groups of 5 oocytes from each group of
10 were transferred to new tubes, counted, and lysed with 0.1 ml 0.1
M NaOH. Lysates were cleared by centrifugation. Lysates (in
duplicate) and incubation media were acidified with 0.1 M
HCl and analyzed by Sephadex LH-20 chromatography (16). The products
were separated by successive elutions with 1 ml 0.1 M HCl
(iodide) twice, 1 ml water (conjugates) 6 times, and 1 ml 1%
NH4OH in ethanol (iodothyronines) three times.
rT3 conjugate hydrolysis
Acid hydrolysis of rT3 conjugate was tested by
incubation for 1 h at 80 C in 1 M HCl (17). The
reaction was stopped by placing the mixtures on ice, and the products
were analyzed by Sephadex LH-20 chromatography as described above.
Sulfotransferase assay
Oocytes were homogenized on ice in 23 vol 0.1 M
phosphate buffer (pH 7.2), 2 mM EDTA, and 1 mM
dithiothreitol, and cytosol was isolated after centrifugation for
1 h at 100,000 x g. The protein concentration was
determined by the method of Bradford (18), using BSA as the
standard.
Iodothyronine sulfotransferase activities were measured by incubation of 1 µM T4, T3, rT3, or 3,3'-T2 and 100,000 cpm of the 125I-labeled compound for 30 min at 37 C (optimal temperature for warm-blooded animals) or 21 C (optimal temperature for cold-blooded animals) with 0.1 or 1 mg cytosolic protein/ml in the presence (in triplicate) or absence (blank) of 50 µM PAPS in 0.2 ml 0.1 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.2) and 2 mM EDTA, as described previously (11, 12). The reaction was started by the addition of diluted cytosol and was stopped by the addition of 0.8 ml 0.1 M HCl. Iodothyronine sulfate formation was analyzed by Sephadex LH-20 chromatography as described above.
Statistics
Uptake and metabolism studies were performed with groups of 10
oocytes. Data are expressed as the percent uptake of total
radioactivity per 10 oocytes and are presented as the mean ±
SEM. Statistical significance was evaluated by Students
t test for unpaired observations.
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
After 20-h incubation with 125I-labeled T4, T3, or 3,3'-T2, most radioactivity was associated with the oocytes as unmetabolized iodothyronines. As after incubation the oocytes were extensively washed in BSA-containing medium, cell-associated radioactivity most likely represents internalized iodothyronine. This conclusion is supported by the observation that uptake of iodothyronines by X. laevis oocytes is a Na+-dependent process (13). On the contrary, after 20-h incubation with [125I]rT3, most radioactivity was recovered from the medium, largely as rT3S. Taking medium and oocytes together, more than 50% of added rT3 was sulfated. Sulfation of iodothyronines is catalyzed by cytoplasmic sulfotransferases (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12), which enzymes are apparently also present in oocytes. These results, therefore, support the conclusion that rT3 was internalized by the oocytes and sulfated intracellularly. Subsequently, (part of) the rT3S formed is transported back to the medium. The finding that after 20-h incubation of oocytes with rT3 and other iodothyronines almost no iodide is formed indicates that X. laevis oocytes possess little or no endogenous D1 activity, in agreement with the findings of St. Germain et al. (19). In fact, D1 activity is not expressed at any stage of development in amphibians (20). On the other hand, injection of cRNA coding for rat D1 leads to a large increase in iodide production from rT3 at the expense of rT3S accumulation. As, like native D1 in mammalian cells, exogenous D1 in oocytes is probably located intracellularly (1, 2, 3), these results again strongly support the presence of an endogenous transporter(s) for iodothyronines in X. laevis oocytes.
D1 is a nonselective enzyme capable of both ORD and IRD of iodothyronines (1, 2, 3). The enzyme is most effective in the ORD of rT3, but the deiodination of different iodothyronines is dramatically affected by the sulfation of these compounds (5, 6). Thus, IRD of both T4 and T3 by rat D1 is accelerated 40200 times after their sulfation, suggesting that sulfation is an important step, leading to the irreversible inactivation of thyroid hormone (5, 6). In contrast, ORD of T4 is completely blocked by sulfation. This is not a general phenomenon, as ORD of rT3 by rat D1 is not affected by sulfation of this substrate, whereas ORD of 3,3'-T2 is facilitated 50-fold by sulfation (5, 6). In contrast to the facilitated deiodination of iodothyronine sulfates by D1, deiodination of iodothyronines by the type II (D2) and type III (D3) iodothyronine deiodinases is inhibited by sulfation (21) (Visser, T. J., unpublished observations). As rT3 and rT3S are deiodinated equally well by rat D1, it is uncertain to what extent iodide production from rT3 in rat D1 cRNA-injected oocytes proceeds via rT3S or represents direct ORD of rT3. The iodide formed remains trapped inside the oocytes, indicating the absence of transporters for both influx and efflux of iodide in native oocytes, in accordance with the studies of Dai et al. (22).
Our experiments have not directly addressed the possible IRD of the different iodothyronines in the oocytes. However, St. Germain et al. (23) have shown that native X. laevis oocytes kept in Barths medium do not express D3. Moreover, we did not find conjugate formation after incubation of T4 with oocytes, which would have been expected if T4 underwent IRD to rT3. Therefore, it is also unlikely that T3 was metabolized by IRD in the oocytes.
Sulfate conjugation of iodothyronines is catalyzed by phenol sulfotransferases located in the cytosolic fraction of different tissues (7). In both rats and humans, iodothyronine sulfotransferase activities show a substrate preference for 3,3'-T2 >> T3 > rT3 > T4, with rT3 being a relatively poor substrate (8, 9, 10, 11, 12). Our results show that sulfotransferase activity in X. laevis oocyte cytosol has a clear substrate preference for rT3, whereas 3,3'-T2, T3, and T4 are hardly sulfated at all. The physiological importance of thyroid hormone sulfation is still unknown. As discussed above, sulfation is an irreversible pathway of thyroid hormone metabolism when D1 activity is high, as sulfated iodothyronines are rapidly degraded by this enzyme (5, 6). However, sulfation is a reversible pathway of thyroid hormone inactivation when D1 activity is low because of the regeneration of free iodothyronines by sulfatases produced in different tissues and by intestinal bacteria (5, 6). It has been speculated that due to the low D1 activity during fetal development in mammals, sulfation/desulfation of T3 is an important mechanism for the tissue-specific and time-dependent regulation of thyroid hormone bioactivity (6, 21). Indeed, high concentrations not only of T3S, but also of T4S, rT3S, and 3,3'-T2S have been detected in fetal sheep serum and human cord serum (24, 25).
It is remarkable that during embryonic and fetal development in different organisms, two active pathways exist for the inactivation of thyroid hormone: IRD of T4 to rT3 and of T3 to 3,3'-T2 by D3, and sulfation (1, 2, 3, 24, 25). That these are true inactivation pathways is suggested by the findings that rT3, 3,3'-T2, and T3S have little or no affinity for the T3 receptor (26, 27). Thyroid hormone plays an important role not only in the embryonic development of tadpoles, but also in the metamorphosis of the tadpole to the froglet (20). This requires the tissue-specific and development stage-dependent regulation of the balance between thyroid hormone activation by D2 and inactivation by D3 (20). We hypothesize that sulfation/desulfation contributes to the regulation of thyroid hormone bioactivity during embryonic development and metamorphosis in frogs. Although direct evidence is lacking, this hypothesis is supported by the absence of D1 in frogs (20). Why, then, the sulfotransferase(s) involved shows a profound substrate preference for rT3 remains unknown. The possibility that rT3S exerts a biological function by binding to a transcription factor other than the T3 receptor deserves investigation.
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
Received June 9, 1997.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
E. C. H. Friesema, S. Ganguly, A. Abdalla, J. E. M. Fox, A. P. Halestrap, and T. J. Visser Identification of Monocarboxylate Transporter 8 as a Specific Thyroid Hormone Transporter J. Biol. Chem., October 10, 2003; 278(41): 40128 - 40135. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
H. H. A. G. M. van der Putten, E. C. H. Friesema, N. A. Abumrad, M. E. Everts, and T. J. Visser Thyroid Hormone Transport by the Rat Fatty Acid Translocase Endocrinology, April 1, 2003; 144(4): 1315 - 1323. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
R. P. Peeters, E. C. H. Friesema, R. Docter, G. Hennemann, and T. J. Visser Effects of thyroid state on the expression of hepatic thyroid hormone transporters in rats Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, December 1, 2002; 283(6): E1232 - E1238. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
E. C. H. Friesema, R. Docter, E. P. C. M. Moerings, F. Verrey, E. P. Krenning, G. Hennemann, and T. J. Visser Thyroid Hormone Transport by the Heterodimeric Human System L Amino Acid Transporter Endocrinology, October 1, 2001; 142(10): 4339 - 4348. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
G. Hennemann, R. Docter, E. C. H. Friesema, M. de Jong, E. P. Krenning, and T. J. Visser Plasma Membrane Transport of Thyroid Hormones and Its Role in Thyroid Hormone Metabolism and Bioavailability Endocr. Rev., August 1, 2001; 22(4): 451 - 476. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| Endocrinology | Endocrine Reviews | J. Clin. End. & Metab. |
| Molecular Endocrinology | Recent Prog. Horm. Res. | All Endocrine Journals |