Evidence of the Presence of Thyroid Hormones in Achatina fulica Snails

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to identify thyroid hormones and to examine their putative site of synthesis in Achatina fulica snails. For this purpose, radioimmunoassays were performed for T3 and T4 before and after long starvation with or without hemolymph deproteinization. Sodium/iodide symporter activity in vivo was analyzed through 125I administration with and without KClO4 pretreatment. Only T4 was detected, and its concentration decreased due to starvation or deproteinization. However, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis also showed the presence of T2 and T3 apart from T4, but rT3 was not detected in the A. fulica hemolymph. The sodium/iodide symporter activity was greater in cerebral ganglia than digestive gland, but KClO4 treatment did not inhibit iodide uptake in any of the tissues analyzed. Altogether, our data confirm for the first time the presence of thyroid hormones in A. fulica snails and suggest their participation in the metabolism control in this species, although the putative site of hormone biosynthesis remains to be elucidated.

Topologia do simportador tireoideano sódio/iodeto / Topology of the thyroid sodium-iodine symporter

A síntese de hormônios tireoideanos depende fundamentalmente da captação de iodo do meio extracelular para o interior do tireócito. Esse processo é mediado por uma glicoproteína transmembrânica denominada simportador sódio/iodeto, que transporta iodeto para o interior do tireócito, juntamente com dois íons sódio em um processo de cotransporte. Esse processo é orquestrado pelo potencial eletroquímico gerado pela bomba Na+/K+ ATPïase dependente. O simportador sódio/iodeto também está envolvido no transporte ativo de iodeto em tecidos extratireoideos, tais como glândulas salivares, mucosa gástrica e a mama em lactação. A alta capacidade de acumular iodeto pelo tireócito constitui a base do diagnóstico cintilográfico e também da terapêutica com radioiodo em situações de hiperfunção tireoidea, como, por exemplo, na doença de Graves. Algumas mutações no simportador sódio/iodeto geram prejuízo no transporte de iodeto para o tireócito, resultando em hipotireoidismo congênito; além disso, o simportador sódio/iodeto pode tornar-se alvo de imunocomplexos, como, por exemplo, nas doenças tireoideanas autoimunes. Finalmente, o estudo molecular do simportador sódio/iodeto apresenta importância em muitas áreas, que compreendem desde proteínas transportadoras até o diagnóstico e tratamento de cânceres em tecidos tireoidianos e extratireoideos. Este artigo objetivou descrever o simportador sódio/iodeto presente na glândula tireoide, destacando sua sequência de resíduos de aminoácidos, topologia e todos os demais aspectos pertinentes a sua estrutura e função. Foi desenvolvido através de revisão sistemática da literatura nacional e internacional pelo indexador Medline/PubMed, utilizando os unitermos: iodeto, tireoide, transportador, topologia, sequência de resíduos de aminoácidos e estrutura

The synthesis of thyroid hormones depends essentially on the uptake of iodide by thyrocytes, which is mediated by an intrinsic membrane glycoprotein, the sodium-iodide symporter. The NIS actively cotransports a sodium cation and an iodide anion simultaneously. NIS-mediated transport of iodide is driven by the electrochemical sodium gradient generated by Na+/K+ ATPïase. Sodium-Iodide Symporter also mediates active iodide transport in other tissues, including salivary glands, gastric mucosa, and lactating mammary gland. The ability of the thyroid to accumulate iodide via NIS has long provided the basis for diagnostic scintigraphic imaging of the thyroid with radioiodine and served as an effective means for therapeutic doses of radioiodide to target and destroy hyperfunctioning thyroid tissue, as seen in Graves? disease. Another relevant clinical aspect of Sodium-Iodide Symporter is the fact that some spontaneous mutations have been identified as the cause of congenital iodide transport defect, resulting in hypothyroidism. Furthermore, the sodium-iodide symporter can become the target of autoantibodies, resulting in autoimmune thyroid diseases. Finally, the molecular analysis of NIS clearly holds the potential of having an even greater impact on a wide spectrum of s, ranging from the structure and function of transport proteins to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, in thyroid and nonthyroid tissues. The aim of this paper is to describe the sodium/iodide symporter present in the thyroid gland, highlighting its sequence of amino acid residues, topology, and all other relevant aspects of structure and function. This study is based on a systematic review of the domestic and international literature found in Medline/ PubMed with the keywords: iodide, thyroid, carrier, topology, sequence of amino acid residues and structure