Action of specific thyroid hormone receptor α(1) and ß(1) antagonists in the central and peripheral regulation of thyroid hormone metabolism in the rat.

BACKGROUND: The iodine-containing drug amiodarone (Amio) and its noniodine containing analogue dronedarone (Dron) are potent antiarrhythmic drugs. Previous in vivo and in vitro studies have shown that the major metabolite of Amio, desethylamiodarone, acts as a thyroid hormone receptor (TR) α(1) and ß(1) antagonist, whereas the major metabolite of Dron debutyldronedarone acts as a selective TRα(1) antagonist. In the present study, Amio and Dron were used as tools to discriminate between TRα(1) or TRß(1) regulated genes in central and peripheral thyroid hormone metabolism. METHODS: Three groups of male rats received either Amio, Dron, or vehicle by daily intragastric administration for 2 weeks. We assessed the effects of treatment on triiodothyronine (T(3)) and thyroxine (T(4)) plasma and tissue concentrations, deiodinase type 1, 2, and 3 mRNA expressions and activities, and thyroid hormone transporters monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8), monocarboxylate transporter 10 (MCT10), and organic anion transporter 1C1 (OATP1C1). RESULTS: Amio treatment decreased serum T(3), while serum T(4) and thyrotropin (TSH) increased compared to Dron-treated and control rats. At the central level of the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid axis, Amio treatment decreased hypothalamic thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) expression, while increasing pituitary TSHß and MCT10 mRNA expression. Amio decreased the pituitary D2 activity. By contrast, Dron treatment resulted in decreased hypothalamic TRH mRNA expression only. Upon Amio treatment, liver T(3) concentration decreased substantially compared to Dron and control rats (50%, p<0.01), but liver T(4) concentration was unaffected. In addition, liver D1, mRNA, and activity decreased, while the D3 activity and mRNA increased. Liver MCT8, MCT10, and OATP1C1 mRNA expression were similar between groups. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest an important role for TRα1 in the regulation of hypothalamic TRH mRNA expression, whereas TRß plays a dominant role in pituitary and liver thyroid hormone metabolism.

In vivo siRNA delivery to the mouse hypothalamus confirms distinct roles of TR beta isoforms in regulating TRH transcription.

RNA interference mediated by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) is a powerful tool for evaluating gene function in vivo. In particular it should be able to provide tissue-specific and developmental stage-specific knock-down of target genes in physiological contexts. However, demonstrations of its use on neuronal specific genes in vivo are lacking. We examined whether a recently developed cationic lipid based approach was applicable to study the differential effects of the two beta thyroid hormone receptor (TR) isoforms, TRbeta1 and TRbeta2, on T3-transcriptional repression of the hypothalamic gene, TRH. The cationic lipid based technique used, JetSI/DOPE, was previously shown to efficiently knock-down reporter gene mRNA in vivo. Here we now show that its use to vectorise siRNA against TRbeta1 and TRbeta2 mRNA abrogates T3-mediated repression of hypothalamic TRH transcription. In particular, when using siRNA against either TRbeta1 or TRbeta2 differential effects are revealed. siRNA directed against TRbeta1 blocks both T3 independent activation and T3 dependent modulation of TRH transcription. In contrast, siRNA directed against TRbeta2 abrogates only T3 repression of transcription. These results corroborate our previous findings obtained in mutant TRbeta(-/-) mice, showing that the TRbeta1 and TRbeta2 isoforms have differential effects on T3-TRH transcription. The data thus show that the cationic lipid-based siRNA strategy can effectively be used to reveal fine, tissue specific and isoform specific effects on neuronal gene transcription in vivo.

Both thyroid hormone receptor (TR)beta 1 and TR beta 2 isoforms contribute to the regulation of hypothalamic thyrotropin-releasing hormone.

Thyroid hormones (TH) are essential regulators of vertebrate development and metabolism. Central mechanisms governing their production have evolved, with the beta-TH receptor (TRbeta) playing a key regulatory role in the negative feedback effects of circulating TH levels on production of hypothalamic TRH and hypophyseal TSH. Both TRbeta-isoforms (TRbeta1 and TRbeta2) are expressed in the hypothalamus and pituitary. However, their respective roles in TH-dependent transcriptional regulation of TRH are undefined. We confirmed the preferential role of TRbeta vs. TRalpha isoforms in TRH regulation in wild-type mice in vivo by using the TRbeta preferential agonist GC-1. We next determined the effects of tissue-specific rescue of TRbeta1 and TRbeta2 isoforms by somatic gene transfer in hypothalami of TRbeta null (TRbeta(-/-)) mice. TH-dependent TRH transcriptional repression was impaired in TRbeta(-/-) mice, but was restored by cotransfection of either TRbeta1 or TRbeta2 into the hypothalamus. TRbeta1, but not TRbeta2, displayed a role in ligand-independent activation. In situ hybridization was used to examine endogenous TRH expression in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus of TRbeta(-/-) or TRalpha null (TRalpha(o/o)) mice under different thyroid states. In contrast to published data on TRbeta2(-/-) mice, we found that both ligand-independent TRH activation and ligand-dependent TRH repression were severely impaired in TRbeta(-/-) mice. This study thus provides functional in vivo data showing that both TRbeta1 and TRbeta2 isoforms have specific roles in regulating TRH transcription.