Differentiation expression during proliferative activity induced through different pathways: in situ hybridization study of thyroglobulin gene expression in thyroid epithelial cells

Methimazole and propylthiouracil increase thyroglobulin gene expression in FRTL-5 cells

In FRTL-5 cells, methimazole (MMI) and propylthiouracil (PTU), both thyroid peroxidase (TPO) inhibitors, increase thyroglobulin (Tg) mRNA levels and Tg accumulation in the medium. An increase in Tg mRNA levels and in Tg accumulation was observed after 2-4 h and 8 h incubation with 10,000 microM MMI or PTU, respectively. Glutamate dehydrogenase mRNA levels, which corresponded with total RNA levels, were not affected. The concentrations of these drugs at which stimulation occurs are higher than the concentrations required for complete inhibition of TPO activity. The stimulatory effects of MMI and PTU can be suppressed by iodide and do not occur when protein synthesis is inhibited by cycloheximide. The effect of MMI on Tg gene expression is not dependent on thyrotropin (TSH) or insulin and MMI does not change the TSH-induced cAMP production. We conclude that MMI and PTU interfere in a regulatory pathway for Tg gene expression.

Human thyrotropin receptor gene: expression in thyroid tumors and correlation to markers of thyroid differentiation and dedifferentiation

Human thyrotropin (TSH) receptor steady-state transcript levels were analyzed by Northern blot analysis in thyroids of patients with thyroid carcinoma, with hyperfunctioning adenoma and in normal controls. In control tissue and benign tumors expression levels of TSH receptor mRNA were high whereas in anaplastic carcinomas no normal TSH receptor mRNA was detected. In papillary and follicular tumors it varied from normal to markedly reduced levels. Thyroid peroxidase (TPO) and thyroglobulin (Tg) mRNA were strongly expressed in normal tissue and in hyperfunctioning adenomas but were completely lost in all anaplastic tumors. In papillary tumors expression of TPO and Tg mRNA varied from normal to a complete loss of expression of either TPO, Tg or both. Tg and TPO steady-state expression did not correlate to TSH receptor transcript levels. C-myc mRNA was highly expressed in anaplastic carcinomas, very variable in normal controls and in differentiated thyroid tumors and low in hyperfunctioning adenomas. In summary, TSH receptor mRNA is persistently expressed in all differentiated thyroid tissues and tumors but lost in undifferentiated carcinomas. Its persistence far along the transformation pathway further supports the concept that this gene which inserts the thyrocytes in the physiological regulatory network is almost constitutively expressed in this cell.

Differential regulation of protooncogenes c-jun and jun D expressions by protein tyrosine kinase, protein kinase C, and cyclic-AMP mitogenic pathways in dog primary thyrocytes: TSH and cyclic-AMP induce proliferation but downregulate C-jun expression

The expressions of the protooncogenes c-jun and jun D have been investigated in dog thyrocytes in a primary culture whose proliferation is stimulated by three distinct intracellular signaling pathways (1) the thyrotropin (TSH) or forskolin-cyclic-AMP-mediated cascade; (2) the protein kinase C pathway activated by diacylglycerol (DAG) and phorbol esters (TPA); (3) a protein tyrosine kinase system activated by epidermal growth factor (EGF). While the first cascade is compatible with the differentiated state of the cell, the two latter pathways induce dedifferentiation. Following the stimulation by TPA or EGF, the expression of c-jun was increased and the expression of jun D was faintly increased. Both expressions are superinduced in the presence of cycloheximide as in mitogenically stimulated fibroblasts but, in the presence of cycloheximide alone, the expressions of c-jun and jun D are clearly unstable with time. This indicates that cycloheximide controls should be included at all time points examined in such experiments. Increasing intracellular concentrations of cyclic-AMP by forskolin or TSH was followed by an inhibition of the expression of c-jun. This inhibition was independent of protein synthesis. Similarly, the TPA or EGF stimulation of c-jun expression was also inhibited by TSH or forskolin, as in fibroblasts in which cyclic-AMP inhibits proliferation. Our results show that the expression of c-jun is not universally correlated with the stimulation of cell proliferation. The stimulation of c-jun expression is not common between the three mitogenic pathways. It thus represents another of the very different responses elicited by the cyclic-AMP cascade as compared to the more studied tyrosine kinase and protein kinase C mitogenic pathways.

Intermediate filaments in normal thyrocytes: modulation of vimentin expression in primary cultures

In dog thyrocyte primary cultures, the antagonistic effects of thyrotropin (TSH) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) on differentiation expression were accompagnied by distinct long-term morphological changes: TSH-treated cells showed an epitheloid morphology; EGF reversibly induced a fusiform shape. Using indirect immunofluorescence microscopy and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, we studied the modifications in the distribution and synthesis of the intermediate filament proteins of the cytoskeleton in response to TSH and EGF. These factors had little effect on the expression of cytokeratins 8 and 18, which were expressed in 98% of cells. However, TSH induced a profound redistribution of cytokeratins (and actin) with the appearance of a marked staining of cell junctions. Vimentin was coexpressed with cytokeratins in about 40% of cells from normal thyroid follicles freshly isolated by collagenase. During culture, immunostained vimentin network progressively developed in 90% of control and EGF-treated cells simultaneously with vimentin synthesis. In contrast, only 20% of TSH-treated cells reacted with vimentin antibody and we observed a marked decrease in vimentin synthesis in response to TSH. Therefore, vimentin synthesis, which should occur in at least some normal thyroid follicles in vivo, was inhibited in vitro by TSH which promotes differentiation expression. However, EGF-treated cells thereafter cultured with TSH regained an epitheloid morphology and differentiation in spite of the persistency of a complete network of vimentin.

Epidermal growth factor and phorbol ester actions on the TSH induced down regulation of the isoenzyme I (PKA I) of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases in dog thyroid cell primary cultures

In dog thyroid cell primary cultures the prolonged presence (up to 4-6 days) of TSH induced down regulation of the isoenzyme I (PKA I) of cAMP-dependent protein kinases. In the simultaneous presence of TSH and EGF this down regulation of PKA I was maintained, although it was slightly smaller than in assays without EGF. In contrast, the simultaneous presence of TPA, totally inhibited the TSH induced down regulation of PKA I. These results partly explain the previously observed additivity of TSH and EGF, and the non-additivity of TSH and TPA actions on cell proliferation in these cells.

Activation of the cyclic AMP cascade as an oncogenic mechanism: the thyroid example

Three cascades activate thyroid cell proliferation: the EGF-protein tyrosine kinase pathway, the phorbol ester-protein kinase C pathway and the thyrotropin-cyclic AMP pathway. While the first 2 cascades converge early, they remain distinct from the cyclic AMP cascade until very late in G1. The cyclic AMP cascade is characterized by an early and transient expression of c-myc, which may explain why it induces proliferation and differentiation expression. Constitutive activation of this cascade causes growth and hyperfunction, ie, hyperfunctioning adenomas. The various possible defects that could lead to such a constitutive activation are discussed.