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Sreenivasan VKA, Dore R, Resch J, Maier J, Dietrich C, Henck J, Balachandran S, Mittag J, Spielmann M. Single-cell RNA-based phenotyping reveals a pivotal role of thyroid hormone receptor alpha for hypothalamic development. Development 2023; 150:286776. [PMID: 36715020 PMCID: PMC10110490 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Thyroid hormone and its receptor TRα1 play an important role in brain development. Several animal models have been used to investigate this function, including mice heterozygous for the TRα1R384C mutation, which confers receptor-mediated hypothyroidism. These mice display abnormalities in several autonomic functions, which was partially attributed to a developmental defect in hypothalamic parvalbumin neurons. However, whether other cell types in the hypothalamus are similarly affected remains unknown. Here, we used single-nucleus RNA sequencing to obtain an unbiased view on the importance of TRα1 for hypothalamic development and cellular diversity. Our data show that defective TRα1 signaling has surprisingly little effect on the development of hypothalamic neuronal populations, but it heavily affects hypothalamic oligodendrocytes. Using selective reactivation of the mutant TRα1 during specific developmental periods, we find that early postnatal thyroid hormone action seems to be crucial for proper hypothalamic oligodendrocyte maturation. Taken together, our findings underline the well-known importance of postnatal thyroid health for brain development and provide an unbiased roadmap for the identification of cellular targets of TRα1 action in mouse hypothalamic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varun K A Sreenivasan
- Institute of Human Genetics, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, University of Lübeck and University of Kiel, Lübeck 23562, Germany
| | - Riccardo Dore
- Institute for Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Lübeck and Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, Center of Brain Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Julia Resch
- Institute for Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Lübeck and Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, Center of Brain Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Julia Maier
- Institute for Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Lübeck and Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, Center of Brain Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Carola Dietrich
- Human Molecular Genomics Group, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Jana Henck
- Institute of Human Genetics, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, University of Lübeck and University of Kiel, Lübeck 23562, Germany
- Human Molecular Genomics Group, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - Saranya Balachandran
- Institute of Human Genetics, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, University of Lübeck and University of Kiel, Lübeck 23562, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), partner site Hamburg/Lübeck/Kiel, Lübeck 23562, Germany
| | - Jens Mittag
- Institute for Endocrinology and Diabetes, University of Lübeck and Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein Campus Lübeck, Center of Brain Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23562 Lübeck, Germany
| | - Malte Spielmann
- Institute of Human Genetics, Universitätsklinikum Schleswig-Holstein, University of Lübeck and University of Kiel, Lübeck 23562, Germany
- Human Molecular Genomics Group, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin 14195, Germany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), partner site Hamburg/Lübeck/Kiel, Lübeck 23562, Germany
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Frau C, Godart M, Plateroti M. Thyroid hormone regulation of intestinal epithelial stem cell biology. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2017; 459:90-97. [PMID: 28288904 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2017.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Revised: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The gastrointestinal tract is a well-characterized target of thyroid hormones and thyroid hormone nuclear receptors TRs, as extensively described in the literature. The paradigm is its important remodelling in amphibians during thyroid hormone-dependent metamorphosis. Interestingly, several studies have described the conservation of this hormonal signal during intestinal development in mammals. Additional data suggested that it may also play a role in intestinal homeostasis, stem cell physiology and progenitor commitment as well as in tumour development. It is worth underlining that in the mammalian intestine the functionality of the TRα1 receptor is coordinated and integrated with other signalling pathways, such as Wnt and Notch, specifically at the level of stem/progenitor cell populations. Here, we summarize these data and concepts and discuss this new role for thyroid hormones and the TRα1 receptor in the biology of intestinal epithelial precursor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Frau
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052, CNRS UMR5286, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Centre Léon Bérard, Département de La Recherche, 69000 Lyon, France
| | - Matthias Godart
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052, CNRS UMR5286, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Centre Léon Bérard, Département de La Recherche, 69000 Lyon, France
| | - Michelina Plateroti
- Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, INSERM U1052, CNRS UMR5286, Université de Lyon, Université Lyon 1, Centre Léon Bérard, Département de La Recherche, 69000 Lyon, France.
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Marelli F, Carra S, Rurale G, Cotelli F, Persani L. In vivo Functional Consequences of Human THRA Variants Expressed in the Zebrafish. Thyroid 2017; 27:279-291. [PMID: 27809680 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2016.0373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heterozygous mutations in the thyroid hormone receptor alpha (THRA) gene cause resistance to thyroid hormone alpha (RTHα), a disease characterized by variable manifestations reminiscent of untreated congenital hypothyroidism but a raised triiodothyronine/thyroxine ratio and normal thyrotropin levels. It was recently described that zebrafish embryos expressing a dominant negative (DN) form of thraa recapitulate the key features of RTHα, and that zebrafish and human receptors are functionally interchangeable. METHODS This study expressed several human thyroid hormone receptor alpha (hTRα) variants in zebrafish embryos and analyzed the resulting phenotypes. RESULTS All hTRα-injected embryos showed variable defects, including cerebral and cardiac edema likely caused by an aberrant looping during heart development, anemia, and an incomplete formation of the vascular network. Moreover, the hTRα-injected embryos presented severe defects of motorneurons and craniofacial development, thus affecting their autonomous feeding and swimming behaviors. Surprisingly, expression of all hTRα mutants had no detectable effect on thyrotropin beta and thyrotropin-releasing hormone transcripts, indicating that their DN action is limited on the thyroid hormone reception beta 2 targets at the hypothalamic/pituitary level in vivo. As previously described in vitro, treatment with high triiodothyronine doses can efficiently revert the observed defects only in embryos injected with missense hTRα variants. CONCLUSION Injection of human THRA variants in zebrafish embryos causes tissue-specific defects recapitulating most of the RTHα clinical and biochemical manifestations. The described manipulation of zebrafish embryos represents a novel in vivo model to screen the functional consequences of THRA variants and the rescue potential of new therapeutic compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Marelli
- 1 Laboratorio Sperimentale di Ricerche Endocrino-Metaboliche, Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Carra
- 2 Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan, Italy
| | - Giuditta Rurale
- 3 Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e di Comunità, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan, Italy
| | - Franco Cotelli
- 2 Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Persani
- 1 Laboratorio Sperimentale di Ricerche Endocrino-Metaboliche, Istituto Auxologico Italiano , Milan, Italy
- 3 Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e di Comunità, Università degli Studi di Milano , Milan, Italy
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Ortiga-Carvalho TM, Chiamolera MI, Pazos-Moura CC, Wondisford FE. Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis. Compr Physiol 2016; 6:1387-428. [PMID: 27347897 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c150027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 214] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis determines the set point of thyroid hormone (TH) production. Hypothalamic thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulates the synthesis and secretion of pituitary thyrotropin (thyroid-stimulating hormone, TSH), which acts at the thyroid to stimulate all steps of TH biosynthesis and secretion. The THs thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) control the secretion of TRH and TSH by negative feedback to maintain physiological levels of the main hormones of the HPT axis. Reduction of circulating TH levels due to primary thyroid failure results in increased TRH and TSH production, whereas the opposite occurs when circulating THs are in excess. Other neural, humoral, and local factors modulate the HPT axis and, in specific situations, determine alterations in the physiological function of the axis. The roles of THs are vital to nervous system development, linear growth, energetic metabolism, and thermogenesis. THs also regulate the hepatic metabolism of nutrients, fluid balance and the cardiovascular system. In cells, TH actions are mediated mainly by nuclear TH receptors (210), which modify gene expression. T3 is the preferred ligand of THR, whereas T4, the serum concentration of which is 100-fold higher than that of T3, undergoes extra-thyroidal conversion to T3. This conversion is catalyzed by 5'-deiodinases (D1 and D2), which are TH-activating enzymes. T4 can also be inactivated by conversion to reverse T3, which has very low affinity for THR, by 5-deiodinase (D3). The regulation of deiodinases, particularly D2, and TH transporters at the cell membrane control T3 availability, which is fundamental for TH action. © 2016 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 6:1387-1428, 2016.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania M Ortiga-Carvalho
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Maria I Chiamolera
- Department of Medicine, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Carmen C Pazos-Moura
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Fredic E Wondisford
- Department of Medicine, Rutgers-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
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Marelli F, Carra S, Agostini M, Cotelli F, Peeters R, Chatterjee K, Persani L. Patterns of thyroid hormone receptor expression in zebrafish and generation of a novel model of resistance to thyroid hormone action. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2016; 424:102-17. [PMID: 26802880 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2016.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2015] [Revised: 01/18/2016] [Accepted: 01/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Resistance to thyroid hormone can be due to heterozygous, dominant negative (DN) THRA (RTHα) or THRB (RTHβ) mutations, but the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. Here, we delineate the spatiotemporal expression of TH receptors (TRs) in zebrafish and generated morphants expressing equivalent amounts of wild-type and DN TRαs (thraa_MOs) and TRβs (thrb_MOs) in vivo. Both morphants show severe developmental abnormalities. The phenotype of thraa_MOs includes brain and cardiac defects, but normal thyroid volume and tshba expression. A combined modification of dio2 and dio3 expression can explain the high T3/T4 ratio seen in thraa_MOs, as in RTHα. Thrb_MOs show abnormal eyes and otoliths, with a typical RTHβ pattern of thyroid axis. The coexpression of wild-type, but not mutant, human TRs can rescue the phenotype in both morphants. High T3 doses can partially revert the dominant negative action of mutant TRs in morphant fish. Therefore, our morphants recapitulate the RTHα and RTHβ key manifestations representing new models in which the functional consequences of human TR mutations can be rapidly and faithfully evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Marelli
- Laboratorio Sperimentale di Ricerche Endocrino-Metaboliche, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, 20149 Milan, Italy
| | - Silvia Carra
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Maura Agostini
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Franco Cotelli
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | | | - Krishna Chatterjee
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Luca Persani
- Laboratorio Sperimentale di Ricerche Endocrino-Metaboliche, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, 20149 Milan, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e di Comunità, Università degli Studi di Milano, 20122 Milan, Italy.
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Stenzel D, Huttner WB. Role of maternal thyroid hormones in the developing neocortex and during human evolution. Front Neuroanat 2013; 7:19. [PMID: 23882187 PMCID: PMC3712268 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2013.00019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2013] [Accepted: 06/04/2013] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The importance of thyroid hormones during brain development has been appreciated for many decades. In humans, low levels of circulating maternal thyroid hormones, e.g., caused by maternal hypothyroidism or lack of iodine in diet, results in a wide spectrum of severe neurological defects, including neurological cretinism characterized by profound neurologic impairment and mental retardation, underlining the importance of the maternal thyroid hormone contribution. In fact, iodine intake, which is essential for thyroid hormone production in the thyroid gland, has been related to the expansion of the brain, associated with the increased cognitive capacities during human evolution. Because thyroid hormones regulate transcriptional activity of target genes via their nuclear thyroid hormone receptors (THRs), even mild and transient changes in maternal thyroid hormone levels can directly affect and alter the gene expression profile, and thus disturb fetal brain development. Here we summarize how thyroid hormones may have influenced human brain evolution through the adaptation to new habitats, concomitant with changes in diet and, therefore, iodine intake. Further, we review the current picture we gained from experimental studies in rodents on the function of maternal thyroid hormones during developmental neurogenesis. We aim to evaluate the effects of maternal thyroid hormone deficiency as well as lack of THRs and transporters on brain development and function, shedding light on the cellular behavior conducted by thyroid hormones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Stenzel
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics Dresden, Germany
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Sirakov M, Skah S, Nadjar J, Plateroti M. Thyroid hormone's action on progenitor/stem cell biology: new challenge for a classic hormone? Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj 2012; 1830:3917-27. [PMID: 22890105 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2012.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2012] [Revised: 07/01/2012] [Accepted: 07/29/2012] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Thyroid hormones are involved in developmental and homeostatic processes in several tissues. Their action results in different outcomes depending on the developmental stage, tissue and/or cellular context. Interestingly, their pleiotropic roles are conserved across vertebrates. It is largely documented that thyroid hormones act via nuclear receptors, the TRs, which are transcription factors and whose activity can be modulated by the local availability of the hormone T3. In the "classical view", the T3-induced physiological response depends on the expression of specific TR isoforms and the iodothyronine deiodinase selenoenzymes that control the local level of T3, thus TR activity. SCOPE OF THE REVIEW Recent data have clearly established that the functionality of TRs is coordinated and integrated with other signaling pathways, specifically at the level of stem/progenitor cell populations. Here, we summarize these data and propose a new and intriguing role for thyroid hormones in two selected examples. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS In the intestinal epithelium and the retina, TRα1 and TRβ2 are expressed at the level of the precursors where they induce cell proliferation and differentiation, respectively. Moreover, these different functions result from the integration of the hormone signal with other intrinsic pathways, which play a fundamental role in progenitor/stem cell physiology. GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE Taken together, the interaction of TRs with other signaling pathways, specifically in stem/progenitor cells, is a new concept that may have biological relevance in therapeutic approaches aimed to target stem cells such as tissue engineering and cancer. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Thyroid hormone signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Sirakov
- Institut de Biologie et de Médecine Moléculaires, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
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Darras VM, Van Herck SLJ, Heijlen M, De Groef B. Thyroid hormone receptors in two model species for vertebrate embryonic development: chicken and zebrafish. J Thyroid Res 2011; 2011:402320. [PMID: 21760979 PMCID: PMC3134294 DOI: 10.4061/2011/402320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2011] [Accepted: 04/01/2011] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chicken and zebrafish are two model species regularly used to study the role of thyroid hormones in vertebrate development. Similar to mammals, chickens have one thyroid hormone receptor α (TRα) and one TRβ gene, giving rise to three TR isoforms: TRα, TRβ2, and TRβ0, the latter with a very short amino-terminal domain. Zebrafish also have one TRβ gene, providing two TRβ1 variants. The zebrafish TRα gene has been duplicated, and at least three TRα isoforms are expressed: TRαA1-2 and TRαB are very similar, while TRαA1 has a longer carboxy-terminal ligand-binding domain. All these TR isoforms appear to be functional, ligand-binding receptors. As in other vertebrates, the different chicken and zebrafish TR isoforms have a divergent spatiotemporal expression pattern, suggesting that they also have distinct functions. Several isoforms are expressed from the very first stages of embryonic development and early chicken and zebrafish embryos respond to thyroid hormone treatment with changes in gene expression. Future studies in knockdown and mutant animals should allow us to link the different TR isoforms to specific processes in embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veerle M Darras
- Division Animal Physiology and Neurobiology, Biology Department, Laboratory of Comparative Endocrinology, K.U.Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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Zoeller RT. Endocrine Disruption of the Thyroid and its Consequences in Development. RESEARCH AND PERSPECTIVES IN ENDOCRINE INTERACTIONS 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-22775-2_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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