Non-thyrotropic pituitary cells in culture convert T4 to T3

Thyroid hormone 5'-deiodinase activity, nuclear binding, and effects on mitogenesis in UMR-106 osteoblastic osteosarcoma cells

The hyperthyroid state in vivo is associated with an increase in osteoblast number and activity, suggesting that thyroid hormone may stimulate osteoblast replication and function. We therefore examined the effects of T3 (16-1170 pM) on replication rate as assessed by cell counts in UMR-106 osteoblastic osteosarcoma cells cultured for 5-10 days in medium supplemented with 10% hormone-stripped fetal calf serum (FCS). Despite the virtual absence of thyroid hormone in the control medium (total T3 concentration, 0.02 ng/ml), the addition of T3 in concentrations to 1000 pM did not increase the cell replication rate. At higher T3 concentrations, a slight decrease in growth rate was observed. No significant 5'-monodeiodinase activity was detected in UMR-106 cell homogenates. However, nuclear binding of T3 was demonstrated in intact cells. A high-affinity nuclear binding component was identified with a Ka of 2.6 x 10(10) M-1 and a maximum binding capacity of 7.7 pg T3 per mg DNA, equivalent to 51 binding sites per cell nucleus. A lower affinity nuclear T3 binding component with a Ka of 1.8 x 10(9) M-1 was also identified. Thus, despite the presence of nuclear T3 receptors, UMR-106 cells do not exhibit a mitogenic response to T3.

Evidence for two pathways of iodothyronine 5'-deiodination in rat pituitary that differ in kinetics, propylthiouracil sensitivity, and response to hypothyroidism

We have studied 5'-deiodination of thyroxine (T(4)) and 3,3',5'-triiodothyronine (rT(3)) in rat pituitary tissue in vitro, with respect to substrate specificity, reaction kinetics, effects of 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU), and the time course of effects of thyroid hormone depletion and repletion. Removal of one phenolic iodine or both tyrosyl iodines from the T(4) molecule resulted in compounds that were not deiodinated, but alterations in the alanine side chain had little effect.5'-Deiodination of 2 nM rT(3) by pituitary microsomes from euthyroid rats was inhibited >90% by 1 mM PTU, but was inhibited <10% by 100 nM T(4). The apparent Michaelis constant (K(m)) and maximum velocity (V(max)) for rT(3) at 20 mM dithiothreitol (DTT) were 33 nM and 84 pmol/mg protein per h. This reaction followed ping-pong type reaction kinetics when concentrations of DTT were varied. PTU inhibition was competitive with DTT and uncompetitive with rT(3). In contrast, when pituitary microsomes from hypothyroid rats (21 d postthyroidectomy) were used, deiodination of 2 nM rT(3) was inhibited only 20% by 1 mM PTU and up to 80% by 100 nM T(4). At 20 mM DTT, the apparent K(m) and V(max) in hypothyroid microsomes were 4.7 nM rT(3) and 16 pmol/mg protein per h. T(4) was a competitive inhibitor of PTU-insensitive rT(3) 5'-deiodination (K(i) = 1.3 nM). T(4) 5'-deiodination by hypothyroid microsomes was not affected by PTU, was competitively inhibited by rT(3) (K(i), 1.7 nM), and exhibited sequential type reaction kinetics with DTT as cosubstrate. When T(4) 5'-deiodination was measured in euthyroid and hypothyroid microsomes, respectively, the apparent K(m) and V(max) for T(4) at 20 mM DTT, were 0.9 nM and 0.55 pmol/mg protein per h (euthyroid), and 0.8 nM and 6.9 pmol/mg protein per h (hypothyroid). The T(4) 5'-deiodination rate and the PTU-insensitive, but not total, rT(3) 5'-deiodination rate (i.e. measured in the presence and the absence of 1 mM PTU, respectively) in pituitary homogenates were significantly elevated 24 h after thyroidectomy. PTU-insensitive activity continued to increase until at >/=30 d after thyroidectomy it was 11 times the PTU-insensitive activity in controls. At the latter time, PTU-sensitive rT(3) 5'-deiodinase activity appeared to be decreased. The increase in PTU-insensitive T(4) and rT(3) 5'-deiodination observed 48 h after thyroidectomy was prevented by replacement doses of T(4) or T(3). The PTU-insensitive activity of long term hypothyroid pituitaries was decreased by 71% and >/=84% 4 h after injection of 20 and 200 mug T(3), respectively, with no change in PTU-sensitive rT(3) deiodination. These data show that rat pituitary tissue contains two distinct iodothyronine 5'-deiodinating pathways that differ with respect to substrate specificity, PTU sensitivity, reaction kinetics, and regulation by thyroid hormone. One of these resembles the 5'-deiodinase of liver and kidney, and predominates in euthyroid pituitary tissue in vitro. The other, also found in rat brain, predominates in hypothyroid pituitary tissue, is rapidly responsive to changes in thyroid hormone availability, and, as judged by previous, in vivo studies, appears to account for all the T(3) produced locally in the pituitary and, thereby, 50% of the intracellular T(3) in this tissue.