Studies on protein synthesis in the guinea pig thyroid. I. In vivo incorporation of H3-leucine into the proteins of subcellular fractions

An immuno-electron microscopic study on intracellular localization of thyroglobulin (TG) in the thyroid gland in Grave's disease

Intracellular localization of thyroglobulin (TG) using a pre-embedding diffusion technique and an indirect localization sequence has been made in human thyroid obtained from 20 patients with treated Grave's disease. Both antibodies, anti-human TG-rabbit IgG F(ab')2 and anti-rabbit IgG F(ab')2-goat IgG F(ab')2 fragments easily penetrated the cytoplasm of follicular cells which were dissociated by RPMI-1640 solution containing collagenase, dispase, and deoxyribonuclease. With light microscopic observation of semithin sections positive immuno-reaction for TG was demonstrated as fine granular deposits in the cytoplasm of the dissociated cells. In electron microscopic studies, intracellular antigen was well circumscribed within certain cell organelles in all cases with the positive immuno-reaction for TG being observed in perinuclear space, rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi complexes, secretory granules, and reabsorbed colloid droplets. Content of positive immuno-reaction product differed somewhat from one case to another and from one follicle to another even in the same case. There was no immunoreaction product in nuclei, mitochondria, lysosomes, and lipofuscin-like granules.

Immunoelectron microscopic localization of thyroglobulin in the human thyroid gland

The microidentification of the organelles containing thyroglobulin (TG) in the follicular cells of human thyroid glands were studied by the immunoelectron microscopic method. Fresh human thyroid glands were used for the purification of TG. TG was purified by differential salt fractionation and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Anti-human TG rabbit IgG antibody was obtained by immunization of this purified TG. F(ab')2 fragments of anti-TG rabbit IgG antibody were prepared by pepsin digestion. The specificity of the antibody was tested on an Ouchterlony immunodiffusion plate. Conjugation of the purified F(ab')2 fragments of anti-TG rabbit IgG antibody to horse radish peroxidase was performed in order to use the direct peroxidase labelled antibody method. Under immunohistochemical light microscopy, the luminal colloid and the follicular cells appeared heavily stained. Under immunoelectron microscopy, positive reactions were observed in the rough endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, and the apical cell border. To date, no clear direct evidence of the presence of TG in the rough endoplasmic reticulum and the Golgi apparatus of human thyroid cells has ever been reported in immunoelectron microscopic studies. This study indicates that the use of F(ab')2 fragments of anti-TG rabbit IgG antibody in immunoelectron microscopic study is useful for the identification of TG in organelles of human thyroid follicular cells.

Endocytosis of human thyroglobulin (TG) in adenomatous goiter studied by an immuno-electron microscopic procedure

Five cases of adenomatous goiter have been studied by an electron microscope using an immuno-reaction for thyroglobulin (TG) and focusing on the mechanism of endocytosis. Positive stain for TG was demonstrated in follicular lumina, large reabsorbed colloid droplets and small subapical vesicles. Endocytotic vesicles ranging from 320 nm to 1600 nm in diameter were observed in the cytoplasm as pits in the apical plasma membrane. Some of them showed direct connection with the positive stain for TG in the follicular lumen and the others were completely ingested in the cytoplasm. With statistic analysis, a majority of the vesicles showing the positive stain for TG in the cytoplasm distributed in the range of 200 nm to 1200 nm in diameter with the peak in 300 nm to 399 nm and was situated within an extent of the diameter measured from the endocytotic vesicles. Engulfment of colloid by pseudopods and fusion of the reabsorbed colloid droplets were encountered as extremely rare findings and appeared to play no major role for formation of large colloid droplets in adenomatous goiter.

Immunoelectron microscopic localization of thyroglobulin (TG) in the thyroid gland in Basedow's disease

An electron microscopic immunohistochemical localization of thyroglobulin (TG) using PAP methods from Epok-812 embedded tissues has been made in human thyroids obtained from 15 patients with treated Basedow's disease aged 13 to 43 years. Follicular cells vary considerably in shape and content of cytoplasmic organelles depending mainly upon the size of follicles. Reaction product for TG coincided well with previous investigations studied by electron microscopic autoradiography and is strongly positive in most follicular lumina having no relation to their size, reabsorbed colloid droplets or small subapical vesicles. The reabsorbed colloid droplets are rarely observed in cells surrounding distended follicles and more frequently appeared in small follicles. The reabsorbed colloid droplets after fusion with lysosomes show a variable amount of reaction products from intense deposition to a complete absence of product indicating hydrolysis of TG by lysosomal enzymes. There is no reaction product in rough endoplasmic reticulum or Golgi apparatus in spite of positive reaction product in the subapical vesicles. These subapical vesicles are composed of both endocytotic and exocytotic vesicles.

Iodination of thyroglobulin. An intracellular or extracellular process?

The location in the thyroid follicle of the iodination of thyroglobulin has been a matter of debate for several decades. This problem is not a question of mere academic interest. Knowledge of the locus--or loci--of iodination is necessary for a full understanding of the mechanisms involved in thyroid-hormone synthesis and release. In the discussion about this problem 3 fundamentally different views have been--and still are--advocated. The first view implies that the site of iodination is the follicle lumen, the second that iodination is an intracellular process restricted to some organelle(s) in the follicle cells and the third that iodination occurs at the interface between the follicle cells and the follicle lumen. Below I will survey the major observations on which these different opinions are based and discuss the validity of the interpretations.