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Ziros PG, Renaud CO, Chartoumpekis DV, Bongiovanni M, Habeos IG, Liao XH, Refetoff S, Kopp PA, Brix K, Sykiotis GP. Mice Hypomorphic for Keap1, a Negative Regulator of the Nrf2 Antioxidant Response, Show Age-Dependent Diffuse Goiter with Elevated Thyrotropin Levels. Thyroid 2021; 31:23-35. [PMID: 32689903 PMCID: PMC7840308 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2020.0044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Background: Familial nontoxic multinodular goiter (MNG) is a rare disease. One of the associated genes is Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (KEAP1), which encodes the main inhibitor of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related transcription factor 2 (Nrf2), a central mediator of antioxidant responses. The association of KEAP1 with familial MNG is based on only two loss-of-function mutations identified in two families, only one of which included proper phenotyping and adequate demonstration of co-segregation of the phenotype and the mutation. There is no experimental evidence from model organisms to support that decreased Keap1 levels can, indeed, cause goiter. This study used mice hypomorphic for Keap1 to test whether decreased Keap1 expression can cause goiter, and to characterize the activation status of Nrf2 in their thyroid. Methods: C57BL/6J Keap1flox/flox (Keap1 knock-down [Keap1KD]) mice were studied at 3 and 12 months of age. Plasma and thyroid glands were harvested for evaluation of thyroid function tests and for gene and protein expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunoblotting, respectively. Results: Keap1KD mice showed diffuse goiter that began to develop in early adult life and became highly prominent and penetrant with age. The goiter was characterized by a markedly increased size of thyroid follicles, most notably of the colloid compartment, and by absence of thyroid nodules or hyperplasia. Keap1KD mice also showed decreased T4 levels in early adult life that were eventually well compensated over time by increased thyrotropin (TSH) levels. Nrf2 was activated in the thyroid of Keap1KD mice. Despite a known stimulatory effect of Nrf2 on thyroglobulin (Tg) gene transcription and Tg protein abundance, the expression levels were decreased in the thyroid of Keap1KD mice. No clear patterns were observed in the expression profiles of other thyroid hormone synthesis-specific factors, with the exception of Tg-processing and Tg-degrading cathepsins, including an increase in mature forms of cathepsins D, L, and S. Conclusions: Keap1KD mice develop age-dependent diffuse goiter with elevated TSH levels. The precise mechanism accounting for the thyroidal phenotype remains to be elucidated, but it may involve enhanced Tg solubilization and excessive lysosomal Tg degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panos G. Ziros
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Cédric O. Renaud
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dionysios V. Chartoumpekis
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | | | - Ioannis G. Habeos
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - Xiao-Hui Liao
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Samuel Refetoff
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, and University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Committee on Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Peter A. Kopp
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Klaudia Brix
- Department of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Gerasimos P. Sykiotis
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Santos LR, Durães C, Ziros PG, Pestana A, Esteves C, Neves C, Carvalho D, Bongiovanni M, Renaud CO, Chartoumpekis DV, Habeos IG, Simões MS, Soares P, Sykiotis GP. Interaction of Genetic Variations in NFE2L2 and SELENOS Modulates the Risk of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Thyroid 2019; 29:1302-1315. [PMID: 31426718 PMCID: PMC6760180 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2018.0480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Background: Several single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are known to increase the risk of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT); such SNPs reside in thyroid-specific genes or in genes related to autoimmunity, inflammation, and/or cellular defense to stress. The transcription factor Nrf2, encoded by NFE2L2, is a master regulator of the cellular antioxidant response. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of genetic variation in NFE2L2 on the risk of developing HT. Methods: In a case-control candidate gene association study, functional SNPs in the NFE2L2 promoter (rs35652124, rs6706649, and rs6721961) were examined either as independent risk factors or in combination with a previously characterized HT risk allele (rs28665122) in the gene SELENOS, encoding selenoprotein S (SelS). A total of 997 individuals from the north of Portugal (Porto) were enrolled, comprising 481 HT patients and 516 unrelated healthy controls. SELENOS and NFE2L2 SNPs were genotyped using TaqMan® assays and Sanger sequencing, respectively. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using logistic regression, with adjustment for sex and age. Expression of SelS was analyzed by immunohistochemistry in thyroid tissue from HT patients and control subjects. Molecular interactions between the Nrf2 and SelS pathways were investigated in thyroid tissues from mice and in rat PCCL3 thyroid follicular cells. Results: When all three NFE2L2 SNPs were considered together, the presence of one or more minor alleles was associated with a near-significant increased risk (OR = 1.43, p = 0.072). Among subjects harboring only major NFE2L2 alleles, there was no increased HT risk associated with heterozygosity or homozygosity for the SELENOS minor allele. Conversely, in subjects heterozygous or homozygous for the SELENOS risk allele, the presence of an NFE2L2 minor allele significantly increased HT risk by 2.8-fold (p = 0.003). Immunohistochemistry showed reduced expression of SelS in thyroid follicular cells of HT patients. In Nrf2 knockout mice, there was reduced expression of SelS in thyroid follicular cells; conversely, in PCCL3 cells, reducing SelS expression caused reduced activity of Nrf2 signaling. Conclusions: The NFE2L2 promoter genotype interacts with the SELENOS promoter genotype to modulate the risk of HT in a Portuguese population. This interaction may be due to a bidirectional positive feedback between the Nrf2 and SelS pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liliana R. Santos
- Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital de Santa Maria, Lisbon, Portugal
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Cecília Durães
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Panos G. Ziros
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ana Pestana
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - César Esteves
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Endocrinology, Hospital of S. João, Porto, Portugal
| | - Celestino Neves
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Endocrinology, Hospital of S. João, Porto, Portugal
| | - Davide Carvalho
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Endocrinology, Hospital of S. João, Porto, Portugal
| | - Massimo Bongiovanni
- Service of Clinical Pathology, Institute of Pathology, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Cédric O. Renaud
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Dionysios V. Chartoumpekis
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - Ioannis G. Habeos
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | - Manuel Sobrinho Simões
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Paula Soares
- Institute of Molecular Pathology and Immunology of the University of Porto (IPATIMUP), Porto, Portugal
- Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Gerasimos P. Sykiotis
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Address correspondence to: Gerasimos P. Sykiotis, MD, PhD, Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, SA08/02/250, Ave de la Sallaz 8, Lausanne CH-1011, Switzerland
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Ziros PG, Habeos IG, Chartoumpekis DV, Ntalampyra E, Somm E, Renaud CO, Bongiovanni M, Trougakos IP, Yamamoto M, Kensler TW, Santisteban P, Carrasco N, Ris-Stalpers C, Amendola E, Liao XH, Rossich L, Thomasz L, Juvenal GJ, Refetoff S, Sykiotis GP. NFE2-Related Transcription Factor 2 Coordinates Antioxidant Defense with Thyroglobulin Production and Iodination in the Thyroid Gland. Thyroid 2018; 28:780-798. [PMID: 29742982 PMCID: PMC5994681 DOI: 10.1089/thy.2018.0018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The thyroid gland has a special relationship with oxidative stress. While generation of oxidative substances is part of normal iodide metabolism during thyroid hormone synthesis, the gland must also defend itself against excessive oxidation in order to maintain normal function. Antioxidant and detoxification enzymes aid thyroid cells to maintain homeostasis by ameliorating oxidative insults, including during exposure to excess iodide, but the factors that coordinate their expression with the cellular redox status are not known. The antioxidant response system comprising the ubiquitously expressed NFE2-related transcription factor 2 (Nrf2) and its redox-sensitive cytoplasmic inhibitor Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) defends tissues against oxidative stress, thereby protecting against pathologies that relate to DNA, protein, and/or lipid oxidative damage. Thus, it was hypothesized that Nrf2 should also have important roles in maintaining thyroid homeostasis. METHODS Ubiquitous and thyroid-specific male C57BL6J Nrf2 knockout (Nrf2-KO) mice were studied. Plasma and thyroids were harvested for evaluation of thyroid function tests by radioimmunoassays and of gene and protein expression by real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunoblotting, respectively. Nrf2-KO and Keap1-KO clones of the PCCL3 rat thyroid follicular cell line were generated using CRISPR/Cas9 technology and were used for gene and protein expression studies. Software-predicted Nrf2 binding sites on the thyroglobulin enhancer were validated by site-directed in vitro mutagenesis and chromatin immunoprecipitation. RESULTS The study shows that Nrf2 mediates antioxidant transcriptional responses in thyroid cells and protects the thyroid from oxidation induced by iodide overload. Surprisingly, it was also found that Nrf2 has a dramatic impact on both the basal abundance and the thyrotropin-inducible intrathyroidal abundance of thyroglobulin (Tg), the precursor protein of thyroid hormones. This effect is mediated by cell-autonomous regulation of Tg gene expression by Nrf2 via its direct binding to two evolutionarily conserved antioxidant response elements in an upstream enhancer. Yet, despite upregulating Tg levels, Nrf2 limits Tg iodination both under basal conditions and in response to excess iodide. CONCLUSIONS Nrf2 exerts pleiotropic roles in the thyroid gland to couple cell stress defense mechanisms to iodide metabolism and the thyroid hormone synthesis machinery, both under basal conditions and in response to excess iodide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panos G. Ziros
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ioannis G. Habeos
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras, Greece
| | | | - Eleni Ntalampyra
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Emmanuel Somm
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Cédric O. Renaud
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Massimo Bongiovanni
- Service of Clinical Pathology, Institute of Pathology, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ioannis P. Trougakos
- Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Masayuki Yamamoto
- Department of Medical Biochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Thomas W. Kensler
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Pilar Santisteban
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas Alberto Sols, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas y Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, CIBERONC (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Nancy Carrasco
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Carrie Ris-Stalpers
- Women's and Children's Clinic, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Elena Amendola
- Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università degli Studi di Napoli, Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Xiao-Hui Liao
- Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Luciano Rossich
- Nuclear Biochemistry Division, Argentine National Atomic Energy Commission, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Lisa Thomasz
- Nuclear Biochemistry Division, Argentine National Atomic Energy Commission, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Guillermo J. Juvenal
- Nuclear Biochemistry Division, Argentine National Atomic Energy Commission, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Samuel Refetoff
- Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
- Department of Committee on Genetics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Gerasimos P. Sykiotis
- Service of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Metabolism, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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