Thyroid hormone (TH) action is mediated by TH receptors (TRs), which are members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily. In vitro studies have demonstrated that TR activity is regulated by interactions with corepressor and coactivator proteins (CoRs and CoAs, respectively). TH stimulation is thought to involve dissociation of CoRs and recruitment of CoAs to the liganded TR. In contrast, negative regulation by TH is thought to occur via recruitment of CoRs to the liganded TR. The physiological role of CoAs bound to TRs, however, has yet to be defined. In this study, we used gene-targeting techniques to mutate the TR-β locus within its activation function-2 (AF-2) domain (E457A). This mutation was chosen because it completely abolished CoA recruitment in vitro, while preserving normal triiodothyronine (T 3 ) binding and CoR interactions. As expected, THstimulated gene expression was reduced in homozygous E457A mice. However, these animals also displayed abnormal regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis. Serum thyroxine, T 3 , and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels and pituitary Tshb mRNA levels were inappropriately elevated compared with those of WT animals, and L-T 3 treatment failed to suppress serum TSH and pituitary Tshb mRNA levels. Therefore, the AF-2 domain of TR-β is required for positive and, paradoxically, for negative regulation by TH in vivo.

Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH) is most often due to point mutations in the ␤-isoform of the thyroid hormone (TH) receptor (TR-␤). The majority of mutations involve the ligand-binding domain, where they block TH binding and receptor function on both stimulatory and inhibitory TH response elements. In contrast, a few mutations in the ligand-binding domain are reported to maintain TH binding and yet cause RTH in certain tissues. We introduced one such naturally occurring human RTH mutation (R429Q) into the germline of mice at the TR-␤ locus. R429Q knock-in (KI) mice demonstrated elevated serum TH and inappropriately normal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, consistent with hypothalamic-pituitary RTH. In contrast, 3 hepatic genes positively regulated by TH (Dio1, Gpd1, and Thrsp) were increased in R429Q KI animals. Mice were then rendered hypothyroid, followed by graded T 3 replacement. Hypothyroid R429Q KI mice displayed elevated TSH subunit mRNA levels, and T 3 treatment failed to normally suppress these levels. T3 treatment, however, stimulated pituitary Gh levels to a greater degree in R429Q KI than in control mice. Gsta, a hepatic gene negatively regulated by TH, was not suppressed in R429Q KI mice after T 3 treatment, but hepatic Dio1 and Thrsp mRNA levels increased in response to TH. Cardiac myosin heavy chain isoform gene expression also showed a specific defect in TH inhibition. In summary, the R429Q mutation is associated with selective impairment of TH-mediated gene repression, suggesting that the affected domain, necessary for TR homodimerization and corepressor binding, has a critical role in negative gene regulation by TH.corepressor ͉ homodimer ͉ negative regulation ͉ resistance to thyroid hormone T hyroid-stimulating hormone (thyrotropin or TSH) is a heterodimeric glycoprotein consisting of 2 non-covalently linked protein subunits (TSH-␣ and TSH-␤), synthesized in the pituitary thyrotroph, which regulates the thyroid. TSH-releasing hormone (TRH) is synthesized in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and released into the portal circulation, where it regulates the synthesis and glycosylation pattern (bioactivity) of pituitary TSH. The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis is regulated by negative feedback involving thyroid hormones (THs) (T 4 and T 3 ), which are produced by the thyroid gland. The major negative regulator of TSH secretion is T 3 , which directly inhibits the transcription of the TSH-␣ and -␤ subunit genes (1-5) and TRH (6-8).TH action is mediated by different isoforms of the TH receptor (TR), which are members of the nuclear receptor superfamily of ligand-modulated transcription factors. Two genes, by alternative splicing and transcriptional start site utilization, express the known ligand-binding TR isoforms, TR-␣1, TR-␤1, TR-␤2, and TR-␤3. Negative regulation of the HPT axis is principally mediated by the ␤ isoform of the TR (9-13).On genes with a positive TH response element, TR interacts with corepressor proteins (CoRs) in the absence of ligand, and this...

The results show, for the first time, that the expression of S- and M-opsin is dependent on normal thyroid hormone levels during development.