Jn. Nobrega et al., REGIONAL CHANGES IN BETA(1) THYROID-HORMONE RECEPTOR IMMUNOREACTIVITYIN RAT-BRAIN AFTER THYROIDECTOMY, Brain research, 761(1), 1997, pp. 161-164
Quantitative [I-125]protein G-based immunohistochemistry was used to m
ap the distribution of beta(1) thyroid hormone receptor (TR beta(1)) i
n normal and thyroidectomized adult rat brain, using a previously char
acterized polyclonal antibody. The distribution of TR beta(1)-like imm
unoreactivity in normal brain was largely but not perfectly concordant
with previous accounts of TR beta(1) mRNA distribution in rat brain.
Thyroidectomy resulted in increased immunolabeling in most brain regio
ns (mean increase: 14%, range: -4% to +25%), with statistically signif
icant effects being observed in 9 of the 36 brain regions examined. Br
ain regions showing the most pronounced effects included the habenular
nucleus (+22%), the oriens layer of the hippocampal CA3 region (+24%)
, and the lateral geniculate nucleus of the thalamus (+23%). These res
ults demonstrate that the TR beta(1) protein in brain is capable of pl
astic changes in response to adult-onset alterations in TH levels. The
observed pattern of brain regional receptor changes following thyroid
ectomy may provide clues for functional effects of thyroid function al
terations in adults. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.