Thyroid Hormone Synthesis in Thyroglobulin: Physiology and Disease
Thyroid hormones, known as thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), are synthesized in the thyroid
gland on specific sites within the hormone precursor protein thyroglobulin. By developing a nonradioactive
assay to measure de novo thyroid hormone formation within thyroglobulin, we have
contributed to the growing understanding by which T3 synthesis is regulated in the thyroid gland.
Utilizing CRISPR-Cas9 mediated mutagenesis of the thyroglobulin gene, we have generated a novel
mouse model with loss of T4 formation while preserving T3 formation in thyroglobulin to establish,
for the first time, the extent to which T4 is required for normal development, growth, behavior, and
metabolism. These studies will aid in our understanding of the defects and treatment of
hypothyroidism, which affects 10% of the world’s population and constitutes the most common
congenital endocrinopathy in humans.
Room 1302 and Zoom