Abstract
Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is a vertebrate pituitary heterodimeric hormone that stimulates the thyroid gland to produce the thyroid hormones, T3 and T4. We report here the cloning, by PCR on reverse-transcribed pituitary RNAs, of a 180 bp fragment of the cDNA encoding TSH β subunit in the turbot (Psetta maxima). The deduced amino acid sequence displayed 66 and 75% identity with the corresponding sequence from the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) and the rainbow trout (Oncorchyncus mykiss), respectively. This cDNA was then used as a probe for densitometric analysis of individual pituitary Northern blots. TSH β mRNA levels were quantified in turbot where circulating thyroid hormones were modified by dietary treatments or hormone supplementation. Recombinant rainbow trout growth hormone had no effect on circulating thyroid hormone levels or on pituitary TSH β mRNA level. In turbot fed heat-treated rapeseed meal, plasma T4 levels were lowered and TSH β mRNA increased more than two fold. In contrast, when turbot were fed a standard fish-meal supplemented with T3, circulating T3 levels were elevated and there was a dramatic decrease in TSH β mRNA level. It is concluded that both thyroid hormones are able to down-regulate TSH β mRNA level in vivo in the turbot. These results are discussed in the context of the evolution of the TH feed-back on TSH production.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Boeuf, G., Marc, A. M., Le Bail, P. Y., Prunet, P. and Smal, J. 1994. Stimulation of parr-smolt transformation by hormonal treatment in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). Aquaculture 121: 195-208.
Boeuf, G. and Prunet, P. 1985. Measurements of gill (NA+-K+) AT-Pase activity and plasma thyroid hormones during smoltification in Atlantic salmon (Salmon salar). Aquaculture 45: 111-119.
Buckbinder, L. and Brown, D. D. 1993. Expression of the Xenopus laevis prolactin and thyrotropin genes during metamorphosis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90: 3820-3824.
Chin, W. W., Carr, F. E., Burnside, J. and Darling, D. S. 1993. Thyroid hormone regulation of thyrotropin gene expression. Rec. Progr. Hormone Res. 48: 393-414.
Croyle, M. L., Bhattacharya, A., Gordon, D. F. and Maurer, R. A. 1986. Analysis of the organization and nucleotide sequence of the chromosomal gene for the β-subunit of rat thyrotropin. DNA, 5: 299-304.
de Luze, A. and Leloup, J. 1984. Fish growth hormone enhances peripheral conversion of thyroxine to triiodothyronine in the eel (Anguilla anguilla L.). Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 56: 308-312.
Eales, J. G. and Brown, S. B. 1993. Measurement and regulation of thyroidal status in teleost fish. Rev. Fish Biol. Fish. 3: 299-347.
Grace de Jesus, E., Hirano, T. and Inui, Y. 1993. Flounder metamorphosis: its regulation by various hormones. Fish Physiol. Biochem. 11: 323-328.
Gregory, C. G. and Porter, T. E. 1997. Cloning and sequence analysis of a cDNA for the β subunit of chicken thyroid-stimulating hormone. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 107: 182-190.
Gurr, J. A., Catteral, J. F. and Kourides, I. A. 1983. Cloning of cDNA encoding the pre-β subunit of mouse thyrotropin. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 80: 2122-2126.
Hayashizaki, Y., Miyai, K., Kato, K. and Matsubara, K. 1985. Molecular cloning of the human thyrotropin-β subunit gene. FEBS 188: 394-400.
Ito, M., Koide, Y., Takamatsu, N., Kawauchi, H. and Shiba, T. 1993. cDNA cloning of the β subunit of teleost thyrotropin. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90: 6052-6055.
Larsen, D. A., Dickey, J. T. and Dickhoff, W. W. 1997. Quantification of salmon α and thyrotropin-β (TSH)-subunit messenger RNA by an RNase protection assay: regulation by thyroid hormones. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 107: 98-108.
Leatherland, J. F. 1982. Environmental physiology of the teleostean thyroid gland: a review. Env. Biol. Fishes 7: 83-110.
MacLatchy, D. L., Kawauchi, H. and Eales, J. G. 1992. Stimulation of hepatic thyroxine 5′-deiodinase activity in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) by pacific salmon growth hormone. Comp. Biochem Physiol. 101A: 689-691.
Martinez, I., Dreyer, B., Argersborg, A., Le Roux, A. and Boeuf, G. 1995. Effect of triiodothyronine and rearing temperature on growth and skeletal myosin heavy chain isoform transition during early development in salmonid (Salvelinus alpinus L.). Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 112 B: 717-725.
Moriyama, S., Swanson, P., Larsen, D., Miwa, S., Kawauchi, H. and Dickhoff, W. 1997. Salmon thyroid-stimulating hormone: isolation, characterization and development of a radioimmunoassay. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 108: 457-471.
Pierce, J. G. 1988. In: The Physiology of Reproduction. pp. 1335-1348. Edited by E. Knobil and J. Neill, Raven Press, New York.
Pierce, J. G. and Parsons, T. F. 1981. Glycoprotein hormones: structure and function. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 50: 465-495.
Pradet-Balade, B., Schmitz, M., Salmon, C., Dufour, S. and Quérat, B. 1997. Down-regulation of TSH subunit mRNA levels by thyroid hormones in the European eel. Gen. Comp. Endocrinol. 108: 191-198.
Quérat, B. 1994. Molecular evolution of the glycoprotein hormones in vertebrates. In: Perspective in Comparative Endocrinology. pp. 27-35. Edited by K. G. Davey, R. E. Peter and S. S. Tobe, National Research Council of Canada, Toronto.
Quérat, B., Hardy, A. and Fontaine, Y. A. 1991. Regulation of the type-II gonadotrophin α and β subunit mRNAs by œstradiol and testosterone in the European eel. J. Mol. Endocrinol. 7: 81-86.
Salmon, C., Marchelidon, J., Fontaine, Y. A., Huet, J. C. and Quérat, B. 1993. Clonage et séquence de la sous-unité β de la thyrotropine d'un poisson téléostéen, l'anguille (Anguilla anguilla L). C. R. Acad. Sci. 316: 749-753.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pradet-Balade, B., Burel, C., Dufour, S. et al. Thyroid hormones down-regulate thyrotropin β mRNA level in vivo in the turbot (Psetta maxima). Fish Physiology and Biochemistry 20, 193–199 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007791415780
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007791415780