Differential expression of thyrotropin-releasing hormone-degrading enzyme in cancers of the breast.

Breast cancer affects women at relatively high frequency (1). We mined published microarray datasets (2, 3) to determine in an unbiased fashion and at the systems level genes most differentially expressed in the primary tumors of patients with breast cancer. We report here significant differential expression of the gene encoding thyrotropin-releasing hormone-degrading enzyme, TRHDE, when comparing primary tumors of the breast to the tissue of origin, the normal breast. TRHDE mRNA was present at significantly lower quantities in tumors of the breast as compared to normal breast tissue. Analysis of human survival data revealed that expression of TRHDE in primary tumors of the breast was correlated with recurrence-free survival in patients with luminal A subtype cancer, demonstrating a relationship between primary tumor expression of a differentially expressed gene and patient survival outcomes influenced by PAM50 molecular subtype. TRHDE may be of relevance to initiation, maintenance or progression of cancers of the female breast.

The Antagonist pGlu-βGlu-Pro-NH2 Binds to an Allosteric Site of the Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone Receptor

After we identified pGlu-βGlu-Pro-NH2 as the first functional antagonist of the cholinergic central actions of the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH, pGlu-His-Pro-NH2), we became interested in finding the receptor-associated mechanism responsible for this antagonism. By utilizing a human TRH receptor (hTRH-R) homology model, we first refined the active binding site within the transmembrane bundle of this receptor to enhance TRH’s binding affinity. However, this binding site did not accommodate the TRH antagonist. This prompted us to consider a potential allosteric binding site in the extracellular domain (ECD). Searches for ECD binding pockets prompted a remodeling of the extracellular loops and the N-terminus. We found that different trajectories of ECDs produced novel binding cavities that were then systematically probed with TRH, as well as its antagonist. This led us to establish not only a surface-recognition binding site for TRH, but also an allosteric site that exhibited a selective and high-affinity binding for pGlu-βGlu-Pro-NH2. The allosteric binding of this TRH antagonist is more robust than TRH’s binding to its own active site. The findings reported here may shed light on the mechanisms and the multimodal roles by which the ECD of a TRH receptor is involved in agonist and/or antagonist actions.

Effects of iodine excess on serum thyrotropin-releasing hormone levels and type 2 deiodinase in the hypothalamus of Wistar rats

Iodine is an important element in thyroid hormone biosynthesis. Thyroid function is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis (HPT). Excessive iodine leads to elevated thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, but the mechanism is not yet clear. Type 2 deiodinase (Dio2) is a selenium-containing protease that plays a vital role in thyroid function. The purpose of this study was to explore the role of hypothalamus Dio2 in regulating TSH increase caused by excessive iodine and to determine the effects of iodine excess on thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) levels. Male Wistar rats were randomized into five groups and administered different iodine dosages (folds of physiological dose): normal iodine (NI), 3-fold iodine (3HI), 6-fold iodine (6HI), 10-fold iodine (10HI), and 50-fold iodine (50HI). Rats were euthanized at 4, 8, 12, or 24 weeks after iodine administration. Serum TRH, TSH, total thyroxine (TT4), and total triiodothyronine (TT3) were determined. Hypothalamus tissues were frozen and sectioned to evaluate expression of Dio2, Dio2 activity, and monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8). Prolonged high iodine intake significantly increased TSH expression (p < 0.05), but did not affect TT3 and TT4 levels. Prolonged high iodine intake decreased serum TRH levels in the hypothalamus (p < 0.05). Dio2 expression and activity in the hypothalamus exhibited an increasing trend compared at each time point with increasing iodine intake (p < 0.05). Hypothalamic MCT8 expression was increased in rats with prolonged high iodine intake(p < 0.05). These results indicate that iodine excess affects the levels of Dio2, TRH, and MCT8 in the hypothalamus.

[β-Glu2]TRH Is a Functional Antagonist of Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone (TRH) in the Rodent Brain

Selective antagonists of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH; pGlu-His-Pro-NH2), in order to enable a better understanding of this peptide’s central functions, have not been identified. Using pGlu-Glu-Pro-NH2 ([Glu2]TRH) as a lead peptide and with modification at its central residue, our studies focused on some of its analogues synthesized as potential functional antagonists of TRH in the rodent brain. Among the peptides studied, the novel isomeric analogue [β-Glu2]TRH was found to suppress the analeptic and antidepressant-like pharmacological activities of TRH without eliciting intrinsic effects in these paradigms. [β-Glu2]TRH also completely reversed TRH’s stimulation of acetylcholine turnover in the rat hippocampus without a cholinergic activity of its own, which was demonstrated through in vivo microdialysis experiments. Altogether, [β-Glu2]TRH emerged as the first selective functional antagonist of TRH’s prominent cholinergic actions, by which this endogenous peptide elicits a vast array of central effects.