Thyroid gland articles from across Nature Portfolio

Mosteiro et al. show that inhibition of Notch, a signaling pathway frequently associated with cell-fate decisions during development, impairs thyrocyte homeostasis in an active subset of thyrocytes in adult mice through mitochondrial dysfunction and decreased ROS, thereby causing hypothyroidism.

Genomic data from patients with thyroid cancer, combined with information on mutation-specific mechanisms from experimental models, is transforming the thyroid cancer research field. This Review summarizes the genetic alterations involved in follicular cell-derived thyroid cancer initiation and progression and their biological and clinical implications.

Thyroid hormones have key functions throughout the body. However, thyroid function declines with age and thyroid diseases increase in prevalence. This Review outlines our current knowledge about how thyroid function changes with age and the implications for patient care.

Maternal thyroid hormone is important for fetal development. Here, the authors show that hyperthyroidism during pregnancy can program the offsprings’ glucose sensitivity and response to cold via activation of maternal thyroid hormone receptor β in a sex dependent manner

A study in Nature Metabolism shows that the thyroid gland contains two subtypes of thyrocytes (the cells that produce thyroid hormones) and reveals a role for Notch signalling in regulating thyrocyte homeostasis and activity, as reduced Notch activity results in hypothyroidism.

In 2022, the activation mechanism of TSH receptor (TSHR) by TSH and autoantibodies was demonstrated, monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8) deficiency was corrected with gene therapy in mice and mutant thyroid hormone receptor α (TRα) was activated with a synthetic ligand. These results offer translational perspectives for patients with common and rare diseases affecting these proteins.

Radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment is used in patients with thyroid cancer to treat disease and to eradicate normal thyroid remnants. Routine post-operative administration of RAI is no longer indicated in patients with low risk thyroid cancer and might instead be used selectively in patients with a post-operative high serum level of thyroglobulin.

Multikinase inhibitors are effective treatments for thyroid cancers, acting primarily as antiangiogenic agents. This year, advances have been made in selective targeting of RET and BRAF in patients with medullary and anaplastic thyroid cancers, respectively. However, Hürthle cell carcinomas have a unique genomic landscape with no dominant truncal drivers, precluding simplistic approaches to therapeutic targeting.