Thyroid hormones articles from across Nature Portfolio

COVID-19 has been linked to an increase in thyroid dysfunction among current and past patients. This Review discusses and evaluates the evidence for COVID-19 causing thyroid dysfunction, including after COVID-19 vaccination and during long COVID.

Thyroid-stimulating hormone and autoantibody M22 push the extracellular domain of the thyrotropin receptor into an upright active conformation, revealing a universal activation mechanism of glycoprotein hormone receptors and providing the molecular basis of Graves’ disease, hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s disease.

Thyroid hormones are formed within the precursor Thyroglobulin by a poorly understood process. Here Marechal et al. report a cryo-EM structure of native bovine Thyroglobulin with nascent thyroid hormone formed at a predicted hormone synthesis site.

The iodinated thyroglobulin functions as iodine storage and carrier protein and a precursor for thyroid hormone (TH) biogenesis. Here, the authors report the structure of native, fully glycosylated human thyroglobulin, revealing the location of the hTg hormonogenic and glycosylation sites.

A comprehensive systematic review has recommended decreasing the number of individuals who receive treatment for subclinical hypothyroidism; however, data included in the study are extremely limited for young individuals. Extrapolating data from older individuals is perhaps unwise; therefore, the onus should be on the urgent need for further research.

A mixture of chemicals commonly detected in human amniotic fluid has been found to perturb thyroid signalling, development of neurons and glia in the brain, and behavioural outcomes in offspring, when tested in a frog model of embryogenesis. The findings show the exquisite sensitivity of the developing organism to environmental contaminants.