Abstract
THE in vitro de-iodination of thyroxine has been reported in a variety of biological systems, including slices, homogenates, and extracts of mammalian organs1–3. In particular, a system present in rat liver has been fairly extensively investigated and a technique evolved whereby quantitative measurements of de-iodination can be readily obtained4. At the outset of the present work, this technique was employed to re-investigate the properties of the de-iodinating system of rat liver. The heat stability of the homogenate3 and the heat lability of the extract were confirmed, and the system shown to be inhibited by potassium cyanide. The rate of de-iodination was fastest at the beginning of the incubation period and fell off with time, levelling off after 1–2 hr. when 50–70 per cent de-iodination had occurred. Substrate specificity was not absolute, tri-iodothyronine being metabolized to a lesser extent. In all these respects the system used resembles that previously described by other workers4.
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PLASKETT, L. Thyroxine Metabolism by Extracts of Rat Liver. Nature 181, 273 (1958). https://doi.org/10.1038/181273a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/181273a0
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