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Cloning and characterization of the thyroid iodide transporter

Nature volume 379, pages 458–460 (1996)Cite this article

Abstract

IODIDE (I-) is an essential constituent of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4, and is accumulated by the thyroid. The transport of iodide, the first step in thyroid hormogenesis, is catalysed by the Na+/I- symporter, an intrinsic membrane protein that is crucial for the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders. Although several other important thyroid proteins involved in hormogenesis have been characterized, the Na+/I- symporter has not. Here we report the isolation of a complementary DNA clone that encodes this symporter, as a result of functional screening of a cDNA library from a rat thyroid-derived cell line (FRTL-5) in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Oocyte microinjection of an RNA transcript made in vitro from this cDNA clone elicited a more than 700-fold increase in perchlorate-sensitive Na+/I- symport activity over background. To our knowledge, this is the first iodide-transporting molecule to have its cDNA cloned, providing a missing link in the thyroid hormone biosynthetic pathway.

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Author notes

  1. Nancy Carrasco: To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albeit Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, New York, 10461, USA

    Ge Dai, Orlie Levy & Nancy Carrasco

Authors
  1. Ge Dai
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  2. Orlie Levy
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  3. Nancy Carrasco
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Dai, G., Levy, O. & Carrasco, N. Cloning and characterization of the thyroid iodide transporter. Nature 379, 458–460 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/379458a0

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