Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Cloning and characterization of the thyroid iodide transporter

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.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Werner, S. C. & Ingbar, S. in The Thyroid: A Fundamental and Clinical Text (eds Braverman, L. E. & Utiger, R. D.) 1–1362 (Lippincott, Philadelphia, 1991).

    Google Scholar 

  2. DeGroot, L. J. in Endocrinology (ed. DeGroot, L. J.) 507–914 (Grune & Stratton, Orlando, FL, 1995).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Carrasco, N. Biochim. biophys. Acta. 1154, 65–82 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Weiss, S. J., Philp, N. J. & Grollman, E. F. Endocrinology 114, 1090–1098 (1984).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Kozak, M. J. biol. Chem. 266, 19867–19870 (1991).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Kyte, J. & Doolittle, R. F. J. molec. Biol. 157, 105–132 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Garnier, J., Osguthorpe, D. J. & Robson, B. J. molec. Biol. 120, 97–120 (1978).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Chou, P. Y. & Fasman, G. D. Biochemistry 13, 222–245 (1974).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Carrasco, N., Antes, L., Poonian, M. & Kaback, H. R. Biochemistry 25, 4486–4488 (1986).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Zhang, Y., Pines, G. & Kanner, B. I. J. biol. Chem. 269, 19573–19577 (1994).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Surratt, C. K. et al. Curr. Opin. Nephr. Hypertens. 2, 744–760 (1993).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Hediger, M. A., Coady, M. J., Ikeada, T. S. & Wright, E. M. Nature 330, 379–381 (1987).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Nikiforov, Y. & Gnepp, D. R. Cancer 75, 748–766 (1994).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Williams, E. D. Nature 371, 556 (1994).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Likhtarev, I. A. et al. Nature 375, 365 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Vulsma, T., Rammeloo, J. A., Gons, M. H. & Vijlder, J. J. M. Acta endocr. 124, 405–410 (1991).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Vilijn, F. & Carrasco, N. J. biol. Chem. 264, 11901–11903 (1989).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Kaminsky, S. M., Levy, O., Salvador, C., Dai, G. & Carrasco, N. Proc. natn. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 91, 3789–3793 (1994).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Dai, G., Levy, O., Amzel, L. M. & Carrasco, N. in Handbook of Biological Physics Vol. II Transport Processes in Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Organisms (eds Konings, W. N., Kaback, H. R. & Lol Kema, J. S.) (Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1996 (in the press)).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

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

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/379458a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing