Zebrafish – An emerging model to explore thyroid hormone transporters and psychomotor retardation

David Zada, Einat Blitz, Lior Appelbaum

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Thyroid hormones (THs) regulate a variety of fundamental physiological processes, including the development and maintenance of the brain. For decades, it was thought that THs enter the cells by passive diffusion. However, it is now clear that TH transport across the cell membrane requires specific transporter proteins that facilitate the uptake and efflux of THs. Several thyroid hormone transmembrane transporters (THTTs) have been identified, including monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8), MCT10, and organic anion transporting polypeptide 1C1 (OATP1C1). The critical role of THTTs in regulating metabolism and brain function is demonstrated in the Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome (AHDS), an X-linked psychomotor retardation associated with mutations in the MCT8/SLC16A2 gene. In addition to traditional research on humans, cell-lines, and rodents, the zebrafish has recently emerged as an attractive model to study THTTs and neuroendocrinological-related disorders. In this review, we describe the unique contribution of zebrafish studies to the understanding of the functional role of THTTs in live animals, and how this transparent vertebrate model can be used for translational studies on TH-related disorders.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)53-58
Number of pages6
JournalMolecular and Cellular Endocrinology
Volume459
DOIs
StatePublished - 25 Dec 2017

Keywords

  • MCT8
  • Mental retardation
  • OATP1C1
  • Thyroid hormone analogues
  • Thyroid transporters
  • Zebrafish

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Endocrinology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

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