3,5-Diiodothyronine in vivo maintains euthyroidal expression of type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase, growth hormone, and thyroid hormone receptor beta1 in the killifish

Until recently, 3,5-diiodothyronine (3,5-T2) has been considered an inactive by-product of triiodothyronine (T3) deiodination. However, studies from several laboratories have shown that 3,5-T2has specific, nongenomic effects on mitochondrial oxidative capacity and respiration rate that are distinct from those due to T3. Nevertheless, little is known about the putative genomic effects of 3,5-T2. We have previously shown that hyperthyroidism induced by supraphysiological doses of 3,5-T2inhibits hepatic iodothyronine deiodinase type 2 (D2) activity and lowers mRNA levels in the killifish in the same manner as T3and T4, suggesting a pretranslational effect of 3,5-T2(Garcia-G C, Jeziorski MC, Valverde-R C, Orozco A. Gen Comp Endocrinol 135: 201–209, 2004). The question remains as to whether 3,5-T2would have effects under conditions similar to those that are physiological for T3. To this end, intact killifish were rendered hypothyroid by administering methimazole. Groups of hypothyroid animals simultaneously received 30 nM of either T3, reverse T3, or 3,5-T2. Under these conditions, we expected that, if it were bioactive, 3,5-T2would mimic T3and thus reverse the compensatory upregulation of D2 and tyroid receptor β1 and downregulation of growth hormone that characterize hypothyroidism. Our results demonstrate that 3,5-T2is indeed bioactive, reversing both hepatic D2 and growth hormone responses during a hypothyroidal state. Furthermore, we observed that 3,5-T2and T3recruit two distinct populations of transcription factors to typical palindromic and DR4 thyroid hormone response elements. Taken together, these results add further evidence to support the notion that 3,5-T2is a bioactive iodothyronine.