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Thyroid Hormone Biosynthesis and Physiology

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Thyroid Disease and Reproduction

Abstract

Thyroid hormones are key regulators of development, growth, and metabolism. Growth and function of thyroid cells are controlled by positive and negative feedback mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis. Appropriate thyroid hormone synthesis requires a normally developed thyroid gland, an intact hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, adequate iodine intake, and a series of regulated biochemical reactions within thyroid follicular cells. Circulating thyroid hormones are primarily bound to plasma proteins, and only a small portion is present as free hormone. Thyroid hormones enter the cell nucleus and act predominantly by altering genomic activity via nuclear receptors, but they can also exert non-genomic activity through interactions with mitochondrial and plasma membrane proteins.

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Acknowledgment

Malini Soundarrajan is supported by a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award T32 DK007169 from NIH/NIDDK.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Molecular Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

    Malini Soundarrajan & Peter A. Kopp

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  1. Malini Soundarrajan
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  2. Peter A. Kopp
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Correspondence to Peter A. Kopp .

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  1. Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Jennifer L. Eaton

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Soundarrajan, M., Kopp, P.A. (2019). Thyroid Hormone Biosynthesis and Physiology. In: Eaton, J. (eds) Thyroid Disease and Reproduction. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99079-8_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99079-8_1

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