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Developmental Iodine Deficiency and Hypothyroidism Reduce Phosphorylation of Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Kinase II in the Rat Entorhinal Cortex

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Abstract

Iodine is essential for the synthesis of triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). Iodine deficiency leads to inadequate thyroid hormone. Hypothyroidism induced by iodine deficiency during gestation and postnatal period leads to cognitive deficits in learning and memory. However, the mechanism underlying these deficits is unclear. Calcium-dependent calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII) known as a potential memory molecule regulates important neuronal functions including learning and memory. Recent studies have shown that hypothyroidism alters phosphorylation of CaMKII in hippocampus or even in sympathetic ganglia of rats. Though the entorhinal cortex (EC) is an important functional structure within the neuronal network responsible for learning and memory, little is known about the effect of hypothyroidism on phosphorylation of CaMKII in the EC. Here, we report that iodine deficiency and propylthiouracil treatment through gestation and lactation reduce phosphorylation of CaMKII in the EC of pups. The increase of calcineurin, as well as reduction of neurogranin and calmodulin, may account for the reduced phosphorylation of CaMKII induced by developmental iodine deficiency and hypothyroidism. These findings in the EC may contribute to understanding the mechanisms that underlie impairment of learning and memory induced by developmental iodine deficiency and hypothyroidism.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 30500400 and 30800896] and also supported by Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province, China for PhD holders [grant number 20081053]. We thank Prof. Hong Lai from the Department of Anatomy College of Basic Medical Sciences at China Medical University for her excellent technical assistance with the experiments of rat brain anatomy.

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  1. Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, China Medical University, 92 North 2nd Road, Shenyang, 110001, People’s Republic of China

    Yi Wang, Yi Hou, Jing Dong, Hongde Xu, Jian Gong & Jie Chen

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  1. Yi Wang
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Correspondence to Jie Chen.

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Wang, Y., Hou, Y., Dong, J. et al. Developmental Iodine Deficiency and Hypothyroidism Reduce Phosphorylation of Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Kinase II in the Rat Entorhinal Cortex. Biol Trace Elem Res 137, 353–363 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-009-8591-7

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