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Molecular and Cellular Biology, July 2001, p. 4748-4760, Vol. 21, No. 14
0270-7306/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/MCB.21.14.4748-4760.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Genetic Analysis Reveals Different Functions for
the Products of the Thyroid Hormone Receptor
Locus
Karine
Gauthier,1
Michelina
Plateroti,1
Clare B.
Harvey,2
Graham R.
Williams,2
Roy E.
Weiss,3
Samuel
Refetoff,3,4
James F.
Willott,5
Victoria
Sundin,6
Jean-Paul
Roux,7
Luc
Malaval,7
Masahiro
Hara,1
Jacques
Samarut,1,* and
Olivier
Chassande1
Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire de
l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, UMR 5665 CNRS, LA 913 INRA,
69364 Lyon cedex 07,1 and INSERM U369,
Faculté de médecine, RTH Laennec,
Lyon,7 France; ICSM Molecular
Endocrinology Group, Division of Medicine and MRC Clinical Sciences
Centre, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital,
London, United Kingdom2; Departments
of Medicine3 and
Pediatrics,4 University of Chicago,
Chicago, Illinois 60637; Department of Psychology,
University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
336205; and Department of
Psychology, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, Illinois
601156
Received 27 November 2000/Returned for modification 13 February
2001/Accepted 15 April 2001
 |
ABSTRACT |
Thyroid hormone receptors are encoded by the TR
(NR1A1) and TR
(NR1A2) loci. These genes are transcribed
into multiple variants whose functions are unclear. Analysis by gene
inactivation in mice has provided new insights into the functional
complexity of these products. Different strategies designed to modify
the TR
locus have led to strikingly different
phenotypes. In order to analyze the molecular basis for these
alterations, we generated mice devoid of all known isoforms produced
from the TR
locus (TR
0/0). These mice are
viable and exhibit reduced linear growth, bone maturation delay,
moderate hypothermia, and reduced thickness of the intestinal mucosa.
Compounding TR
0 and TR
mutations
produces viable TR
0/0
/
mice, which
display a more severe linear growth reduction and a more profound
hypothermia as well as impaired hearing. A striking phenotypic
difference is observed between TR
0/0 and the previously
described TR
/
mice, which retain truncated TR
isoforms arising from a newly described promoter in intron 7. The
lethality and severe impairment of the intestinal maturation in
TR
/
mice are rescued in TR
0/0
animals. We demonstrate that the TR
protein isoforms, which are
natural products of the TR
locus, are the key
determinants of these phenotypical differences. These data reveal the
functional importance of the non-T3-binding variants encoded by the
TR
locus in vertebrate postnatal development and homeostasis.
 |
INTRODUCTION |
Thyroid hormone receptors (TRs),
encoded by the TR
and TR
loci, mediate the
action of triiodothyronine (T3) in all vertebrates. These nuclear
proteins activate or repress the transcription of target genes by
recruiting several protein complexes which modify the structure of
chromatin (15). In mammals, T3 exerts homeostatic and
developmental functions. Thyroid hormone (TH) deprivation leads to
developmental (growth retardation, impaired neurogenesis) (8, 23,
36) or metabolic (reduced oxygen consumption, bradycardia, weakness, fatigue) disorders (13). Point mutations in the
TR
gene result in syndromes known as resistance to
thyroid hormone (30). Recently, the introduction of
mutations in the genes encoding these receptors in mice has allowed
further understanding of the mechanisms mediating the physiological
actions of T3 (17, 19). The TR
locus encodes
the TR
1 and TR
2 receptors. A new receptor, TR
3, and its
non-DNA-binding TR
3 variant have recently been described. The
latter isoforms are proposed to arise from a novel promoter located
upstream of the exons encoding the DNA binding domain
(41). Genetic invalidation of the TR
2 gene
leads to pituitary resistance to TH with elevated thyrotropin (TSH) and thyroxine (T4) levels in serum (1). Knocking out all
TR
1, TR
2, and TR
3/
3 genes
reproduces this phenotype (10, 14) but also induces the
loss of auditory function, due to delayed expression of a potassium
channel in the cochlea (11), and results in impaired
transcriptional response to T3 in liver (38). The TR
locus encodes the ubiquitous TR
1 receptor and a
splice variant, TR
2, which cannot bind T3 and behaves as a weak
inhibitor of TRs in transfection assays (21, 22). We have
previously shown that, in a limited number of tissues, the
TR
locus also encodes two transcripts, previously
characterized by Northern blotting, RNase protection, and reverse
transcription (RT)-PCR analysis in embryonic stem (ES) cells, driven by
a promoter located in intron 7, which generate TR
1 and TR
2
proteins. These proteins do not bind DNA or T3; hence, they are
inhibitors of the activities of TRs and retinoic acid receptors in
transfection assays (6). In vivo genetic modifications of
the TR
locus result in different phenotypes, according to
the precise location of the mutation. In TR
/
mice,
the expression of TR
1 and TR
2 transcripts is abolished, but the
TR
transcripts are still expressed (12). These mice suffer from hypothyroidism and display several developmental defects, including growth retardation, altered intestinal development
(28), impaired T- and B-lymphocyte maturation
(3), expansion of cartilage regions in long bones, and
finally growth arrest and death shortly after weaning
(12). Mice which lack the TR
1 and TR
1 products (TR
1
/
) have been reported to exhibit mild
hypothyroxinemia, bradycardia, and lower body temperature, but they
display normal growth and life span (39). The lethal
phenotype of TR
/
mice compared to the viability of
TR
1
/
mice might be attributed to the deeper
hypothyroxinemia of the former. The involvement of TH as the cause of
this phenotypic discrepancy can be ruled out. Indeed, although
TR
/

/
and
TR
1
/

/
mice both lack the known
TRs and have very high serum levels of TH,
TR
/

/
mice die upon weaning
(14), whereas TR
1
/

/
mice are viable (16). Hence, the phenotypic differences
must be ascribed to structural differences between the TR
mutant alleles. They could be attributed either to the TR
2 isoform,
which is expressed in TR
1
/
but not in
TR
/
mice, or to the balance between the TR
and
TR
isoforms. In an attempt to determine the role of the
non-T3-binding products, we have generated a new mouse strain harboring
a targeted deletion designed to prevent the expression of all
transcripts from the TR
locus. In this paper we describe
the phenotype of these TR
0/0 mutant mice and point out
similarities and striking differences with previously described
TR
1
/
and TR
/
mice. This
comparative analysis brings a new piece in the genetic analysis of the
complex TR
locus and sheds new light on the respective functions of the TR
products in body growth, bone
maturation, thermogenesis, audition, and intestinal maturation.
 |
MATERIALS AND METHODS |
Targeted disruption of TR
gene.
The
TR
0-targeting vector was constructed using pGNA
as
starting plasmid (gift from P. Brulet, Institut Pasteur, Paris,
France). The 3' arm homologous to TR
was amplified by PCR
from ENS ES cell DNA (14), using the Expand High Fi system
(Roche). The 5' arm was cloned from a
EMBL4 library (gift from J. P
Magaud). The thymidine kinase gene was inserted downstream of the 3' arm.
ENS ES cells were electroporated with 40 µg of linearized targeting
vector and then selected with 250 µg of G418 (Gibco-BRL) per ml and
0.2 µM ganciclovir. Targeted clones were confirmed by Southern blot
analysis using PvuII enzyme and a 900-bp PCR fragment
extending from the 3' end of exon 3 to the 5' end of exon 4 of
TR
as a probe. Two positive clones were injected into blastocysts of C57BL/6 recipient mice. TR
0/+ animals
were derived in an inbred 129sv background. TR
0/0 mice
were obtained by intercrossing heterozygous animals. Mouse breeding and
handling were carried out in a certified animal facility, according to
procedures approved by the local animal care and use committee.
Purification of RNA, Northern blotting RNase protection assay,
and RT-PCR analysis.
Total RNA from distal small intestine or
pituitary was isolated by the improved acid-guanidine-phenol-chloroform
method. For Northern blot analysis, single-stranded DNA probes were
generated by a 30-cycle reaction using Taq DNA polymerase
from Eurobio using 10 ng of TR
(exon 8), growth hormone (GH), or
hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) PCR fragments as a
template, and 20 ng of a specific antisense primer: oligonucleotides
15A (CAGCCTGCAGCAGAGCCACTTCCG), GHa (GTCAAACTTGTCATAGGTTTG), and HPRTa
(CACAGGACTAGAACACCTGC) were used as primers to generate the
TR
, GH, and HPRT probes, respectively.
RNase protection was performed using reagents from Ambion (Austin,
Tex.) according to the manufacturer's instructions. HPRT
and TR

cDNA fragments were generated by RT-PCR and inserted into
a pGEMt easy
vector (Promega). Oligonucleotides HPRTs (GCTGGTGAAAAGGACCTCT)
and HPRTa (see above) were used to generate the HPRT fragment,
and TR

Cs (CTCTGTGATCCTGCTGTTCCACAG) and TR

1a
(CGACTTTCATGTGGAGGAAG)
were used to generate the TR
cDNA.
RT was performed as described in reference
12. cDNA (0.05 µg) was used for each PCR with Eurobio
Taq. To allow the
detection
of
TR
gene products (TR

1, TR

2, TR


1,
and TR


2) by RT-PCR,
we used a sense primer within exon 8 (

2',
CTGCCTTGCGAAGACCAGATC)
and an antisense primer within exon 9 (

3, GCGGTGGTTGACGTAGTGCTC).
All the oligonucleotides were
purchased from MWG (Ebersberg,
Germany).
Morphological analysis of long bones and growth plate
cartilage.
Skin and muscle were dissected from forelimbs and
hindlimbs of 3-week-old wild-type and TR
0/0 null mice.
For anatomical analysis of long bones, one upper and one lower limb
from each animal were fixed in 80% ethanol for 1 to 4 days and
transferred to 95% ethanol for a further 1 to 8 days, followed by
acetone for 1 to 2 days at 4°C. Fixed limbs were stained with
alizarin red and alcian blue 8GX (0.3% alcian blue in 70% ethanol [1
ml]-0.1% alizarin red in 95% ethanol [1 ml]-glacial acetic acid
[1 ml]-70% ethanol [17 ml]) for 2 days at 37°C and transferred
sequentially for 2- to 4-day periods through solutions of 1% KOH, 1%
KOH-20% glycerol, 1% KOH-40% glycerol, 1% KOH-60% glycerol, and
1% KOH-80% glycerol at 4°C until, finally, destained limbs were
stored in 100% glycerol at 4°C prior to analysis and photography
under a dissecting microscope. In these preparations, mineralized bone
is stained by alizarin red and cartilage is stained by alcian blue 8GX.
For mineralization analysis, tibias were dissected out, fixed in 70%
alcohol, embedded in paraffin, and cut (7 µm), and undecalcified
sections were stained according to the standard protocol
(26). For histological analyses, the paired limbs were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for 4 to 6 days and
subsequently decalcified for 2 days in 10% formic acid-10% neutral
buffered formalin at 20°C. Limbs were embedded in paraffin and 3-µm
sections were cut, deparaffinized in xylene, and rehydrated. Sections
were stained with hematoxylin and eosin or alcian blue 8GX and van Gieson to visualize cartilage matrix mucopolysaccharides in blue and
collagen-containing bone osteoid in red, according to standard histological protocols.
Body temperature.
The system we used, ELAMS (Electronic
Laboratory Animal Monitoring System by BioMedic Data Systems, Inc.,
Seaford, Del.), consisted of implantable programmable temperature
transponders (IPTT-100) and a portable data scanner (DAS-5007). The
transponders were implanted subcutaneously in the backs of three 8- to
12-week-old males from each genotype. Animals were maintained under
anesthesia with midazolam. All animals were kept in a
climate-controlled room with 12-h alternating light and dark cycles.
Temperature measurements were initiated 3 days after the implantation
and were recorded in duplicate at 10 a.m., while the animals were moving freely in their cage with the lid removed, and the scanner was
placed within 5 cm of the transponder. Body temperature monitoring continued for up to 7 days.
Temperature was measured rectally at the same time in
TR
0/0
/
by means of a digital
recording with a thermistor system. Values
were not significantly
different from those recorded by the transponder
(data not
shown).
Growth measurements.
Male mice anesthetized with
methoxyflurane were weighed and measured (nose to tail base) weekly
from 2 to 9 weeks of age. Mice were housed five per cage, and food and
water were provided ad libitum. The numbers of mice used from each
genotype were as follows: wild type, 19 to 29; TR
/
,
6 to 17; and TR
0/0, 10 to 22.
Hormone measurements.
Serum T4 and TSH were measured by
radioimmunoassays as previously described (29).
Hearing tests.
The auditory brainstem response (ABR) was
used to assess the auditory sensitivity by a procedure that has been
described in detail elsewhere (35). Tucker-Davis
Technologies (Gainesville, Fla.) hardware and software (AeP and Siggen
packages) were employed. Briefly, mice were anesthetized with sodium
pentobarbital (Nembutal, 1.2 µl per g of body weight
intraperitoneally [i.p.]) and chlorprothixene (Taractan, 0.5 µl/g
i.p.) and kept warm with a heating pad. The average response (waveform)
per 100 presentations of tone bursts (1 ms rise and fall; 3 ms
duration; rate, 21 Hz; frequencies of 4, 8, 12, 16, and 24 kHz) was
recorded using a subdermal needle electrode placed in the scalp. Each
tone frequency was presented in descending intensity steps beginning at
80-dB sound pressure level and ending when a visually discernible ABR
waveform could no longer be detected. Thresholds were then determined
to within 5 dB for each frequency (35). The numbers of
mice (60 to 90 days old) tested from each genotype were as follows:
wild type, 7; TR
/
, 9; TR
0/0, 7; and
combined TR
/
TR
0/0, 4.
Morphological staining and immunohistochemistry.
Three-week-old mice were killed by cervical dislocation and the small
intestines were immediately removed. Proximal jejunums and distal ilea
were collected separately and fixed in Carson's solution overnight at
4°C. They were then embedded in paraffin and 5-µm sections were
applied on polylysine-coated slides. For morphological observations,
after dewaxing and rehydration, the slides were stained with
hematoxylin and eosin.
Immunochemistry experiments were performed with a monoclonal antibody
(Novocastra Laboratories) for Ki-67 detection. Polyclonal
antibody
PAI-211 (Affinity Bioreagents, Inc.) for TR

1 and TR


1
protein
localization and another recognizing the N-terminal part
of both TR

1
and TR

2 proteins (generous gift of D. Baas [
4])
were
used in combination with secondary biotinylated antibody
and
streptavidin-peroxidase detection system (Histomouse; Zymed).
The
tissue was counterstained lightly with hematoxylin. Before
incubation
with the primary antibody, the slides were immersed
in 0.01 M citrate
buffer, pH 6, and microwaved for 15
min.
Cells, plasmids, transfections, and Western blotting.
HeLa
cells were maintained in Dulbecco modified Eagle medium supplemented
with 10% fetal calf serum. The plasmids containing the cDNAs of human
TR
1 (pSG5hTR
1), rat TR
1 (pSG5rTR
1), mouse TR
1
(pSG5mTR
1), FlagTR
1 (CMV-FmTR
1), and mouse TR
2
(pSG5mTR
2) have been described previously (6). HeLa
cells were transfected using a calcium phosphate procedure as
previously described (7) and harvested after 48 h.
Lactacystin was a gift from Satoshi Omura (Tokyo, Japan). Western
blotting was performed as previously described (6). We
used the no. 21 polyclonal antibody (gift of J. Ghysdael) as described
in reference 5 to detect TR
1 and TR
1 proteins and
the M2 anti-Flag antibody (IBI) to detect the Flag-TR
1 protein.
 |
RESULTS |
The TR
0/0 mutation abolishes the production of all
products from the TR
locus.
To generate mice deprived of any
TR
gene product (TR
1 and TR
2 and their truncated
counterparts TR
1 and TR
2), a lacZ neor cassette (12) was introduced by
homologous recombination between exon 4 and exon 8 of the
TR
gene (Fig. 1A) to generate the
TR
0 allele (Fig.
1B). This removed the DNA binding region
of TR
1 and TR
2, preventing the production of a chimeric protein
that could act in a dominant-negative manner upon TR
. It also
removed the internal promoter in intron 7 which has been shown to drive the transcription of TR
1 and TR
2 (6). The
TR
0 mutated allele was introduced into ES
cells by homologous recombination. The structure of the modified allele
was checked by Southern blotting (Fig. 1C). Two independent positive
clones were injected into host blastocysts. Heterozygous mice were
derived from an inbred 129Sv genetic background. They were then
intercrossed to obtain TR
0/0 mice.

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FIG. 1.
Targeted disruption of the TR gene by
homologous recombination. (A) Structure of the TR gene
and of the various isoforms encoded by this gene. The two transcription
start sites are indicated by upper arrows. The differential splice site
in exon 9 is indicated by a vertical bar. Exons are numbered starting
downstream to the distal promoter. Grey, coding regions. The structure
of the transcripts is shown. (B) The targeted
TR 0 allele contains a deletion extending from
the middle part of intron 4 to the beginning of exon 8. The probe used
for Southern blot analysis and the size of the fragment detected after
digestion with PvuII are indicated. (C) Detection of
wild-type (+/+), heterozygous (0/+), and homozygous (0/0) littermates
by Southern blot analysis.
|
|
We checked for the expression of TR

transcripts in wild-type,
TR
0/0, and previously described TR

/
mice (
12). This analysis was performed on intestine RNA
where
the four TR

isoforms have been shown to be expressed. Northern
blot analysis (Fig.
2A) showed that all
four transcripts could
be identified in the distal ileum of wild-type
mice. In TR

/
mice, TR

1 and TR

2 RNAs were
undetectable, whereas the TR


1
and TR


2 transcripts were
still detected. In TR
0/0 mice, neither TR

nor
TR


transcripts were detected. In agreement
with these data,
RT-PCR did not allow the detection of transcripts
containing exons 8 and 9 in the intestines of TR
0/0 mice (Fig.
2B). RNase
protection analysis (Fig.
2C) revealed
that the TR

1 and TR

2
isoforms, which are highly expressed in
wild-type samples, are almost
undetectable in TR

/
and TR
0/0
samples. Occasionally, the 448- and 386-nucleotide fragments
were
detected in the mutant mice, corresponding to transcription
reading
through the stop sites within the
lacZ neor
cassette. It is noteworthy that RNase protection showed that
wild-type
ileum contained similar amounts of TR

1 and TR

2 transcripts.
Underrepresentation of the large TR

1 transcript in Northern blot
experiments may have been caused by poor transfer onto nylon membranes.
Two protected fragments, whose sizes correspond to the TR


1 and
TR


2 isoforms, were detected in wild-type and
TR

/
but not in TR
0/0 samples. It is
thus concluded that in the distal ileum of wild-type
mice, four TR

isoforms are expressed, including TR


1 and TR


2,
which are
expressed at much lower levels than TR

1 and TR

2. The
TR
0 mutation completely abolishes the
transcription from the
TR
locus, in contrast with the
TR
mutation which still allows the
production of TR


transcripts, as previously described (Fig.
2D).

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FIG. 2.
Expression of the different transcripts encoded by the
TR locus in the distal ilea of the different mutants. (A)
A Northern blot assay was performed using 20 µg of total RNA isolated
from the distal ilea of animals carrying the indicated genotypes. The
radiolabeled probe hybridized to both TR and TR transcripts. A
glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase or a hypoxanthine
phosphorybosyl transferase probe was used as an internal control. (B)
Representative semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis of mRNAs encoded by the
TR locus in wild-type (WT), TR / , and
TR 0/0 mice. The primers used allowed the amplification
of both TR and TR transcripts. HPRT was used as an internal
control. (C) RNase protection assay. Twenty micrograms of total distal
ileum RNA from either wild-type, TR 0/0, or
TR / mice was mixed with 75 fmol of HPRT and 75 fmol
of TR RNA probes. The sizes of the protected TR fragments and the
positions of the TR transcript isoforms are indicated. (D) Summary
of the TR and TR mRNA expression in the distal ileum of each
genotype.
|
|
TR
0/0 and TR
0/0
/
mice display normal embryonic development and are viable.
It has
previously been shown that TR
/
and
TR
/

/
mice were born in Mendelian
proportions but died after weaning (12, 14). Lethality was
found in 129SV, BALB/c, and C57BL/6 genetic backgrounds after eight
backcrosses. When TR
0/+ mice were intercrossed, among
346 born pups, 98 (28.3%), 170 (49%), and 78 (22.5%) were,
respectively, wild-type, heterozygous, and homozygous mutant progenies.
Unlike the TR
/
mice, all TR
0/0 mice
survived over the weaning period and the mortality in the adult
population was not different from that observed in the wild type. Male
and female TR
0/0 mice were fertile. Viability and
fertility were observed in C57BL/6 and 129SV backgrounds.
TR
0/0 mice were crossed with TR
/
mice
to obtain TR
0/+
/
progenies. These
mice were then intercrossed and their progenies contained
TR
0/0
/+ and
TR
0/+
/
animals that were all viable.
Because of the low fertility displayed by
TR
0/+
/
animals, only
TR
0/0
/+ mice were used to further
generate double-homozygous TR mutants (TR
0/0
/
). The proportion of
TR
0/0
/
progenies was 19.5%. This
slight deviation from Mendelian ratios may reflect marginal embryonic
lethality or occasional improper maternal care for
TR
0/0
/
newborn mice. However, this
result indicates that TRs are not absolutely required for embryonic
viability. TR
0/0
/
mice survived
beyond weaning time and were viable for at least six months. Only
occasionally were progenies obtained from
TR
0/0
/
intercrossings or from
TR
0/0
/
males or females mated with
wild-type partners, suggesting that these animals have a very low fertility.
Deregulation of the pituitary-thyroid axis in
TR
0/0
/
mice.
The serum levels of
T3 and T4 are strictly controlled by the direct hormonal feedback on
TSH-releasing hormone (TRH) and TSH secretion, in the hypothalamus and
the pituitary, respectively (20, 24, 29). We and others
have previously demonstrated that TR
plays a key role in this
feedback loop since TR
/
mice display high T3, T4,
and TSH levels (11, 14, 1). The role of TR
in this
regulation has not been clearly established. TR
1
/
mice demonstrated only a slight decrease of T4 and TSH concentrations in males (39), whereas TR
/
mice
presented a progressive but severe reduction of circulating T4 and T3
between the third and the fourth week after birth (12). In
TR
0/0 adult males, basal concentration of T4, but not T3
or TSH, is slightly but significantly reduced compared to wild-type
mice. Furthermore, TSH and T4 suppression by increasing doses of T3 is
more profound in TR
0/0 than in wild-type mice
(25). In adult TR
0/0
/
mice, the concentrations of serum T4, T3, and TSH were increased 14-fold, 13-fold, and more than 200-fold respectively, compared to
those of wild-type mice. These levels are comparable with those previously reported for TR
1
/

/
animals (11-, 30-, and 60- to 160-fold, respectively) (16) or 3-week-old TR
/

/
mice (7-, 20-, and more than 100-fold, respectively) (14).
Reduced growth rate and delayed bone maturation in
TR
0/0 and TR
0/0
/
mice.
The growth of TR
0/0 males and their wild-type
littermates was monitored over a two-month period. TR
0/0
mice showed a reduced increase of body weight compared to wild-type animals, at all ages analyzed, in both 129Sv (not shown) and C57BL/6 genetic backgrounds (Fig. 3A). The time
course of linear growth displayed similar differences (Fig. 3B),
showing that alteration of body growth fully accounts for the weight
differences and that the TR
0 mutation does
not result in an abnormal weight-to-length ratio. TR
/
mice displayed no difference in weight or length
growth compared to that of the wild type (Fig. 3A and B)

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FIG. 3.
Comparison of growth in wild-type and TR - and
TR -deficient mice. Weight (A) and length (B) were measured weekly
from 2 to 9 weeks and plotted as means ± standard deviations. The
numbers of animals are given in Materials and Methods. *,
P < 0.01 for wild-type and TR 0/0 mice.
(C) Body weights of wild-type, TR 0/0, and
TR 0/0 / mice (in grams). (D) Northern
blot analysis of pituitary GH mRNA from wild-type,
TR 0/0, and TR 0/0 /
mice. One to two micrograms of total RNA from individual pituitaries
was loaded. Single-stranded DNA probes for HPRT and GH were used.
|
|
The growth of TR
0/0
/
mice was further
reduced compared to the TR
0/0 mutants, though no
difference could be observed at birth. Weight
reductions of 50 and 30%
were observed in mice at weaning time
and in adult mice, respectively,
compared to wild-type mice (Fig.
3C).
The synthesis of GH has been shown to be regulated by TH and to be
decreased in TR

1
/

/
mice
(
16), which display marked growth retardation. We compared
the expressions of the GH mRNA in the pituitary glands of wild-type,
TR
0/0, and TR
0/0
/
mice. As shown in Fig.
3D, the amount of GH RNA was not altered
in
TR
0/0 mice but was markedly reduced in double-knockout
animals. These
data suggest that the reduced growth observed in
TR
0/0 mice may not be due to a reduced production of
GH.
Since linear growth was affected in TR
0/0 mice, we
studied endochondral ossification in their long bones. For this
purpose,
anatomical and histological analyses were performed. In
3-week-old
TR
0/0 animals at weaning, the ends of
metatarsals and phalanges of
the foot, the condyles and growth plate of
the femur, and the
growth plates of the tibia and fibula stained
positively for cartilage
with alcian blue (Fig.
4A). In wild-type mice, alcian blue
staining
was markedly diminished and replaced by alizarin red staining
in these areas, indicating that bone formation and mineralization
were
more advanced than in TR
0/0 animals. Furthermore,
ossification of the patella was delayed
in TR
0/0 mice
relative to that in wild-type mice (Fig.
4A). Similar evidence
of
delayed bone formation and mineralization was seen in the upper
limbs
of 3-week-old TR
0/0 mice (data not shown). Goldner
staining of undecalcified longitudinal
sections of tibias revealed that
the ossification of the epiphyses
was delayed in TR
0/0
mice, and the density of trabecular bone in the metaphyses was
markedly
lower than in control mice (Fig.
4B). Histological analyses
demonstrated that tibial growth plates from TR
0/0 mice
were grossly disorganized compared to those of wild-type
animals (Fig.
4B, C, and D), and similar findings were observed
in other growth
plates throughout the upper and lower limbs of
TR
0/0
mice (data not shown). In particular, proliferating growth plate
chondrocytes failed to form discrete columns and the hypertrophic
zone
was markedly diminished and morphologically indistinct in
TR
0/0 mice compared to wild-type mice, suggesting that
hypertrophic
chondrocyte differentiation failed to progress normally in
TR
0/0 mice. Furthermore, the degree of alcian blue
staining of the
growth plate cartilage matrix in TR
0/0
mice was diminished and patchy compared to that in wild-type
animals,
supporting the view that epiphyseal growth plate architecture
is
disorganized and endochondral ossification is disrupted in
TR
0/0 mice (Fig.
4C and D). In
TR
0/0
/
mice, a similar phenotype
was observed (data not shown). These
alterations were similar to those
described previously for TR

/
and
TR

/

/
mice (
12,
14)
and are reminiscent of abnormalities in epiphyseal
growth plates of
hypothyroid rats (
34).

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FIG. 4.
Morphological appearance of lower limbs and tibial
growth plates in 3-week-old wild-type (wt) and TR gene knockout
( 0/0) animals. (A) Lower-limb skeletal mounts stained
with alizarin red and alcian blue 8GX showing feet (left) and knee
joint including lower femur and upper tibia with fibula (right);
magnification, ×8. Red staining shows mineralized bone and blue shows
cartilage growth plates; the patella is shown to the right of each knee
joint and is stained red in the wt, indicating that mineralization is
complete, but blue in TR 0/0, demonstrating the
persistence of cartilage. (B) Longitudinal medial bone sections stained
with modified Goldner of TR +/+ (wt) and
TR 0/0 mice. Mineralized matrix is stained in green. E,
epiphysis; D, diaphysis; horizontal arrows, growth plate. (C and D)
alcian blue 8GX and van Gieson staining of proximal tibial growth
plates from wt and TR 0/0 mice; a section through the
whole growth plate (magnification, ×200) is shown in panel C and a
section containing the distal half of the growth plate (magnification,
×400) is shown in panel D. Black arrows, resorption front which
separates the growth plate from underlying primary spongiosum; e,
epiphysis; ps, primary spongiosum; rz, reserve zone chondrocytes; pz,
proliferative zone; hz, hypertrophic zone.
|
|
TR
0/0
/
mice display severe
hypothermia.
TH plays a crucial role in the control of
thermogenesis, and hypothyroidism results in decreased oxygen
consumption and heat production (13). We examined the
temperatures of adult wild-type and mutant mice, using both a rectal
probe and a temperature-sensitive probe implanted under the skin. The
two techniques provided similar data. The mean body temperature of
TR
/
mice was similar to that of wild-type mice, but
it was 0.4°C lower in TR
0/0 mice (Fig.
5). Interestingly, the mean body
temperature of TR
0/0
/
animals was
dramatically decreased (
4°C) relative to that of the wild type
(Fig. 5). These data suggest functional redundancy between the TR
and the TR
loci in the control of basal body temperature.

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FIG. 5.
Body temperature was measured at 10 a.m. with
implantable transponders for 7 days in at least 3 male mice aged 8 to
12 weeks for each of the wild-type (WT) TR / ,
TR 0/0, and TR 0/0 /
genotypes. Each bar represents a mean value (± standard deviation).
Body temperatures of TR 0/0 and
TR 0/0 / animals were statistically
different from those of wild-type control animals (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively, by the Student
t test).
|
|
Decrease of auditory sensitivity in TR
0/0 mice and
deafness in TR
0/0
/
mice.
Several
authors have described deafness in mice lacking both TR
1 and TR
2,
but not in mice lacking TR
2 only or TR
1 (1, 11),
suggesting that TR
1 is the only mediator of this T3-dependent function. However, the role of TR
2 and the effect of the double knockout on the integrity of hearing have not been documented. We
therefore measured the ABR threshold in TR
0/0 and
TR
0/0
/
mice. Whereas at low or middle
frequencies TR
0/0 mice had a normal hearing threshold,
they exhibited a marked loss of sensitivity at high tone frequencies
(Fig. 6). In
TR
0/0
/
mice, the loss of hearing
threshold was significantly more severe than that observed in
TR
/
animals. These data suggest that, although the
TR
1 receptor is the major mediator of T3 action, in addition the
integrity of the TR
gene is required to achieve full
function of the auditory apparatus.

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FIG. 6.
ABR threshold in wild-type and TR gene knockout mice.
The average response per 100 presentations of tone bursts (1 ms rise
and fall; 3 ms duration; rate, 21 Hz; frequencies of 4, 8, 12, 16, and
24 kHz) were recorded. The numbers of animals are given in Materials
and Methods. At all frequencies the difference between wild-type and
TR / and TR 0/0 /
mice was P < 0.001. Solid lines, P values
for differences between TR / and
TR 0/0 / ; dashed line, P
values for differences between the wild type and
TR 0/0.
|
|
The intestinal phenotype is mildly altered in TR
0/0
mice compared to that of TR
/
mice.
In mammals,
the small intestine is lined by a continuously renewable population of
epithelial cells. The pluripotent crypt stem cells give rise to
immature cells that migrate and differentiate in the villus compartment
and die after exfoliation at the villus tip. It was previously
demonstrated that TR
/
mice displayed a strong
impairment of postnatal intestinal development (14, 28).
It is noteworthy that the intestine is one of the few organs where the
TR
and the TR
isoforms are coexpressed. In order to
differentiate functions of the TR
1/
2 and TR
1/
2 isoforms in the intestine epithelium, we carried out a comparative investigation of morphofunctional parameters in TR
0/0,
TR
/
, and wild-type mice.
The size of the small intestine mucosa was reduced in
TR
0/0 mutants compared to that of wild-type animals.
This was mainly due
to the reduced lengths of the villi, resulting from
a decreased
number of epithelial cells per crypt-villus axis (Fig.
7A
and
B). These features were more strongly
affected in the TR

/
mice (Fig.
7C). The
proliferation and differentiation parameters
of the epithelial cells
also indicated a stronger impairment in
TR

/
than in
TR
0/0 mice (
27a). In contrast to the
TR

/
mutant animals that displayed a thinning of the
smooth muscular
layers (
12,
28), TR
0/0
mutants appeared normal in this respect. Taken together, these
data
strongly suggest that the severity of the intestinal phenotype
correlates mostly with the persistence of the TR


transcripts
and
not with the absence of TR

1 and TR

2 isoforms.

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FIG. 7.
Morphological appearance of distal small intestine in
3-week-old animals. Sections (5 µm) from wild-type (A),
TR 0/0 (B), TR / (C),
TR 0/0 / (D), and
TR /  / (E) mice were stained with
hematoxylin and eosin. The numbers at the right of each picture
indicate the number of epithelial cells per crypto-villus axis.
Statistical analysis indicated that the number of the epithelial cells
in TR / , TR 0/0 / ,
and TR /  / animals was
significatively decreased compared to that in wild-type mice
(P < 0.001, P < 0.05, and P < 0.0001, respectively, by the Student t test;
n = 5). In addition, the number of epithelial cells was
also significantly decreased in
TR /  / compared to
TR / mice (P < 0.001 by the Student
t test). Bar, 30 µm.
|
|
The intestinal phenotype is more severe in
TR
/

/
than in
TR
0/0
/
mice.
It was previously
shown that combining the TR
and
TR
mutations in
TR
/

/
mice results in a more
dramatic alteration of the structure of the distal ileum than that
observed in TR
/
mice (14, 28). When we
analyzed the distal ilea of TR
0/0
/
versus those of TR
0/0 mice, no obvious morphological
difference was observed (Fig. 7B and D) and no statistically
significant difference was found in the number of epithelial cells per
crypt-villus axis. In contrast, in the ilea of
TR
/

/
mice, the number of
epithelial cells was further decreased compared with that of
TR
/
mice (Fig. 7C and E) and the morphology was
dramatically altered (Fig. 7E), in agreement with previous
observations. The number of proliferating cells in the crypts of
TR
0/0
/
mice (8 ± 1) was
decreased to the same extent as in TR
0/0 animals (7 ± 1). In contrast, this number was more reduced in TR
/

/
(2 ± 1) than in
TR
/
animals (5 ± 1). The analysis of
epithelial cell differentiation markers also demonstrated similar
features in TR
0/0 and
TR
0/0
/
animals but showed a stronger
impairment in TR
/

/
than in
TR
/
mice. In summary, the knockout of the
TR
gene does not worsen the phenotype observed in
TR
0/0 mice, but clearly enhances the alterations
observed in TR
/
mice. These data rule out functional
redundancy between TRs in the control of postnatal development of the
intestine. They suggest instead that the expression of the TR
isoforms, which is deleterious in the absence of TR
1 and TR
2, has
even more toxic effects in the absence of all TRs.
Identification of the TR
proteins in the distal ileum by
immunohistochemistry.
The intestinal epithelium is composed of
proliferating and undifferentiated cells which form the crypt
compartment and of mature cells located in the villi. In order to
analyze the presence of the TR
proteins in the intestinal mucosa
and their pattern of expression along the crypt-villus axis, we
performed immunocytochemical analysis. Since TR
proteins do not
contain any peptide sequence which would differentiate them from their
complete TR
counterpart, we had to compare the patterns in distal
ilea from wild-type, TR
/
, and TR
0/0
mice, using the following antisera: anti-C
1 raised against the common C-terminal part of TR
1 and TR
1, anti-C
2 raised
against the common C-terminal part of TR
2 and TR
2 but
different from TR
1, and anti-N
raised against the N-terminal part
common to TR
1 and TR
2. No staining was obtained with the
anti-C
2 antibody in any genotypes (data not shown), whereas the
expression of TR
2 and TR
2 mRNAs has been demonstrated by
semiquantitative RT-PCR (28), Northern blotting, and RNase
protection (this study) in wild-type mice. As this antiserum was used
successfully in immunocytochemical detection of TR
2 and TR
2
proteins in transfected cells (data not shown), the failure to detect
these proteins in the small intestine probably results from their very
low concentration in this tissue.
Using the anti-N

antiserum, we observed a nuclear labeling in muscle
layers of wild-type mice (Fig.
8A to D),
but no staining
was observed in the epithelium or mesenchyme (Fig.
8B
and C).
No positive cells were detected in TR
0/0 or
TR

/
mice (Fig.
8E to H and I to L). By
semiquantitative RT-PCR, it
was previously shown that in smooth muscle
layers only the TR

1
RNA was detected (
28).
Consequently, the signal detected with
the anti-N

antibody in this
tissue can be attributed to TR

1.
In the same experiment, the TR

1
mRNA was found in the epithelium
and connective tissues, whereas the
TR

2 mRNA was found only in
the epithelium (
28);
therefore, we assume that the corresponding
proteins are expressed in
these tissue regions but at levels undetectable
by this technique.

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FIG. 8.
Immunolocalization of TR 1/TR 2 proteins. The
pattern of expression of TR proteins of distal ileum was analyzed in
paraffin-embedded sections (5 µm) in wild-type (A to D),
TR 0/0 (E to H), and TR / (I to L)
3-week-old mice. The antibody used recognizes the N-terminal part
common to TR 1 and TR 2 (anti-N ) on wild-type sections (B to D),
TR 0/0 (F to H), and TR / (J to L).
Technical controls included the use of phosphate-buffered saline or
nonimmune serum instead of the primary antibody. (A, E, and I) Phase
contrast low magnification; bar, 30 µm; (B to D, F to H, and J to L)
bright field high magnification; bar, 70 µm. ce, crypt epithelium;
ve, villus epithelium; ct, connective tissue; cml, circular muscle
layer; lml, longitudinal muscle layer.
|
|
Using the anti-C

1 antibody, we detected a strong nuclear signal in
the differentiated epithelial cells of the villi in wild-type
mice
(Fig.
9A and B). Only a faint signal
could be detected in
the undifferentiated epithelial cells of crypts,
in the lamina
propria, and in smooth muscle cells (Fig.
9C and D).
However,
unlike the signal detected with the anti-N

reagent, this
staining
persisted in TR

/
mice (Fig.
9I to L), which
retain the expression of TR


transcripts,
and disappeared in
TR
0/0 mice (Fig.
9E to H). These observations
demonstrate that the
protein labeled by the anti-C

1 reagent is
TR


1. They also suggest
that, unlike the anti-N

antibody, the
anti-C

1 antibody is unable
to recognize the TR

1 protein,
presumably due to the small amount
of this protein in the distal ileum,
and to the reduced accessibility
of the target epitope in the tight
conformation of the ligand
binding domain. Altogether, these data
indicate that in wild-type
mice, the TR

1 protein is mainly located
in the nuclei of smooth
muscle cells, whereas the TR


1 protein is
mainly present in the
nuclei of differentiated epithelial cells. It is
worth noting
that in TR

/
undifferentiated and
differentiated epithelial cells have similar
nuclear labeling.

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FIG. 9.
Immunolocalization of TR 1 protein. Its pattern of
expression in distal ileum was analyzed in paraffin-embedded sections
(5 µm) in wild-type (WT) (A to D), TR 0/0 (E to H), and
TR / (I to L) 3-week-old mice. The antibody
recognized the C-terminal sequence common to TR 1 and TR 1
(anti-C I) on WT (B to D), TR 0/0 (F to H) and
TR / (J to L). Technical controls included the use of
phosphate-buffered saline or the antibody preincubated with an excess
of the recognized peptide. (A, E, and I) Phase contrast low
magnification; bar, 30 µm; (B to D, F to H, and J to L) bright field
high magnification; bar, 70 µm. ce, crypt epithelium; ve, villus
epithelium; ct, connective tissue; cml, circular muscle layer; lml,
longitudinal muscle layer. The open arrow in C indicates the stronger
nuclear staining of cells outside the crypts.
|
|
The activity of TR
proteins is down-regulated by TR
1 via
the proteasome pathway.
Our data show that the deleterious
activity of the TR
isoforms is triggered by the inactivation of
the TR
1 and TR
2 genes. To clarify the
molecular mechanisms which could account for this gene
inactivation-dependent activity, we tested the possibility that TR
1
and TR
2 could interfere with the synthesis or degradation of the
TR
isoforms, thereby modulating their activity. For this purpose,
we measured the expression of the TR
1 protein in HeLa cells after
cotransfection of a TR
1 expression vector together with either an
empty vector or a vector expressing either TR
1 or TR
2. Figure 10
shows that, while the amount of TR
1 transcripts was unaffected by
the coexpression of the TR
1 protein (Fig.
10C), the amount of TR
1 protein
was reduced by increasing amounts of TR
1 (Fig. 10A). This effect was
independent of the presence of T3 (data not shown). In contrast to
these data, the expression of small amounts of TR
2 did not produce
any decrease in the amount of TR
1 protein (Fig. 10B). It is
noteworthy that expression of TR
1 did not change the amount of
TR
1 (data not shown). In order to show that degradation, and not
the rate of protein synthesis, accounted for the reduction in the
amount of the TR
1 protein, we tested the abilities of different
permeant protease inhibitors to prevent this effect. When cotransfected
cells were treated with lactacystin, a potent inhibitor of the
proteasome pathway (9), the amount of TR
1 protein was
not changed, but the amount of TR
1 protein was considerably
increased, reaching levels higher than those observed in the absence of
TR
1 (Fig. 10D). These data suggest that TR
1 triggers the
degradation of the TR
1 protein through a proteasome-dependent
pathway.

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FIG. 10.
Regulation of the stability of TR 1 protein in
HeLa cells. (A) Effects of increasing amounts of the expression vector
pSG5hTR 1 (0, 1.5, 5, and 15 µg) on the TR 1 protein (plasmid
CMV-FmTR 1, 0.3 µg) as analyzed by Western blotting. HeLa cells
were lysed after 48 h of transient transfection. The no. 21 antibody diluted 1:1,000 revealed both TR 1 and FTR 1 proteins
as indicated by the arrows. (B) Effects of increasing amounts of the
expression vector pSG5hTR 2 (0, 1.5, 5, and 15 µg) on the TR 1
protein (plasmid CMV-FmTR 1, 0.3 µg) as analyzed by Western
blotting. (C) Effect of cotransfection in HeLa cells of 15 µg of
pSG5hTR 1 and 0.3 µg of CMV-FmTR 1 on FTR 1 mRNA
expression analyzed by RT-PCR. RNA was prepared from HeLa cells after
48 h of transient transfection. HPRT was used as internal control.
(D) Effect of lactacystin addition (10 5 M) in culture
medium of HeLa cells transiently transfected with 0.3 µg of
CMV-FmTR 1 and/or 15 µg of pSG5hTR 1 expression vectors. The
crude protein lysate was analyzed by Western blotting and the
FTR 1-specific band was revealed with an anti-Flag antibody
diluted 1:1,000. The bands in the middle and upper parts of the picture
represent nonspecific staining. In transient transfection experiments a
total of 15 µg of DNA/dish has been used; when necessary the pSG5
empty vector has been added.
|
|
 |
DISCUSSION |
The TR
locus encodes the TR
1 receptor, whose
targeted inactivation results in bradycardia and a slight decrease in
body temperature (39). This locus also generates the
TR
2 variant, which cannot bind T3, poorly heterodimerizes with RXRs,
and does not contain any transactivation domain. Transfection studies
have shown that the TR
2 protein can inhibit the transcriptional
activity of TRs. The TR
2 transcript is present in all mammalian
tissues and is generally more abundant than the TR
1 transcript, at
least at the level of whole organ analysis (22). Despite
these many data, the in vivo function of the TR
2 protein remains
unknown. In addition to TR
1 and TR
2, we have identified the
TR
1 and TR
2 transcripts, which are expressed in murine
embryonic stem cells and in intestine, lung, and brain tissues of adult
mice. The proteins encoded by these transcripts do not bind T3 or DNA but inhibit the transcriptional activity of several nuclear receptors when they are associated with RXR partners (6). Their in
vivo function is unknown. Several genetic modifications of the
TR
locus which have been generated in a mouse now provide
tools with which to obtain insights into the functions of these
different products. The goal of this discussion is to draw some
conclusions from the comparison of the phenotypes observed in the
different TR
gene knockout mice. For the sake of clarity, we have
indicated in Fig. 2C the TR
isoforms which are expressed or
abolished in the different knockout strains.
TR
1 and TR
s cooperate to regulate TSH production.
Abolishing a TR
1, TR
2, TR
3 and TR
3, or TR
2 only has
been shown to result in altered TH-dependent feedback regulation of TSH
production by T3 (1, 37). In contrast, abolishing the
TR
1/
1 isoforms in TR
1
/
mice (R. E. Weiss, O. Chassande, P. E. Macchia, K. Cua, J. Samarut, and
S. E. Refetoff, submitted for publication), TR
1/
2 in
TR
/
mice (12), or
TR
1/
2/
1/
2 in TR
0/0 mice
(25) results in mild alterations in the serum
concentrations of TH and TSH, indicating that the TR
isoforms may
play minor roles in this feedback control. However,
TR
1
/
mice display decreased T4 and TSH levels,
suggestive of secondary hypothyroidism, while TR
0/0 mice
have decreased T4 but normal TSH levels, indicating increased sensitivity of the pituitary to TH. Moreover, careful examination of
central responses to varying doses of T3 in TR
0/0 mice
reveals increased sensitivity to TH (25). Altogether, these data suggest that the TR
2 isoform weakly antagonizes the activity of TR
s in thyrotroph cells. In the absence of any true TRs,
in TR
1
/

/
(16),
TR
/

/
(14), and
TR
0/0
/
mice, TSH reaches very high
levels despite large amounts of TH, independently of the presence of
non-T3-binding TR isoforms. This shows that in thyrotroph cells, TR
2
could modulate TSH production only in the presence of a TR
-mediated
T3 response.
TR
1, TR
2, and TR
s cooperate to maintain basal body
temperature.
Mice lacking the TR
1/
1 isoforms
(TR
1
/
) have a body temperature 0.5°C lower than
that of wild-type mice (18). We show here that
TR
0/0 mice display a similar deficit, suggesting that
abolishing TR
2 does not alter thermogenesis, at least under basal
conditions. TR
/
mice have normal body temperatures
suggesting that the contribution of the TR
isoforms in the
T3-dependent basal thermogenesis is minor or compensated for by TR
1.
Surprisingly, the comparison between body temperature deficits observed
in TR
1
/

/
(
0.5°C) and
TR
0/0
/
(
4°C) mice reveals
potentially important thermogenic functions for the TR
2 isoform.
Since no difference in body temperature is observed between
TR
1
/
and TR
0/0 mice, this function is
unraveled only in the absence of functional TR. The above data lead to
the conclusion that the effects of TH on basal body temperature are
mediated by the TR
and TR
nuclear receptors, that TR
1, TR
s,
and TR
2 isoforms exercise redundant functions in the control of
thermogenesis, and that the persistence of only one of these isoforms
is sufficient to maintain body temperature within a physiologic range.
TR
2 is essential for normal body growth and bone
maturation.
Previous publications and our data have shown that in
TR
/

/
,
TR
1
/

/
, and
TR
0/0
/
mice, the total absence of
functional TH receptors results in a reduced growth rate and delayed
bone maturation, independently of the presence of non-TH-binding
isoforms from the TR
locus. This consensus is in agreement with the
bone maturation delay observed in hypothyroid rats (34).
This simple observation contrasts with the complexity resulting from
the analysis of the functions of individual TR
and TR
isoforms.
Previous reports indicate that TR
/
and
TR
1
/
mice have normal growth rates and bone
maturation (10, 14, 16, 39). In contrast, combining some
of the TR mutations results in a profound disruption of these
processes, revealing functional redundancies between TR isoforms. One
redundancy clearly occurs with TR
1 and TR
, which are both
expressed in bone (2, 5, 31, 34) and which in combined but
not individual knockouts result in bone maturation delay. The selective
abolishing of TR
1 in TR
1
/
mice does not result in
obvious impairment of linear growth or bone maturation. However, in
TR
/
(12) and TR
0/0 (this
paper) mice, devoid of both TR
1 and TR
2 isoforms, growth retardation and delayed skeletal development are observed. The skeletal
phenotype of TR
0/0 mice includes retarded ossification,
failure of progression of hypertrophic chondrocyte differentiation, and
disorganization of epiphyseal growth plate architecture, all features
similar to those seen in hypothyroidism (34). Importantly,
circulating basal TH concentrations in TR
0/0 mice were
only mildly impaired and GH concentrations were unchanged compared to
those of wild-type mice, supporting the notion that the deletion of the
TR
gene fully accounts for this phenotype. On consideration of the
TR isoforms that are expressed in the different knockout strains (Fig.
2C), the skeletal phenotypes described can be proposed to result
primarily from the abolishing of TR
2, or the concomitant abolishing
of both TR
1 and TR
2. Only when data concerning the
TR
2-specific mutation are available will it be possible to test this
hypothesis further. Nevertheless, our data reveal the important role of
TR
2 in body growth and maturation of long bones. An interesting
observation is that in bone, abolishing TR
2, an isoform that is
known to weakly inhibit T3 responses in vitro, paradoxically results in
a phenotype which is similar to the skeletal consequences of profound
hypothyroidism. This situation contrasts with the increased T3 response
observed in the pituitary of TR
0/0 mice
(25). The alteration of growth and bone maturation
observed in TR
1
/

/
and
TR
0/0
/
mice could be attributed to
impaired GH synthesis since these animals exhibit decreased amounts of
GH transcripts in pituitary (reference 16 and the present
study). In TR
0/0 and TR
/
mice,
however, the GH transcript is expressed at a normal level; therefore,
the bone phenotype may be the direct consequence of the TR
mutation
within bone cells.
Deafness caused by loss of the TR
gene is not
rescued by deletion of the TR
gene.
In addition to
confirming the importance of TR
in achieving normal hearing
function, the present studies demonstrate that TR
may also play a
role in the development of normal hearing. In fact, a reduced hearing
ability was observed in TR
0/0 mice compared to that of
wild-type mice at higher frequencies. Although some elevation of ABR
thresholds at 24 kHz is typical of C57BL/6J mice older than 2 to 3 months, the observed hearing loss in the TR
0/0 mice is
highly significant. Moreover, the
TR
0/0
/
mouse was more severely deaf
than the TR
/
mouse. While these observations confirm
the important role of TR
for the development of auditory function
(12), they have also identified a contribution of TR
to
the full integrity of hearing.
Unbalanced expression of TR
isoforms results in improper
intestinal development and precocious lethality.
We have
previously described the lethal phenotype of TR
/
mice. The TR
mutation abolishes the TR
1
and TR
2 transcripts but retains TR
transcripts. We show in
this study that TR
transcripts are expressed in the small
intestines of wild-type and TR
/
but not of
TR
0/0 mice. Accordingly, using anti-
1 C-terminal
antibody, we detect the TR
isoforms in the intestinal epithelial
cells of wild-type and TR
/
but not
TR
0/0 mice. This is the first time that the specificity
of the staining observed in an immunocytochemical analysis of TRs is
assessed by genetic arguments. Therefore, analysis of the products of
the TR
locus reveals that the only molecular difference
between the TR
/
and TR
0/0 mutations
is the expression of the TR
isoforms. Immunocytochemical analysis
further shows that the expression of the TR
1 protein is expanded
in the TR
/
mice, extending all along the crypt and
the villus. In vivo observations show that abolishing TR
1 and TR
2
in TR
/
mice confers deleterious effects on the
TR
isoforms, suggesting that, under normal conditions (wild-type
mice), the TR
products down-modulate the activity of the TR
isoforms. Transfection experiments suggest that one mechanism by which
TRs could control the activity of TR
proteins is by triggering
their rapid removal from the cells through the proteasome-mediated
degradation. This mechanism would explain the increased intensity and
extended expression domain of the TR
1 protein in the absence of
TR
1 in the intestines of TR
/
mice. The mechanism
by which TR
proteins exert their toxic effects in the developing
intestine is unclear. The persistence of a severe intestinal phenotype
upon inactivation of the TR
gene in
TR
/

/
mice implies that the
molecular targets of the TR
proteins are not only the TRs. We
have previously suggested that other nuclear receptors, such as
retinoic acid receptors, could be antagonized by TR
products.
At the level of the whole organism, the lethal phenotype observed in
TR

/
and TR

/

/
mice is indeed due to the persistence of TR


isoforms since
it can
be rescued by their abolition in TR
0/0 and
TR
0/0
/
mice. Thus, the severe
intestinal abnormalities and the lethality
observed in
TR

/
and TR

/

/
mice are consequences of the persistence of TR


isoforms, which
are no longer under the control of the TR

1 protein. These genetic
and molecular analyses suggest that the TR


isoforms have
powerful,
dose-dependent toxic effects and that their level of
expression
must be tightly controlled. Altogether, these genetic
analyses
show that the non-T3-binding isoforms encoded from the TR

locus
have important developmental and homeostatic
functions.
In addition, our present and previously published data allow the
prediction that a potential homozygous mutation in the
TR
locus in humans, which would abolish all TR

isoforms, would be
expected to result in a mild phenotype mainly characterized by
(i)
increased sensitivity to TH in the thyrotroph and liver and
(ii)
reduced sensitivity to TH in heart and bone, manifested as
bradycardia,
growth retardation, and bone maturation delay. Mutations
restricted to
the N-terminal moiety of the gene, sparing the TR

isoforms, are
expected to have severe pathologic
consequences.
 |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
We thank Christelle Morin, Nadine Aguilera, and Djamel Belgarbi
for animal handling, J. P. Magaud, J. Ghysdael, P. Brulet, and S. Omura
for kindly providing genomic libraries, antibodies, plasmids, and
lactacystin, respectively. We thank F. Flamant and J. M. Vanacker
for helpful advice.
This work was supported in part by CNRS and grants from Fondation pour
la Recherche Médicale and Human Frontier Scientific Program, and
by grants from NIH (DK 15070 [S.R.], AG07554 [J.F.W.], MH61090
[J.F.W.]) and the Seymour J. Abrams Thyroid Research Center. G.R.W.
was supported by an MRC Career Establishment grant (G9803002) and a
Wellcome Trust Project grant (050570). M. Hara was supported by an FRM fellowship.
 |
FOOTNOTES |
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratoire de
Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, CNRS UMR 5665 ENS LA 913 INRA, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 46 allée d'Italie, 69364 Lyon Cedex 07, France. Phone: 33 4 72 72 81 71. Fax: 33 4 72 72 85 36. E-mail: Jacques.Samarut{at}enslyon.fr.
 |
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0270-7306/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/MCB.21.14.4748-4760.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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Angelin-Duclos, C., Domenget, C., Kolbus, A., Beug, H., Jurdic, P., Samarut, J.
(2005). Thyroid hormone T3 acting through the thyroid hormone {alpha} receptor is necessary for implementation of erythropoiesis in the neonatal spleen environment in the mouse. Development
132: 925-934
[Abstract]
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Liu, Y.-Y., Brent, G. A.
(2005). Thyroid Hormone-Dependent Gene Expression in Differentiated Embryonic Stem Cells and Embryonal Carcinoma Cells: Identification of Novel Thyroid Hormone Target Genes by Deoxyribonucleic Acid Microarray Analysis. Endocrinology
146: 776-783
[Abstract]
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Quignodon, L, Legrand, C, Allioli, N, Guadano-Ferraz, A, Bernal, J, Samarut, J, Flamant, F
(2004). Thyroid hormone signaling is highly heterogeneous during pre- and postnatal brain development. J Mol Endocrinol
33: 467-476
[Abstract]
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Mai, W., Janier, M. F., Allioli, N., Quignodon, L., Chuzel, T., Flamant, F., Samarut, J.
(2004). Thyroid hormone receptor {alpha} is a molecular switch of cardiac function between fetal and postnatal life. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
101: 10332-10337
[Abstract]
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Ng, L., Goodyear, R. J., Woods, C. A., Schneider, M. J., Diamond, E., Richardson, G. P., Kelley, M. W., Germain, D. L. St., Galton, V. A., Forrest, D.
(2004). Hearing loss and retarded cochlear development in mice lacking type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
101: 3474-3479
[Abstract]
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Golozoubova, V., Gullberg, H., Matthias, A., Cannon, B., Vennstrom, B., Nedergaard, J.
(2004). Depressed Thermogenesis but Competent Brown Adipose Tissue Recruitment in Mice Devoid of All Hormone-Binding Thyroid Hormone Receptors. Mol. Endocrinol.
18: 384-401
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Ruau, D., Duarte, J., Ourjdal, T., Perriere, G., Laudet, V., Robinson-Rechavi, M.
(2004). Update of NUREBASE: nuclear hormone receptor functional genomics. Nucleic Acids Res
32: D165-167
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Manzano, J., Morte, B., Scanlan, T. S., Bernal, J.
(2003). Differential Effects of Triiodothyronine and the Thyroid Hormone Receptor {beta}-Specific Agonist GC-1 on Thyroid Hormone Target Genes in the Brain. Endocrinology
144: 5480-5487
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Freitas, F. R. S., Moriscot, A. S., Jorgetti, V., Soares, A. G., Passarelli, M., Scanlan, T. S., Brent, G. A., Bianco, A. C., Gouveia, C. H. A.
(2003). Spared bone mass in rats treated with thyroid hormone receptor TR{beta}-selective compound GC-1. Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab.
285: E1135-E1141
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Stevens, D. A., Harvey, C. B., Scott, A. J., O'Shea, P. J., Barnard, J. C., Williams, A. J., Brady, G., Samarut, J., Chassande, O., Williams, G. R.
(2003). Thyroid Hormone Activates Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor-1 in Bone. Mol. Endocrinol.
17: 1751-1766
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Abel, E. D., Moura, E. G., Ahima, R. S., Campos-Barros, A., Pazos-Moura, C. C., Boers, M.-E., Kaulbach, H. C., Forrest, D., Wondisford, F. E.
(2003). Dominant Inhibition of Thyroid Hormone Action Selectively in the Pituitary of Thyroid Hormone Receptor-{beta} Null Mice Abolishes the Regulation of Thyrotropin by Thyroid Hormone. Mol. Endocrinol.
17: 1767-1776
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O'Shea, P. J., Harvey, C. B., Suzuki, H., Kaneshige, M., Kaneshige, K., Cheng, S.-Y., Williams, G. R.
(2003). A Thyrotoxic Skeletal Phenotype of Advanced Bone Formation in Mice with Resistance to Thyroid Hormone. Mol. Endocrinol.
17: 1410-1424
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Sadow, P. M., Koo, E., Chassande, O., Gauthier, K., Samarut, J., Xu, J., O'Malley, B. W., Seo, H., Murata, Y., Weiss, R. E.
(2003). Thyroid Hormone Receptor-Specific Interactions with Steroid Receptor Coactivator-1 in the Pituitary. Mol. Endocrinol.
17: 882-894
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Sadow, P. M., Chassande, O., Gauthier, K., Samarut, J., Xu, J., O'Malley, B. W., Weiss, R. E.
(2003). Specificity of thyroid hormone receptor subtype and steroid receptor coactivator-1 on thyroid hormone action. Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab.
284: E36-E46
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Weiss, R. E., Korcarz, C., Chassande, O., Cua, K., Sadow, P. M., Koo, E., Samarut, J., Lang, R.
(2002). Thyroid hormone and cardiac function in mice deficient in thyroid hormone receptor-alpha or -beta : an echocardiograph study. Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab.
283: E428-E435
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Onda, M., Li, D., Suzuki, S., Nakamura, I., Takenoshita, S., Brogren, C.-H., Stampanoni, S., Rampino, N.
(2002). Expansion of Microsatellite in the Thyroid Hormone Receptor-{alpha}1 Gene Linked to Increased Receptor Expression and Less Aggressive Thyroid Cancer. Clin. Cancer Res.
8: 2870-2874
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Gullberg, H., Rudling, M., Salto, C., Forrest, D., Angelin, B., Vennstrom, B.
(2002). Requirement for Thyroid Hormone Receptor {beta} in T3 Regulation of Cholesterol Metabolism in Mice. Mol. Endocrinol.
16: 1767-1777
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Forrest, D.
(2002). Editorial: Twists in the Tail--Change-of-Function Mutations in Thyroid Hormone Receptors. Endocrinology
143: 2466-2468
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Morte, B., Manzano, J., Scanlan, T., Vennstrom, B., Bernal, J.
(2002). Deletion of the thyroid hormone receptor alpha 1 prevents the structural alterations of the cerebellum induced by hypothyroidism. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
99: 3985-3989
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Flamant, F., Poguet, A.-L., Plateroti, M., Chassande, O., Gauthier, K., Streichenberger, N., Mansouri, A., Samarut, J.
(2002). Congenital Hypothyroid Pax8-/- Mutant Mice Can Be Rescued by Inactivating the TR{alpha} Gene. Mol. Endocrinol.
16: 24-32
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Ng, L., Rusch, A., Amma, L. L., Nordstrom, K., Erway, L. C., Vennstrom, B., Forrest, D.
(2001). Suppression of the deafness and thyroid dysfunction in Thrb-null mice by an independent mutation in the Thra thyroid hormone receptor {alpha} gene. Hum Mol Genet
10: 2701-2708
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Plateroti, M., Gauthier, K., Domon-Dell, C., Freund, J.-N., Samarut, J., Chassande, O.
(2001). Functional Interference between Thyroid Hormone Receptor {alpha} (TR{alpha}) and Natural Truncated TR{Delta}{alpha} Isoforms in the Control of Intestine Development. Mol. Cell. Biol.
21: 4761-4772
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Baas, D., Legrand, C., Samarut, J., Flamant, F.
(2002). Persistence of oligodendrocyte precursor cells and altered myelination in optic nerve associated to retina degeneration in mice devoid of all thyroid hormone receptors. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
99: 2907-2911
[Abstract]
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