Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jul 1;158(7):2052-2057.
doi: 10.1210/en.2017-00250.

Thyroid Hormone Signaling Pathways: Time for a More Precise Nomenclature

Frédéric Flamant  1 , Sheue-Yann Cheng  2 , Anthony N Hollenberg  3 , Lars C Moeller  4 , Jacques Samarut  1 , Fredric E Wondisford  5 , Paul M Yen  6 , Samuel Refetoff  7   8   9
Affiliations

Thyroid Hormone Signaling Pathways: Time for a More Precise Nomenclature

Frédéric Flamant et al. Endocrinology. .

Abstract

Current literature makes a distinction between two pathways for thyroid hormone signaling: genomic and nongenomic. However, this classification is a source of confusion. We propose a clarification in the nomenclature that may help to avoid unproductive controversies and favor progress in this field of research. Four types of thyroid hormone signaling are defined, and the experimental criteria for classification are discussed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The four types of thyroid hormone action. Type 1: THRs (blue) bind DNA as monomer, homodimer, or heterodimer, usually with RXR (orange). This requires the presence of the N-terminal DNA-binding domain (D). TH binding in the C-terminal ligand-binding domain (L) changes the conformation of the protein and interactions with transcription cofactors. Type 2: THRs are tethered to DNA by other proteins or multiprotein complexes (green). The capacity of THR to bind DNA is dispensable. Type 3: THRs exert their function without being recruited to chromatin. Localization can be cytoplasmic or nuclear. Type 4: TH acts independently of THRs, binding to other types of proteins.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Tata JR. The search for the mechanism of hormone action. Perspect Biol Med. 1986;29(3 Pt 2):S184–S204. - PubMed
    1. Sap J, Muñoz A, Damm K, Goldberg Y, Ghysdael J, Leutz A, Beug H, Vennström B. The c-erb-A protein is a high-affinity receptor for thyroid hormone. Nature. 1986;324(6098):635–640. - PubMed
    1. Thompson CC, Weinberger C, Lebo R, Evans RM. Identification of a novel thyroid hormone receptor expressed in the mammalian central nervous system. Science. 1987;237(4822):1610–1614. - PubMed
    1. Mangelsdorf DJ, Thummel C, Beato M, Herrlich P, Schütz G, Umesono K, Blumberg B, Kastner P, Mark M, Chambon P, Evans RM. The nuclear receptor superfamily: the second decade. Cell. 1995;83(6):835–839. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wrutniak-Cabello C, Casas F, Cabello G. Thyroid hormone action in mitochondria. J Mol Endocrinol. 2001;26(1):67–77. - PubMed