Expression of sodium iodide symporter in metastatic and follicular human thyroid tissues

Active iodide uptake across the basal membrane mediated by human sodium iodide symporter (hNIS) has been shown to be a process coupled with the flow of sodium. There is still controversy as to the amount of hNIS expression present in different kinds of human thyroid cancer tissues. In this study, we present a 58-year-old women with follicular thyroid carcinoma with vertebra and skull metastases. 201Tl and 5 mCi 131I scans clearly demonstrated the metastatic lesions in the brain of this patient. Thyroid and metastatic tissues were then obtained for this study, which is aimed at comparing the iodide trapping ability in vivo and in vitro of hNIS, and then comparing their expression in both thyroid tissue and metastatic tissues. Polyclonal antibodies to hNIS and competitive RT PCR were used to analyze the symporter protein and mRNA expressed in follicular human thyroid and metastatic tissues. Positive staining of the symporter protein was performed in the follicular thyroid carcinomas, otherwise, the metastatic tissues could not have demonstrated the protein in the staining. Follicular thyroid carcinoma tissues from thyroid were revealed around 5 pg hNIS expressed in follicular thyroid carcinoma tissues from the thyroid. Otherwise, there was almost an absence of hNIS expression in the metastatic tissue. These discrepancies of the expression in hNIS in vivo and in vitro studies need further investigation.