Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 1, 2026

An Ex vivo Culture System to Study Thyroid Development
Published on: June 6, 2014
Differentiation-dependent expression of calcitriol actions on absorptive processes in cultured chick intestine:
1Department of General and Experimental Pathology, University of Vienna Medical School, Austria.
Abstract:
Embryonic chick jejunum maintained in organ-culture exhibits a characteristic stage-specific pattern of responses to calcitriol and T3. Whereas induction of luminal Na+/inorganic phosphate and Na+/D-glucose transport by calcitriol was only possible at an advanced state of differentiation prior to hatching on day 20, the sterol induced cellular calcium transport with high efficiency even in undifferentiated enterocytes in day 15 embryonic intestine. T3 had no effect at all on calcium transport, but induced Na+/inorganic phosphate transport at all stages of epithelial maturation. In contrast, Na+/D-glucose transport was effectively induced by T3 only in relatively immature intestinal epithelium. T3, at a medium concentration of 10(-8) mol/l, in a permissive fashion potentiated the effects of calcitriol (10(-10)-10(-7) mol/l) on calcium transport as well as on Na+/inorganic phosphate and Na+/D-glucose transfer. Thereby, T3 facilitated induction of transport activities by calcitriol against differentiation-related restraints. By facilitating the expression of genomic actions of calcitriol, T3 may thus play an important role in the regulation of calcium and phosphate metabolism.
Related Concept Videos
Role of Skin in Vitamin D Synthesis
The solar UV B rays (290-315 nm) are absorbed by the skin, and 7-dehydrocholesterol (provitamin D3) photolyzes it to previtamin D3, which undergoes a rapid transformation to vitamin D3(cholecalciferol).
Hormones and Bone Tissue
Hormones That Influence Osteoblasts and/or Maintain the Matrix
Several hormones are necessary for controlling bone growth and maintaining the bone matrix. The pituitary gland secretes growth hormone (GH), which, as its name implies, controls bone growth. This happens in several ways: first, it triggers chondrocyte...
Skeleton and Calcium Homeostasis
Synthesis and Regulation of Thyroid Hormones
Upon reaching the thyroid gland, TSH stimulates the follicular cells' active uptake of iodide ions from the blood. The ions diffuse to the apical surface of the cells and are oxidized to iodine. The iodine is then...
Synthesis and Functions of Calcitonin
The exact mechanisms by which calcitonin operates in calcium homeostasis remain elusive, but its significance is evident in several vital...
The Parathyroid Glands
Oxyphil cells, whose functions remain elusive, emerge during late puberty, adding a layer of complexity to the parathyroid gland's intricacies. In contrast, principal parathyroid cells undertake a vital role by producing...

