Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 24, 2025

An Ex vivo Culture System to Study Thyroid Development
Published on: June 6, 2014
Formation of thyroid hormone revealed by a cryo-EM structure of native bovine thyroglobulin
Nils Marechal1,2, Banyuhay P Serrano1, Xinyan Zhang1
1Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
Abstract:
Thyroid hormones are essential regulators of metabolism, development, and growth. They are formed from pairs of iodinated tyrosine residues within the precursor thyroglobulin (TG), a 660-kDa homodimer of the thyroid gland, by an oxidative coupling reaction. Tyrosine pairs that give rise to thyroid hormones have been assigned within the structure of human TG, but the process of hormone formation is poorly understood. Here we report a ~3.3-Å cryo-EM structure of native bovine TG with nascent thyroid hormone formed at one of the predicted hormonogenic sites. Local structural rearrangements provide insight into mechanisms underlying thyroid hormone formation and stabilization.
More Related Videos
08:27Expression and Purification of the Human Lipid-sensitive Cation Channel TRPC3 for Structural Determination by Single-particle Cryo-electron Microscopy
Published on: January 7, 2019
09:06Preparation and Cryo-FIB micromachining of Saccharomyces cerevisiae for Cryo-Electron Tomography
Published on: November 20, 2021
Related Concept Videos
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...
The Thyroid Gland
The follicles have a central cavity lined by simple cuboidal to squamous epithelial cells called follicular cells. These cells produce the glycoprotein...
Functions of Thyroid Hormones
TH is indispensable for the normal development and maturation of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems during fetal and childhood growth. It facilitates bone mineral turnover and regulates protein synthesis in developing tissues, contributing significantly to overall growth and...
Cryo-electron Microscopy
Protein and Protein Structure
A protein's shape is critical to its function. For example, an enzyme...
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...