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Thyroid-stimulating hormone activates phospholipase C in normal and neoplastic thyroid tissue
J K Shaver1, S Tezelman, A E Siperstein
1Department of Surgery, Mount Zion Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco 94115.
Surgery
|December 1, 1993
Summary
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) activates phospholipase C (PLC) in normal and cancerous thyroid tissues. Aberrant TSH-stimulated PLC activity was observed in aggressive thyroid cancers, suggesting a role in neoplasm development.
Area of Science:
- Endocrinology
- Molecular Biology
- Oncology
Background:
- Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) influences thyroid growth via adenylate cyclase and phospholipase C (PLC) pathways.
- PLC pathway activity in thyroid neoplasms remains under-investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate TSH-stimulated PLC activity in normal and neoplastic human thyroid tissues.
- To determine if PLC activity differs in various thyroid conditions, including cancer.
Main Methods:
- Human thyroid tissue membranes were incubated with TSH.
- PLC activity was measured by assessing inositol phosphate liberation.
- Assays were performed on normal thyroid, multinodular goiter, follicular adenoma, and differentiated thyroid cancer tissues.
Main Results:
- TSH significantly stimulated PLC activity across normal, benign, and malignant thyroid tissues.
- No significant differences in basal or TSH-stimulated PLC activity were found between normal, benign, and most malignant thyroid groups.
- Half of the high-risk differentiated thyroid cancers exhibited aberrant TSH-stimulated PLC activity.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first evidence of TSH-stimulated PLC activity in human thyroid tissues, both normal and neoplastic.
- Aberrant TSH-PLC signaling was identified in aggressive thyroid neoplasms, indicating potential involvement in cancer progression.