Tissue-specific posttranslational modification allows functional targeting of thyrotropin.

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH; thyrotropin) is a glycoprotein secreted from the pituitary gland. Pars distalis-derived TSH (PD-TSH) stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones (THs), whereas pars tuberalis-derived TSH (PT-TSH) acts on the hypothalamus to regulate seasonal physiology and behavior. However, it had not been clear how these two TSHs avoid functional crosstalk.

Thyrotoropin receptor knockout changes monoaminergic neuronal system and produces methylphenidate-sensitive emotional and cognitive dysfunction.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has been reported in association with resistance to thyroid hormone, a disease caused by a mutation in the thyroid hormone receptor β (TRβ) gene. TRβ is a key protein mediating down-regulation of thyrotropin (TSH) expression by 3,3',5-tri-iodothyronine (T3), an active form of thyroid hormone. Dysregulation of TSH and its receptor (TSHR) is implicated in the pathophysiology of ADHD but the role of TSHR remains elusive.

Design of two-tooth unidirectional rotary-ratchet molecular machines driven by linearly polarized ac fields.

An artificial molecular rotor system mounted in a biological membrane, which can unidirectionally rotate in response to weak pumping from a linearly polarized ac field, is modeled. The dynamics of the rotor unit are described by the Langevin equation for a particle in a two-dimensional bistable potential with a two-tooth ratchet structure. This model reveals effects due to the two-dimensionality of the ratchet and the polarization of the applied field.

Involvement of thyrotropin in photoperiodic signal transduction in mice.

Local thyroid hormone catabolism within the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) by thyroid hormone-activating (DIO2) and -inactivating (DIO3) enzymes regulates seasonal reproduction in birds and mammals. Recent functional genomics analysis in birds has shown that long days induce thyroid-stimulating hormone production in the pars tuberalis (PT) of the pituitary gland, which triggers DIO2 expression in the ependymal cells (EC) of the MBH. In mammals, nocturnal melatonin secretion provides an endocrine signal of the photoperiod to the PT that contains melatonin receptors in high density, but the interface between the melatonin signal perceived in the PT and the thyroid hormone levels in the MBH remains unclear.