The Regulation and Application of Sodium Iodide Symporter
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REGULATION OF SODIUM IODIDE SYMPORTER EXPRESSION/FUNCTION AND TISSUE-TARGETED GENE TRANSFER OF SODIUM IODIDE SYMPORTER DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University by Xiaoqin Lin * * * * * The Ohio State University 2003 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Sissy M. Jhiang, Advisor Professor Lee F. Johnson _______________________________ Advisor Professor Patrick L. Green Ohio State Biochemistry Program Professor Thomas J. Sferra ABSTRACT The Sodium/Iodide Symporter (NIS) is an intrinsic membrane glycoprotein that mediates active iodide transport into thyroid follicular cells. Active iodide uptake is the basis for the use of radioiodine in diagnosis and treatment of follicular-cell-derived differentiated thyroid cancers (FDTC). However, approximately one third of patients with FDTC have decreased NIS expression on cell surface and cannot benefit from radioiodine therapy. Thus, it is clinically important to study the regulatory mechanisms underlying NIS expression and cell surface trafficking. In Chapter 2, I demonstrate that untranslated regions (UTRs) of human NIS (hNIS) regulate hNIS expression and/or cell surface trafficking. The 5’UTR of hNIS, 362 nt in length, increases hNIS function by facilitating cell surface trafficking, despite decreasing total protein expression levels. Deletion studies reveal that the proximal 9 nt of the 5’UTR are sufficient to increase hNIS function by facilitating cell surface trafficking, with no effect on hNIS total protein expression levels. Moreover, the proximal 58 nt of the 3’UTR greatly increase hNIS mRNA expression, yet only modestly increase total hNIS protein levels. These studies provide new insight into the roles of UTRs in the regulation of hNIS expression and function. In Chapter 3, I clone and characterize a 3.2 kb 5’-flanking region of mouse NIS gene (mNIS). I have identified the mNIS Upstream Enhancer (mNUE), which enhances mNIS transcription in a thyroid-specific and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)- ii responsive manner. Based on the degree of homology, I propose that mouse and rat NIS share similar mechanisms for transcriptional regulation. Finally, in Chapter 4, I investigate the efficacy of Cre/loxP system to enhance thyroid-targeted hNIS expression driven by thyroglobulin (Tg) promoter in a variety of thyroid cells. Three recombinant adenoviruses were constructed: rAd-Tg-hNIS (hNIS expression driven by Tg promoter), rAd-Tg-Cre (Cre expression driven by Tg promoter), and rAd-CMV-loxP-hNIS (CMV promoter and hNIS cDNA separated by loxP-GFP-Zeo-loxP). In cells with weak Tg promoter activity, co-infection of rAd-Tg-Cre and rAd-CMV-loxP-hNIS induce higher hNIS expression than single infection of rAd-Tg-hNIS. Thus, the relative promoter activity of Tg versus CMV is critical for the efficacy of Cre/loxP system. iii Dedicated to my parents iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Sissy M. Jhiang, for her encouragement, support and guidance, throughout this research. I am grateful to the members of my dissertation committee, for their guidance and assistance: Dr. Lee F. Johnson, Dr. Patrick L. Green and Dr. Thomas J. Sferra. I also wish to thank Dr. Richard T. Kloos for his helpful advice. I would like to thank the current and former members of Dr. Jhiang’s lab, for providing advice and assistance with this work and for their friendship: Dr. Tara L.F. Buckwalter, Dr. Je-Yoel Cho, Dr. Kwon-Yul Ryu, Dr. Krista M.D.La Perle, Dr. Daniel H.Y. Shen, Anjli Venkateswaran, Derek Marsee, Douangsone Vadysirisack, Dr. Katie Knostman, Zhaoxia Zhang, Marc S. Lavender, and Danielle E. Westfall. Most of all, I would like to thank my grandmother and my parents for their love and support in my life. v VITA November 3, 1973..........................................Born – Fuzhou, Fujian, P.R.China 1996................................................................B.S. Biochemistry, Xiamen University, P.R.China 1996-1998…………………………………...Research Assistant, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, P.R.China 1998 -present .................................................Graduate Research Associate, The Ohio State University FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Biochemistry Molecular Biology vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract.............................................................................................................................ii Dedication......................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgments............................................................................................................vi Vita..................................................................................................................................vii List of Tables .................................................................................................................... x List of Figures..................................................................................................................xi Chapters: 1. Introduction........................................................................................................... 1 Thyroid physiology......................................................................................... 1 Molecular Cloning of NIS .............................................................................. 2 Structure of NIS ..............................................................................................2 Function of NIS...............................................................................................3 Tissue distribution of NIS............................................................................... 4 Regulation of NIS ........................................................................................... 5 Transcriptional regulation of NIS .................................................................. 9 NIS mutations in congenital ITD.................................................................. 11 NIS in thyroid cancer.................................................................................... 12 NIS gene therapy........................................................................................... 14 2. The roles of 5’ untranslated region in the protein expression and cell surface trafficking of human sodium/iodide symporter (hNIS) ...................................... 23 Introduction............................................................................................. 23 Materials and Methods............................................................................ 25 Results..................................................................................................... 32 Discussion............................................................................................... 38 vii 3. Cloning and characterization of mouse sodium iodide symporter promoter and a thyroid-specific and TSH-responsive enhancer ............................................. 57 Introduction............................................................................................. 57 Materials and Methods............................................................................ 59 Results..................................................................................................... 62 Discussion............................................................................................... 65 4. Application of the Cre-loxP system to enhance thyroid-targeted expression of sodium/iodide symporter (NIS) .......................................................................... 81 Introduction............................................................................................. 81 Materials and Methods............................................................................ 83 Results..................................................................................................... 87 Discussion............................................................................................... 92 5. Conclusions and future research directions ...................................................... 104 List of References ......................................................................................................... 109 viii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1.1 The molecular characterization of NIS mutations identified in ITD .......... ……18 2.1 Primers used for PCR amplification ................................................................... 44 2.2 Quantification of the hNIS protein expression on cell surface, total hNIS protein expression, and the steady-state level of hNIS mRNA in cells transfected with ORF-hNIS, (-362)-hNIS, hNIS-(1989) and (-362)-hNIS-(1989) ....................... 45 3.1 The potential transcription binding sites shared by both mouse and rat NIS promoters ............................................................................................................ 69 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1.1 Schematic representation of the biosynthetic pathway of thyroid hormones in the thyroid follicular cell................................................................................. 19 1.2 NIS cDNA and protein sequence identity in four species: human, pig, rat and mouse ........................................................................................................... 20 1.3 Secondary structure model of human sodium/iodide symporter