The kidney is a target organ for
thyroid hormone action and a variety of renal transport processes are altered in response to impaired thyroid functions. To investigate the effect of
thyroid hormone on the expression of the renal proximal tubular high-affinity-type
H(+)-peptide cotransporter (PEPT2) in rats,
hypothyroidism was induced in animals by administration of
methimazole (0.05%) via
drinking water. After 7 weeks of treatment,
hypothyroidism was confirmed by determining serum free T(3) and free T(4) concentrations. Northern blotting was used to examine the expression of PEPT2
mRNA in kidney tissues from hypothyroid rats compared to control rats.
Hypothyroidism resulted in an increased level of total renal PEPT2
mRNA (121.1+/-3.3% vs. control 100+/-2.8%; p=0.008). The
mRNA results were confirmed by immuno-blotting, which demonstrated significantly increased
protein levels (162% vs. control 100%; p<0.01). Immunohistochemistry also revealed increased PEPT2
protein levels in the proximal tubules of treated compared to non-treated rats. In summary, PEPT2 is the first proximal tubule transporter
protein that shows increased expression in states of hypothyreosis. As PEPT2 reabsorbs filtered di- and tripeptides and
peptide-like drugs, the present findings may have important implications in nutritional
amino acid homeostasis and for
drug dynamics in states of altered thyroid function.