Thionamides and arsenite inhibit specific T₃ binding to the hepatic nuclear receptor

Abstract

Methimazole (MMI) and propylthiouracil (PTU) are widely used for the treatment of Graves' disease. However, no studies have been reported on the action of these drugs on binding of L-triiodothyronine (T 3 ) to the nuclear receptor. T 3 receptors of rat liver nuclei, prepared by differential centrifugation, were extracted with 0.4 M KCl and 5 mM dithiothreitol (DTT). In the assessment of T 3 binding to the DTT-reduced receptor, the hepatic nuclear extract was chromatographed on Superose 6 to remove DTT and isolate proteins of relative mass ≈ 50 000 (chromatographed nuclear receptors (CNRs)), prior to the addition of [ 125 I]T 3 of high specific activity (3300 μCi/μg; 1 Ci = 37 GBq). MMI or PTU at 2 mM reduced specific T 3 binding to CNR by 84% and 85%, respectively. The inhibitory effects of these reagents and 2 mM sodium arsenite (which complexes dithiols) were additive. Scatchard analyses indicated that neither MMI nor PTU (at 2 mM) significantly altered the affinity constant (K a ) (from 2.41 × 10 9 to 1.74 × 10 9 M −1 for PTU and 1.79 × 10 9 M −1 for MMI), while they both decreased (p < 0.02) maximal binding capacity (from 0.36 ± 0.02 to 0.19 ± 0.02 pmol/mg protein for MMI and 0.17 ± 0.02 pmol/mg protein for PTU). Dose-response curves showed that 50% inhibition was attained at 0.6 mM PTU or 1.0 mM MMI with ≈25% inhibition by both at 0.1 mM. Artefactual binding effects by MMI and PTU on [ 125 I]T 3 were excluded by chromatography experiments. Similar results were obtained using nuclear receptors prepared from livers of hyperthyroid rats. Pretreatment of CNR for 1 h with 5 mM methyl methanethiosulfonate (an oxidant of thiol groups) abolished the inhibitory effects of PTU, MMI, or arsenite, but was not inhibitory in itself. From these studies it is concluded that (i) MMI and PTU could exert at least part of their therapeutic effects by inhibiting specific binding of L-T 3 to its hepatic nuclear receptor; (ii) these inhibitory effects of MMI and PTU are likely due to an interaction with cysteine residues (some of which are not in a dithiol configuration) that are essential for T 3 binding to its receptor; and (iii) binding of T 3 is not inhibited by oxidation of receptor thiols to methyl dithiol groups.Key words: nuclear triiodothyronine (T 3 ) receptor, methimazole, propylthiouracil, Scatchard analysis.