A brief review of rat thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and introduction to Shibayagi’s rat TSH ELISA KIT

What is TSH? TSH is produced and secreted by basophilic cells called “thyrotrophs” in the anterior pituitary gland of vertebrates from fishes to mammals. TSH is also called thyrotropic hormone or thyrotropin. TSH acts on thyroid gland, adipose tissue, eye, and so on. TSH receptor penetrates the cell membrane 7 times and is coupled with G-protein-PKA system. TSH increases the release of thyroid hormone, and causes morphological changes in thyroid tissue, and promotes biosynthesis of the thyroid hormones through enhancement of inorganic iodide uptake, iodination of tyrosine in thyroglobulin, and changes of iodotyrosine to thyroid hormones. TSH promotes metabolism of glucose, phospholipids, and nucleic acids in the thyroid. In the adipose tissue, TSH enhances glucose uptake, degradation of lipids, and oxygen consumption. TSH and TSH metabolites bind to cell membrane of retroorbital tissue and increases adenylate cyclase activity, causing exophthalmos. The most characteristic syndrome of TSH deficiency is the reduction of the thyroid function, in other words, decreases in thyroid hormone production and secretion.