Thyroid hormone deficiency alters extracellular matrix protein expression in rat brain

The effects of thyroid hormone (T-3) deficiency on extracellular matrix protein expression were analyzed in newborn rat brain. In hypothyroid animals, a marked increase in the expression of 62 kDa protein was observed in cerebral hemispheres and midbrain, while the 51.6 kDa protein was increased in cerebral hemispheres and decreased in midbrain and the 44.5 kDa protein was down regulated in both structures. On the basis of molecular weights, these proteins may be the proteoglycans cerebroglycan, glypican and N-Syndecan, respectively. In addition, hypothyroidism reduced fibronectin expression in midbrain (-59.7%), but not in cerebral hemispheres. T-3 deficiency affects differently the expression of proteins in different brain regions. This may be involved in brain impairment caused by hypothyroidism. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.