Effect of biological alterations of type I 5'deiodinase activity on affinity labeled membrane proteins in rat liver and kidney

Type I iodothyronine 5'deiodinase (5'D-I) is a membrane-bound enzyme catalyzing the deiodination of T4 to T3. The affinity label, N-bromoacetyl-thyroxine (BrAcT4), has previously been used to characterize a 27 kilodalton protein (p27) from rat liver and kidney microsomes with characteristics of the catalytic subunit of the 5'D-I. We examined the effect of physiological conditions, known to alter 5'D-I activity, on affinity-labeled proteins in rat liver and kidney microsomes. To confirm that the affinity labeled protein was associated with the deiodinase, we treated rats with the active site directed enzyme inhibitor, propylthiouracil (PTU), in the absence and presence of 100-fold excess methimazole (MMI), an antithyroid drug which blocks PTU inhibition of 5'D-I in vivo. In addition, we used the affinity label as a probe to measure 5'D-I levels in membrane preparations from short and long term fasted rats. Rats were treated ip with PTU (50 micrograms/100 g BW) or MMI (5 mg/100 g BW); in a second experiment, groups of rats were fasted for 4 days (4 D), 1 day (1 D), or fed ad lib (C) and hepatic and kidney microsomes were prepared. 5'D-I activity and 5'D-I content, as judged by specific incorporation of the affinity label into p27, were determined. PTU decreased both 5'D-I activity and BrACT incorporation into p27 by 60-65%. Coadministration of MMI attenuated the effect of PTU on 5'D-I activity and p27 affinity labeling. No other affinity labeled proteins were affected. In fasting experiments, the changes in affinity labeling of p27 paralleled the changes in 5'D-I activity. 5'D-I activity was significantly decreased in hepatic microsomes obtained from 4 D-fasted rats as compared to C rats, but was unchanged in hepatic microsomes from 1 D-fasted rats or in kidney microsomes from 1 D or 4 D-fasted rats as compared to C. Maximal BrAcT4 incorporation into p27 decreased by 45% in hepatic microsomes from 4 D-starved rats as compared to C (6.7 +/- 0.9 vs. 11.9 +/- 1.5 pmol BrAcT4 incorporated/mg microsomal protein, respectively). There was no change in p27 content in hepatic microsomes from 1 D-starved rats (11.2 +/- 1.1). Starvation failed to alter the BrAcT4 labeling of kidney microsomes (16.7 +/- 4.4, 16.2 +/- 6.6, and 14.8 +/- 3.2 pmol BrAcT4 in 4 D, 1 D, and C rats, respectively). In this study, we have demonstrated that alterations in biological activity of 5'D-I correspond to alterations in affinity labeling of p27.