In view of the profound effects of thyroid hormone deficiency on the central nervous system (CNS), neuronal genes regulated by thyroid hormone could potentially be involved in the development of the CNS. Expression of the neuronal gene RC3/neurogranin was shown to be induced by thyroid hormone in the rat. No data are available on RC3 expression in mammals with prenatal brain development, like humans. To study RC3 mRNA expression in a genetic in vivo model of congenital hypothyroidism, which also resembles the human situation in the timing of brain development relative to birth, we used an inbred strain of congenitally hypothyroid goats. We isolated a cDNA for the caprine RC3 homolog. The deduced amino acid sequence had 99% similarity with the rat and bovine protein sequence. An analysis of the developmental expression of RC3 mRNA levels showed a 3-fold increase between E90 and P0. In situ hybridization analysis showed that in euthyroid goats, the RC3 expression pattern was region-specific and resembled that in rats. However, in contrast to rats, hypothyroid goats showed only a reduced RC3 mRNA expression in the striatum. Hypothyroidism had no effect on RC3 mRNA expression in all other brain regions. T4-treatment of the hypothyroid fetus increased RC3 mRNA expression in the striatum to euthyroid control levels. These data suggest that thyroid hormone is a regulator of RC3 gene expression in the caprine brain, and that the striatum is highly sensitive to thyroid hormone deficiency.
