Expression of thyroid hormone receptor-alpha in the growth and development of the sea bream (sparus aurata)

摘要

Thyroid hormones (THs) play a number of roles in vertebrate organisms. In mammals, in addition to influencing basic metabolic rate, THs affect prenatal and post-natal development, with transgenic mice lacking the thyroid hormone receptor (TR)-alpha dying within a few weeks of birth, apparently due to an inability to complete some of the maturation processes required for survival in the post-weaning period (Fraichard et al., 1997). Additionally, TH deficiency during differentiation causes a number of abnormalities including neurological and skeletal defects.