Chapter 7 - The Endocrine Glands Flashcards
(169 cards)
The thyroid gland consists of ____ lobes of endocrine tissue
2
What are the major thyroid secretory cells?
follicular cells
What is the functional unit of the thyroid gland?
a follicle
What is a follicle?
-follicular cells arranged in hollow spheres
-the lumen is filled with colloid
What is the purpose of the colloid?
it serves as an extracellular storage site for thyroid hormone (TH)
Thyroglobulin (Tg)
-a large protein molecule
-the chief constituent of the colloid
What are the two iodine containing hormones produced by follicular cells?
-Thyroxine (aka T4 or tetraiodothyronine)
-Tri-iodothyronine (T3)
What are the iodine-containing hormones derived from?
amino acid tyrosine
____% of the hormone secreted is T4 and the other 10% is T3
90
Together T3 and T4 make ____
thyroid hormone
Where are C cells housed?
between the follicles in the interstitial space
What do C cells secrete?
calcitonin (calci-bone-in)
What are the two basic ingredients of TH?
iodine and tyrosine
How is tyrosine obtained?
synthesized by the body (housed in Tg)
How is iodine obtained?
dietary intake
Where does TH synthesis occur?
on thyroglobulin molecules within the colloid
How is Tg (+ tyrosine) exported into follicular cells colloid?
exocytosis
How is iodine brought into colloid?
iodine pump
Where does iodine attach to tyrosine?
in the colloid
Where is TH stored until they are split off and secreted?
in the colloid
Enough TH is stored to supply the body for how long?
several months
T3 and T4 are stored bound to _____
thyroglobulin
How are T3 and T4 ‘freed’?
-follicular cells phagocytize a piece of colloid to break the Tg molecule down
-T3 and T4 diffuse across plasma membrane into the blood
How many iodine molecules does T3 contain?
3