Browsing by Author "Konschuh, Shaelen Alanna"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Membrane-Associated Thyroid Hormone Receptors Mediate Developmental Angiogenesis in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)
    (2015-01-08) Konschuh, Shaelen Alanna; Habibi, Hamid
    Thyroid hormone (TH) is an important regulator of growth, differentiation, and metabolism. The function of nuclear thyroid receptors, which are ligand-activated transcription factors that regulate gene expression, has been well-studied. However, TH also induces signaling events that are mediated by a recently discovered membrane receptor. Angiogenesis has been identified as a downstream physiological function influenced by TH membrane signaling. The primary objective of my thesis was to investigate the role of TH in the developing vertebrate vasculature during embryogenesis. My study provides important novel information showing that TH is involved in angiogenesis during embryonic development in the zebrafish and regulates vascular sprouting, morphology, and patterning. I have also shown that the control of angiogenesis by TH is only partially influenced by changes in the expression level of angiogenic genes. The limited transcriptional sensitivity that I observed indicates it is likely that other factors predominantly underlie the vascular response to TH.