Evidence for an active step in thyroid hormone transport to nuclei: drug inhibition of L-125I-triiodothyronine binding to nuclear receptors in rat pituitary tumor cells.

When added to intact GH4Cl or GH3 cells, cytochalasin b, dansylcadaverine, and chloroquine inhibited the binding of L-125I-triiodothyronine (T3) to nuclear receptors within 30 min. These drugs also reduced the amount of 125I-T3 in the post-nuclear supernatant fraction of cells lysed with Triton X-100. If 125I-T3 was added before the drugs, 125I-T3 that was already bound did not dissociate, but further binding was blocked. Inhibition due to 10 microM cytochalasin b or 150 microM dansylcadaverine was reversible within 2 h of drug removal, and inhibition due to 150 microM chloroquine was partially reversible. Drug inhibition was overcome as the T3 concentration was raised. These drugs did not significantly inhibit 125I-T3 binding to isolated nuclei, and nuclei isolated from drug-treated cultures bound as much 125I-T3 as control nuclei. The results suggest that thyroid hormones reach their nuclear binding sites by an active transport process which is inhibited by the drugs studied.