S-100 protein in the brain of hypothyroid adult rats: an immunochemical and immunocytochemical study.

The levels and the distribution of S-100 protein were studied in the brain of hypothyroid adult rats. The concentration of the protein was significantly increased in the soluble fraction of hypothyroid rat brain as compared with controls (P less than 0.001). This finding probably reflects the increased number of astroglial cells, which has been widely reported in hypothyroid adult rats. The immunocytochemical ultrastructural distribution of the protein in the cerebellar cortex was not affected by thyroid deficiency. The protein was thus confined to the cytoplasm and the nucleus of the astroglial cells both in treated and untreated rats.