The uptake and metabolism of T3 and T4 were investigated in cardiomyocytes isolated from 2-day-old rats. Myocytes (2-5 x 10(5) cells/well) were cultured for 1 day in medium with 5% horse serum-5% FCS and subsequently for 4 days without serum; in some cases myocytes were cultured with serum throughout the culture period. Experiments were performed at 37 C in medium with 0.5% BSA for measurement of [125I]T3 (200,000 cpm; 200 pM) uptake and with 0.1% BSA for measurement of [125I]T4 (200,000 cpm; 350 pM) uptake. Uptake of [125I]T3, expressed as femtomoles per picomolar concentration of free hormone, with any incubation time between 15 min and 24 h was at least 2-fold higher than that of [125I]T4. Neither T3 nor T4 was deiodinated within 24 h. This was observed in cells cultured in the absence or presence of serum. After 15 min of incubation, [125I]T3 uptake was 0.048 +/- 0.002 fmol/pM free T3 (n = 9), and [125I]T4 uptake was 0.018 +/- 0.003 fmol/pM free T4 (n = 9). Although [125I]T3 uptake was reduced by 31-40% (P < 0.05) by coincubation with 100 nM to 10 microM unlabeled T3, that of [125I]T4 was not affected by 1 nM to 10 microM unlabeled T4, nor was [125I]T3 uptake reduced by 10 microM unlabeled T4. Preincubation (30 min) and incubation (15 min) with 10 microM oligomycin reduced cellular ATP by 56% (P < 0.05) and [125I]T3 uptake by 73% (P < 0.05), but had no effect on [125I]T4 uptake. Similarly, [125I]T3 uptake, but not [125I]T4 uptake, was dependent on temperature and partly dependent on the Na+ gradient, as shown by the inhibitory effect of 10 microM monensin (27%; P < 0.05). The effect of aromatic amino acids (2 mM) on [125I]T3 uptake increased in the order phenylalanine < tyrosine < tryptophan. It is concluded that T3 is taken up in neonatal cardiomyocytes by an energy-dependent carrier-mediated mechanism that is also partly dependent on the Na+ gradient. Such a transport mechanism for T4 is not present in the neonatal heart, but it may appear later during development.

The effects of the Ca2+ channel blockers verapamil, nifedipine, and diltiazem on triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) uptake were tested in cultured cardiomyocytes from 2-day-old rats. Experiments were performed at 37 degrees C in medium with 0.5% BSA for [125I]T3 (100 pM) or 0.1% BSA for [125I]T4 (350 pM). The 15-min uptake of [125I]T3 was 0.124 +/- 0.013 fmol/pM free T3 (n = 6); [125I]T4 uptake was 0.032 +/- 0.003 fmol/pM free T4 (n = 12). Neither T3 nor T4 uptake was affected by 1% DMSO (diluent for nifedipine and verapamil). Uptake of [125I]T3 but not of [125I]T4 was dose dependently reduced by incubation with 1-100 microM verapamil (49-87%, P < 0.05) or nifedipine (53-81%, P < 0.05). The relative decline in [125I]T3 uptake after 4 h of incubation with 10 microM verapamil or nifedipine was less than after 15 min or 1 h, indicating that the major inhibitory effect of the Ca2+ channel blockers occurred at the level of the plasma membrane. The reduction of nuclear [125I]T3 binding by 10 microM verapamil or nifedipine was proportional to the reduction of cellular [125I]T3 uptake. Diltiazem (1-100 microM) had no dose-dependent effect on [125I]T3 uptake but reduced [125I]T4 uptake by 45% (P < 0.05) at each concentration tested. Neither the presence of 20 mM K+ nor the presence of low Ca2+ in the medium affected [125I]T3 uptake. In conclusion, the inhibitory effects of Ca2+ channel blockers on T3 uptake in cardiomyocytes are not secondary to their effects on Ca2+ influx but, rather, reflect interference with the putative T3 carrier in the plasma membrane.

Cellular and nuclear uptake of [125 I]tri-iodothyronine (T 3 ) and [125 I]triiodothyroacetic acid (Triac) were compared in cardiomyocytes of 2-3 day old rats, and the effect of thyroid hormone analogs on cellular T 3 uptake was measured. Cells (5-10 10 5 per well) were cultured in DMEM-M199 with 5% horse serum and 5% FCS. Incubations were performed for from 15 min to 24 h at 37 C in the same medium, 0·5% BSA and [125 I]T 3 (100 pM), or [ 125 I]Triac (240 pM). Expressed as % dose, T 3 uptake was five times Triac uptake, but expressed as fmol/pM free hormone, Triac uptake was at least 30% (P<0·001) greater than T 3 uptake, whereas the relative nuclear binding of the two tracers was comparable. The 15 min uptake of [ 125