Effects of thyroid hormone on UTP content and uridine kinase activity of rat heart and skeletal muscle.

In rats made hyperthyroid by daily intramuscular injections of 250 microgram thyroxine (T4)/100 g body wt for 5 days, uridine kinase activity of extracts of psoas and cardiac muscle was markedly increased Vmax of the enzyme was elevated with no change in the apparent Km for uridine. In animals treated as above, significant increases in UTP and total uracil nucleotide contents were observed in heart and skeletal muscle. Twelve hours after a single intraperitoneal injection of 30 microgram/100 g body wt of 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3), cardiac uridine kinase was significantly increased. Brain uridine kinase was unaffected by thyroid hormone treatment. In thyroidectomized rats, uridine kinase activity was lower than normal. The effect of thyroidectomy on uridine kinase activity was overcome by daily subcutaneous injections of 3 microgram T4/100 g body wt for 7 days. The rise in cardiac uridine kinase activity produced by T3 could be prevented by prior administration of actinomycin D.