Thyroid vertebrates. In fish, it is usually located below the gills and is not always divided into distinct lobes. However, in some teleosts, patches of thyroid tissue are found elsewhere in the body, associated with the kidneys, spleen, heart, or eyes. In tetrapods, the thyroid is always found somewhere in the neck region. In most tetrapod species, there are two paired thyroid glands – that is, the right and left lobes are not joined together. However, there is only ever a single thyroid gland in most mammals, and the shape found in humans is common to many other species. In larval
Thyroid peroxidase Thyroid peroxidase Thyroid peroxidase, also called thyroperoxidase (TPO) or iodide peroxidase, is an enzyme expressed mainly in the thyroid where it is secreted into colloid. Thyroid peroxidase oxidizes iodide ions to form iodine atoms for addition onto tyrosine residues on thyroglobulin for the production of thyroxine (T) or triiodothyronine (T), the thyroid hormones. In humans, thyroperoxidase is encoded by the "TPO" gene. + I + H+ HO ⇒ + 2 HO Iodide is oxidized to iodine radical which immediately reacts with tyrosine. The second iodine atom is added in similar manner to the reaction intermediate 3-iodotyrosine. Inorganic iodine enters the