- published: 12 Jun 2014
- views: 11137
Thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG) binds thyroid hormone in circulation. It is one of three proteins (along with transthyretin and albumin) responsible for carrying the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and 3,5,3’-triiodothyronine (T3) in the bloodstream. Of these three proteins, TBG has the highest affinity for T4 and T3, but is present in the lowest concentration. Despite its low concentration, TBG carries the majority of T4 in the blood. Due to the very low concentration of T4 & T3 in the blood, TBG is rarely more than 25% saturated with its ligand. Unlike transthyretin and albumin, TBG has a single binding site for T4/T3. TBG is synthesized primarily in the liver as a 54 kDa protein. In terms of genomics, TBG is a serpin; however, it has no inhibitory function like many other members of this class of proteins.
TBG tests are sometimes used in finding the reason for elevated or diminished levels of thyroid hormone. This is done by measuring resin binding to labeled thyroid hormone, which happens only when the labeled thyroid hormone is free.