In vitro effects of thyroxine on the chromosomes of human lymphocytes

Thyroxine, as one of the principle hormones of the thyroid gland, plays a primary role in human growth and development, as evidenced by the plethora of molecular processes with which it has been linked. Tapley (1964) reports that it causes an increase in enzyme activity, stimulates amino acid incorporation into the proteins, produces an alteration in the rate of protein leakage from the mitochondrial membrane, and more generally, increases the basal metabolic rate. Although thyroid hormones have been linked with the stimulation of more than fifty key enzymes, the mechanism of thyroxine action still remains obscure