Abnormal heart rate and body temperature in mice lacking thyroid hormone receptor α1

Thyroid hormone, acting through several nuclear hormone receptors, plays important roles in thermogenesis, lipogenesis and maturation of the neonatal brain. The receptor specificity for mediating these effects is largely unknown, and to determine this we developed mice lacking the thyroid hormone receptor TRα1. The mice have an average heart rate 20% lower than that of control animals, both under normal conditions and after thyroid hormone stimulation. Electrocardiograms show that the mice also have prolonged QRS- and QT(end)-durations. The mice have a body temperature 0.5°C lower than normal and exhibit a mild hypothyroidism, whereas their overall behavior and reproduction are normal. The results identify specific and important roles for TRα1 in regulation of tightly controlled physiological functions, such as cardiac pacemaking, ventricular repolarisation and control of body temperature.