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Our results suggest that human placenta and choriocarcinoma cells secrete transthyretin, which binds extracellular T(4), and that T(4) binding results in increased internalization of TTR-T(4) complex. TTR production by trophoblasts may represent a mechanism to allow transfer of maternal thyroid hormone to the fetal circulation that could have important implications for fetal development.
Landers et al. (Wed,) studied this question.