The Thyroid as a Model Endocrine System

Abstract

The focus of this conference is on the regulation of growth and differentiated function of the thyroid gland. Our expectation is that the information and the insight that will be developed can serve as a model for other endocrine organs and, even more broadly, might contribute to an understanding of the growth and function of any specialized group of cells in a multi-cellular organism. In the vernacular of our time, we speak of communication between cells by chemical means. We know that this form of communication occurs at all levels of the plant and animal kingdoms, from sex factors exchanged between single yeast cells, to pheromones exchanged between insects, and on to endocrine organs of higher animals whose chemical signals are called hormones, and are transported to distant targets through a circulatory system.