TSH对甲状腺外组织器官的调节作用是当前内分泌专业领域的研究热点。我们的前期研究结果提示，TSH与受体结合后，通过激活cAMP/PKA/CREB信号通路在肝脏胆固醇合成中起到关键作用。而近年来的流行病学调查发现，TSH不仅与总胆固醇水平有关，与脂蛋白的组成也密切相关，是否TSH在胆固醇转运中也起到重要的作用？国内外至今未见相关报道。.胆固醇酯转运蛋白（CETP）是胆固醇代谢中重要的转运蛋白，肝脏是主要的血浆CETP来源。本项目拟围绕TSH与CETP，采用体内（手术切除甲状腺、药物诱发甲减、TSHR基因敲除等多种动物模型）和体外（TSH刺激肝细胞和干扰信号转导等技术）相结合的研究策略，探索TSH与TSHR结合后，是否通过影响CETP的表达参与胆固醇转运的调节及其相关的机制。 .本课题是一项较强的创新性研究，可开拓对TSH生理作用的认识。

The regulatory effects of TSH on the tissues and organs besides thyroid is one of hotspots in the field of endocrinology.We demonstrated that TSH played a key role in cholesterol synthesis in liver cells, by acting on the TSH receptor and stimulating the cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling system. However, TSH is not only related to the level of cholesterol, but also related to the component of lipoprotein according to the data from the recent epidemiological investigations. So far, whether TSH plays a crucial role in the transport of cholesterol has not yet been found in any literature. .Cholesteryl Ester Transfer Protein (CETP) is an important transportprotein in cholesterol metabolism. It is secreted primarily by the liver tissue.This project is around the TSH and CETP, using in vivo (through surgical resection of the thyroid gland, drug induced hypothyroid, TSHR gene knock out and so on to produce different kind of animal models) and in vitro (by TSH stimulating liver cells and disturbance signal transduction technology) experimental approaches with the combination of research strategy. The aim of this study is to investigate whether TSH influence cholesterol transport via regulating the expression of CETP after binding to TSHR on hepatocytes, and explore the related mechanism..This is a strong innovative research, which can open up the understanding of the TSH physiological function.