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Seven is in many European countries considered as a lucky number (thirteen
being an unlucky). Seven (Concise Oxford Dictionary) is one more than six,
or three less than ten, the sum of four units and three units. The Seven
Wonders of the World were seven buildings or monuments, regarded in antiquity
as specially remarkable. But endocrinology and seven? Sure: the TSH thyroid
receptor, as well as other transmembrane polypeptide hormone receptors,
has seven transmembrane domains. Why seven? The other similar receptors
(for catecholamines, insulin) possess only one or two. Recently I learned
from my immunology friends that some immunological membrane receptors have
ten transmembrane domains, but not the hormones. The number of seven for
peptide hormone transmembrane receptor domains is open for an explanation.
All readers of the journal "Thyroid Gland - Clinical and Experimental"
are invited to comment, discuss, or oppose any of the seven thyroid gland
enigmas, as well as the magic number seven. Your contributions will be
published in the next issues of the Journal.
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