SUMMARY Renal iodide clearance in rats was reduced rapidly when the animals were fed a protein-depletion diet. If the iodine content of the protein-depletion diet is high, this results in an increase in the serum iodide levels to concentrations in excess of 150 μg./100 ml. Protein-bound iodine was elevated due to the accumulation of iodinated serum albumin. Thyroid hormonal iodoamino acid content was transiently depressed, presumably by the mechanism described by Wolff & Chaikoff (1948). Thyroxine metabolism was not affected except for a change in the partition of thyroxine between liver and serum. There was no evidence for pituitary involvement in the effects of protein depletion on thyroid function.