Final answer:
The statement is False; the sodium-iodide symporter's ability to transport iodide along with sodium is indirectly dependent on the sodium-potassium pump, which maintains the sodium ion gradient used by the symporter.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that iodide is transported into the follicular cell along with sodium by the sodium-iodide symport pump, but it is not dependent on the Sodium-potassium pump is False. While the sodium-iodide symport does actively transport iodide ions into the follicular cells using the gradient created by sodium, this process is indirectly dependent on the sodium-potassium pump.
The sodium-potassium pump is an active transport mechanism which maintains a low concentration of sodium ions inside the cell by pumping them out, thus creating the concentration gradient that the sodium-iodide symporter relies on to function. Because the concentration of iodide ions 'trapped' in the follicular cells is many times higher than the concentration in the bloodstream, an energy source is required to maintain this gradient, and the sodium-potassium pump plays a vital role in this mechanism by pumping sodium out of the cells against the concentration gradient, thus sustaining the driving force for the sodium-iodide symporter.