Defective uptake and utilization of long chain fatty acids in muscle and adipose tissues of CD36 knockout mice

The transmembrane protein CD36 has been identified in isolated cell studies as a putative transporter of long chain fatty acids. In humans, an association between CD36 deficiency and defective myocardial uptake of the fatty acid analog 15-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(R, S)-methyl pentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) has been reported. To determine whether this association represents a causal link and to assess the physiological role of CD36, we compared tissue uptake and metabolism of two iodinated fatty acid analogs BMIPP and 15-(p-iodophenyl) pentadecanoic acid (IPPA) in CD36 null and wild type mice. We also investigated the uptake and lipid incorporation of palmitate by adipocytes isolated from both groups. Compared with wild type, uptake of BMIPP and IPPA was reduced in heart (50-80%), skeletal muscle (40-75%), and adipose tissues (60-70%) of null mice. The reduction was associated with a 50-68% decrease in label incorporation into triglycerides and in 2-3-fold accumulation of label in diglycerides. Identical results were obtained from studies of [(3)H]palmitate uptake in isolated adipocytes. The block in diglyceride to triglyceride conversion could not be explained by changes in specific activities of the key enzymes long chain acyl-CoA synthetase and diacylglycerol acyltransferase, which were similar in tissues from wild type and null mice. It is concluded that CD36 facilitates a large fraction of fatty acid uptake by heart, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissues and that CD36 deficiency in humans is the cause of the reported defect in myocardial BMIPP uptake. In CD36-expressing tissues, uptake regulates fatty acid esterification at the level of diacylglycerol acyltransferase by determining fatty acyl-CoA supply. The membrane transport step may represent an important control site for fatty acid metabolism in vivo.     

Identification of fatty acid translocase on human skeletal muscle mitochondrial membranes: essential role in fatty acid oxidation

Fatty acid translocase (FAT/CD36) is a transport protein with a high affinity for long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). It was recently identified on rat skeletal muscle mitochondrial membranes and found to be required for palmitate uptake and oxidation. Our aim was to identify the presence and elucidate the role of FAT/CD36 on human skeletal muscle mitochondrial membranes. We demonstrate that FAT/CD36 is present in highly purified human skeletal mitochondria. Blocking of human muscle mitochondrial FAT/CD36 with the specific inhibitor sulfo-N-succimidyl-oleate (SSO) decreased palmitate oxidation in a dose-dependent manner. At maximal SSO concentrations (200 muM) palmitate oxidation was decreased by 95% (P<0.01), suggesting an important role for FAT/CD36 in LCFA transport across the mitochondrial membranes. SSO treatment of mitochondria did not affect mitochondrial octanoate oxidation and had no effect on maximal and submaximal carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I) activity. However, SSO treatment did inhibit palmitoylcarnitine oxidation by 92% (P<0.001), suggesting that FAT/CD36 may be playing a role downstream of CPT I activity, possibly in the transfer of palmitoylcarnitine from CPT I to carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase. These data provide new insight regarding human skeletal muscle mitochondrial fatty acid (FA) transport, and suggest that FAT/CD36 could be involved in the cellular and mitochondrial adaptations resulting in improved and/or impaired states of FA oxidation.     

Human Uncoupling Protein‐3 and Obesity: An Update

The cloning of the uncoupling protein (UCP)1 homologs UCP2 and UCP3 has raised considerable interest in the mechanism. The expression of UCP3 mainly in skeletal muscle mitochondria and the potency of the skeletal muscle as a thermogenic organ made UCP3 an attractive target for studies toward manipulation of energy expenditure to fight disorders such as obesity and type 2 diabetes. Overexpressing UCP3 in mice resulted in lean, hyperphagic mice. However, the lack of an apparent phenotype in mice lacking UCP3 triggered the search for alternative functions of UCP3. The observation that fatty acid levels significantly affect UCP3 expression has given UCP3 a position in fatty acid handling and/or oxidation. Emerging data indicate that the primary physiological role of UCP3 may be the mitochondrial handling of fatty acids rather than the regulation of energy expenditure through thermogenesis. It has been proposed that UCP3 functions to export fatty acid anions away from the mitochondrial matrix. In doing so, fatty acids are exchanged with protons, explaining the uncoupling activity of UCP3. The exported fatty acid anions may originate from hydrolysis of fatty acid esters by a mitochondrial thioesterase, or they may have entered the mitochondria as nonesterified fatty acids by incorporating into and flip‐flopping across the mitochondrial inner membrane. Regardless of the origin of the fatty acid anions, this putative function of UCP3 might be of great importance in protecting mitochondria against fatty acid accumulation and may help to maintain muscular fat oxidative capacity.     

Novel role of FATP1 in mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in skeletal muscle cells

Carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (CPT1) catalyzes the first step in long-chain fatty acid import into mitochondria, and it is believed to be rate limiting for β-oxidation of fatty acids. However, in muscle, other proteins may collaborate with CPT1. Fatty acid translocase/CD36 (FAT/CD36) may interact with CPT1 and contribute to fatty acid import into mitochondria in muscle. Here, we demonstrate that another membrane-bound fatty acid binding protein, fatty acid transport protein 1 (FATP1), collaborates with CPT1 for fatty acid import into mitochondria. Overexpression of FATP1 using adenovirus in L6E9 myotubes increased both fatty acid oxidation and palmitate esterification into triacylglycerides. Moreover, immunocytochemistry assays in transfected L6E9 myotubes showed that FATP1 was present in mitochondria and coimmunoprecipitated with CPT1 in L6E9 myotubes and rat skeletal muscle in vivo. The cooverexpression of FATP1 and CPT1 also enhanced mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation, similar to the cooverexpression of FAT/CD36 and CPT1. However, etomoxir, an irreversible inhibitor of CPT1, blocked all these effects. These data reveal that FATP1, like FAT/CD36, is associated with mitochondria and has a role in mitochondrial oxidation of fatty acids.     

Skeletal muscle mitochondrial FAT/CD36 content and palmitate oxidation are not decreased in obese women

A reduction in fatty acid oxidation has been associated with lipid accumulation and insulin resistance in the skeletal muscle of obese individuals. We examined whether this decrease in fatty acid oxidation was attributable to a reduction in muscle mitochondrial content and/or a dysfunction in fatty acid oxidation within mitochondria obtained from skeletal muscle of age-matched, lean [body mass index (BMI) = 23.3 +/- 0.7 kg/m2] and obese women (BMI = 37.6 +/- 2.2 kg/m2). The mitochondrial marker enzymes citrate synthase (-34%), beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (-17%), and cytochrome c oxidase (-32%) were reduced (P < 0.05) in obese participants, indicating that mitochondrial content was diminished. Obesity did not alter the ability of isolated mitochondria to oxidize palmitate; however, fatty acid oxidation was reduced at the whole muscle level by 28% (P < 0.05) in the obese. Mitochondrial fatty acid translocase (FAT/CD36) did not differ in lean and obese individuals, but mitochondrial FAT/CD36 was correlated with mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (r = 0.67, P < 0.05). We conclude that the reduction in fatty acid oxidation in obese individuals is attributable to a decrease in mitochondrial content, not to an intrinsic defect in the mitochondria obtained from skeletal muscle of obese individuals. In addition, it appears that mitochondrial FAT/CD36 may be involved in regulating fatty acid oxidation in human skeletal muscle.     

Putative function and physiological relevance of the mitochondrial uncoupling protein-3: involvement in fatty acid metabolism?

The discovery of the human homologue of the thermogenic protein UCP1, named uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3), boosted research on the role of this skeletal muscle protein in energy metabolism and body weight regulation. Nowadays, 9 years after its discovery emerging data indicate that the primary physiological role of UCP3 may be the mitochondrial handling of fatty acids rather than regulating energy expenditure via thermogenesis. UCP3 has been proposed to export fatty acid anions or fatty acid peroxides away from the matrix-side of the mitochondrial inner membrane to prevent their deleterious accumulation. In this way, UCP3 could protect mitochondria against lipid-induced oxidative mitochondrial damage, a function especially important under conditions of high fatty acid supply to skeletal muscle mitochondria. Such function may be clinically relevant in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus, a condition characterized by muscular fat accumulation, mitochondrial damage and low levels of UCP3.     

A novel function for fatty acid translocase (FAT)/CD36: involvement in long chain fatty acid transfer into the mitochondria

Fatty acid translocase (FAT)/CD36 is a long chain fatty acid transporter present at the plasma membrane, as well as in intracellular pools of skeletal muscle. In this study, we assessed the unexpected presence of FAT/CD36 in both subsarcolemmal and intermyofibril fractions of highly purified mitochondria. Functional assessments demonstrated that the mitochondria could bind (14)C-labeled palmitate, but could only oxidize it in the presence of carnitine. However, the addition of sulfo-N-succinimidyl oleate, a known inhibitor of FAT/CD36, resulted in an 87 and 85% reduction of palmitate oxidation in subsarcolemmal and intermyofibril fractions, respectively. Further studies revealed that maximal carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPTI) activity in vitro was inhibited by succinimidyl oleate (42 and 48% reduction). Interestingly, CPTI immunoprecipitated with FAT/CD36, indicating a physical pairing. Tissue differences in mitochondrial FAT/CD36 protein follow the same pattern as the capacity for fatty acid oxidation (heart > red muscle > white muscle). Additionally, chronic stimulation of hindlimb muscles (7 days) increased FAT/CD36 expression and also resulted in a concomitant increase in mitochondrial FAT/CD36 content (46 and 47% increase). Interestingly, with acute electrical stimulation of hindlimb muscles (30 min), FAT/CD36 expression was not altered, but there was an increase in the mitochondrial content of FAT/CD36 compared with the non-stimulated control limb (35 and 37% increase). Together, these data suggest a role for FAT/CD36 in mitochondrial long chain fatty acid uptake and demonstrate system flexibility to match FAT/CD36 mitochondrial content with an increased capacity for fatty acid oxidation, possibly involving translocation of FAT/CD36 to the mitochondria.     

Cold exposure differently influences mitochondrial energy efficiency in rat liver and skeletal muscle

This study deals with mitochondrial energy efficiency in liver and skeletal muscle mitochondria in 15 days cold exposed rats. Cold exposure strongly increases the sensitivity to uncoupling by added palmitate of skeletal muscle but not liver mitochondria, while mitochondrial energy coupling in the absence of fatty acids is only slightly affected by cold in liver and skeletal muscle. In addition, uncoupling protein 3 content does not follow changes in skeletal muscle mitochondrial coupling. It is therefore concluded that skeletal muscle could play a direct thermogenic role based on fatty acid-induced mild uncoupling of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation.     

FAT/CD36 is located on the outer mitochondrial membrane, upstream of long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase, and regulates palmitate oxidation

FAT/CD36 (fatty acid translocase/Cluster of Differentiation 36), a plasma membrane fatty-acid transport protein, has been found on mitochondrial membranes; however, it remains unclear where FAT/CD36 resides on this organelle or its functional role within mitochondria. In the present study, we demonstrate, using several different approaches, that in skeletal muscle FAT/CD36 resides on the OMM (outer mitochondrial membrane). To determine the functional role of mitochondrial FAT/CD36 in this tissue, we determined oxygen consumption rates in permeabilized muscle fibres in WT (wild-type) and FAT/CD36-KO (knockout) mice using a variety of substrates. Despite comparable muscle mitochondrial content, as assessed by unaltered mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA), citrate synthase, β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase, cytochrome c oxidase complex IV and respiratory capacities [maximal OXPHOS (oxidative phosphorylation) respiration] in WT and KO mice, palmitate-supported respiration was 34% lower in KO animals. In contrast, palmitoyl-CoA-supported respiration was unchanged. These results indicate that FAT/CD36 is key for palmitate-supported respiration. Therefore we propose a working model of mitochondrial fatty-acid transport, in which FAT/CD36 is positioned on the OMM, upstream of long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase, thereby contributing to the regulation of mitochondrial fatty-acid transport. We further support this model by providing evidence that FAT/CD36 is not located in mitochondrial contact sites, and therefore does not directly interact with carnitine palmitoyltransferase-I as original proposed.     

Intestinal lipid absorption is not affected in CD36 deficient mice

Increasing evidence has implicated the membrane protein CD36 (or fatty acid translocase, FAT) to be involved in high affinity fatty acid uptake. CD36 is expressed in tissues active in fatty acid metabolism, like adipose tissue and skeletal and cardiac muscle, but also in intestine. CD36 is localized in the intestine mainly in the jejunal villi, where it is confined to enterocyte apical membrane.The aim was to determine the role of CD36 in intestinal lipid absorption. Lipid absorption was determined by administering ³H-labeled triolein and ¹⁴C-labeled palmitic acid as an olive oil bolus by intragastric gavage and determine appearance of ³H and ¹⁴C label in plasma, after blocking lipolysis by i.v. injections of Triton WR 1339. Surprisingly, no differences in plasma appearance of ³H-label or ¹⁴C-label were observed in CD36^–/– mice compared to wild type controls. These results suggest that CD36 does not play a role in intestinal lipid absorption after an acute lipid load.     

“自我剪切”2A肽介导的Δ-12和ω-3脂肪酸脱氢酶以及过氧化氢酶在转基因小鼠肌肉表达研究

哺乳动物因为缺乏Δ-12和ω-3脂肪酸脱氢酶,不能自身合成必需的多不饱和脂肪酸．目前,通过转基因技术在哺乳动物体内表达ω-3脂肪酸脱氢酶,能将长链的n-6多不饱和脂肪酸转化成n-3多不饱和脂肪酸,造成体内长链的n-6多不饱和脂肪酸含量显著减低．本研究通过自我剪切2A肽介导Δ-12和ω-3脂肪酸脱氢酶(FAT-2和FAT-1)以及人过氧化氢酶(human catalase,hCAT)在小鼠的肌肉同时表达．结果表明,转基因小鼠肌肉中长链n-3多不饱和脂肪酸含量提高2.6倍,长链n-6多不饱和脂肪酸含量没有显著变化,而n-6/n-3比例显著降低(P < 0.01)．同时蛋白质印迹检测到人过氧化氢酶hCAT在小鼠的肌肉组织中表达,且过氧化氢酶活性比野生型小鼠显著提高(P < 0.01)．     

In vivo, fatty acid translocase (CD36) critically regulates skeletal muscle fuel selection, exercise performance, and training-induced adaptation of fatty acid oxidation

For ~40 years it has been widely accepted that (i) the exercise-induced increase in muscle fatty acid oxidation (FAO) is dependent on the increased delivery of circulating fatty acids, and (ii) exercise training-induced FAO up-regulation is largely attributable to muscle mitochondrial biogenesis. These long standing concepts were developed prior to the recent recognition that fatty acid entry into muscle occurs via a regulatable sarcolemmal CD36-mediated mechanism. We examined the role of CD36 in muscle fuel selection under basal conditions, during a metabolic challenge (exercise), and after exercise training. We also investigated whether CD36 overexpression, independent of mitochondrial changes, mimicked exercise training-induced FAO up-regulation. Under basal conditions CD36-KO versus WT mice displayed reduced fatty acid transport (-21%) and oxidation (-25%), intramuscular lipids (less than or equal to -31%), and hepatic glycogen (-20%); but muscle glycogen, VO(2max), and mitochondrial content and enzymes did not differ. In acutely exercised (78% VO(2max)) CD36-KO mice, fatty acid transport (-41%), oxidation (-37%), and exercise duration (-44%) were reduced, whereas muscle and hepatic glycogen depletions were accelerated by 27-55%, revealing 2-fold greater carbohydrate use. Exercise training increased mtDNA and β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase similarly in WT and CD36-KO muscles, but FAO was increased only in WT muscle (+90%). Comparable CD36 increases, induced by exercise training (+44%) or by CD36 overexpression (+41%), increased FAO similarly (84-90%), either when mitochondrial biogenesis and FAO enzymes were up-regulated (exercise training) or when these were unaltered (CD36 overexpression). Thus, sarcolemmal CD36 has a key role in muscle fuel selection, exercise performance, and training-induced muscle FAO adaptation, challenging long held views of mechanisms involved in acute and adaptive regulation of muscle FAO.     

Age-dependent regulation of skeletal muscle mitochondria by the thrombospondin-1 receptor CD47

CD47, a receptor for thrombospondin-1, limits two important regulatory axes: nitric oxide-cGMP signaling and cAMP signaling, both of which can promote mitochondrial biogenesis. Electron microscopy revealed increased mitochondrial densities in skeletal muscle from both CD47 null and thrombospondin-1 null mice. We further assessed the mitochondria status of CD47-null vs WT mice. Quantitative RT-PCR of RNA extracted from tissues of 3 month old mice revealed dramatically elevated expression of mRNAs encoding mitochondrial proteins and PGC-1α in both fast and slow-twitch skeletal muscle from CD47-null mice, but modest to no elevation in other tissues. These observations were confirmed by Western blotting of mitochondrial proteins. Relative amounts of electron transport enzymes and ATP/O₂ ratios of isolated mitochondria were not different between mitochondria from CD47-null and WT cells. Young CD47-null mice displayed enhanced treadmill endurance relative to WTs and CD47-null gastrocnemius had undergone fiber type switching to a slow-twitch pattern of myoglobin and myosin heavy chain expression. In 12 month old mice, both skeletal muscle mitochondrial volume density and endurance had decreased to wild type levels. Expression of myosin heavy chain isoforms and myoglobin also reverted to a fast twitch pattern in gastrocnemius. Both CD47 and TSP1 null mice are leaner than WTs, use less oxygen and produce less heat than WT mice. CD47-null cells produce substantially less reactive oxygen species than WT cells. These data indicate that loss of signaling from the TSP1-CD47 system promotes accumulation of normally functioning mitochondria in a tissue-specific and age-dependent fashion leading to enhanced physical performance, lower reactive oxygen species production and more efficient metabolism.     

Hormone-sensitive lipase deficiency in mice causes diglyceride accumulation in adipose tissue, muscle, and testis.

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) is expressed predominantly in white and brown adipose tissue where it is believed to play a crucial role in the lipolysis of stored triglycerides (TG), thereby providing the body with energy substrate in the form of free fatty acids (FFA). From in vitro assays, HSL is known to hydrolyze TG, diglycerides (DG), cholesteryl esters, and retinyl esters. In the current study we have generated HSL knock-out mice and demonstrate three lines of evidence that HSL is instrumental in the catabolism of DG in vivo. First, HSL deficiency in mice causes the accumulation of DG in white adipose tissue, brown adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and testis. Second, when tissue extracts were used in an in vitro lipase assay, a reduced FFA release and the accumulation of DG was observed in HSL knock-out mice which did not occur when tissue extracts from control mice were used. Third, in vitro lipolysis experiments with HSL-deficient fat pads demonstrated that the isoproterenol-stimulated release of FFA was decreased and DG accumulated intracellularly resulting in the essential absence of the isoproterenol-stimulated glycerol formation typically observed in control fat pads. Additionally, the absence of HSL in white adipose tissue caused a shift of the fatty acid composition of the TG moiety toward increased long chain fatty acids implying a substrate specificity of the enzyme in vivo. From these in vivo results we conclude that HSL is the rate-limiting enzyme for the cellular catabolism of DG in adipose tissue and muscle.     

Essential role for uncoupling protein-3 in mitochondrial adaptation to fasting but not in fatty acid oxidation or fatty acid anion export

Uncoupling protein-3 (UCP3) is a mitochondrial inner membrane protein expressed most abundantly in skeletal muscle and to a lesser extent in heart and brown adipose tissue. Evidence supports a role for UCP3 in fatty acid oxidation (FAO); however, the underlying mechanism has not been explored. In 2001 we proposed a role for UCP3 in fatty acid export, leading to higher FAO rates (Himms-Hagen, J., and Harper, M. E. (2001) Exp. Biol. Med. (Maywood) 226, 78-84). Specifically, this widely held hypothesis states that during elevated FAO rates, UCP3 exports fatty acid anions, thereby maintaining mitochondrial co-enzyme A availability; reactivation of exported fatty acid anions would ultimately enable increased FAO. Here we tested mechanistic aspects of this hypothesis as well as its functional implications, namely increased FAO rates. Using complementary mechanistic approaches in mitochondria from wild-type and Ucp3(-)(/)(-) mice, we find that UCP3 is not required for FAO regardless of substrate type or supply rate covering a 20-fold range. Fatty acid anion export and reoxidation during elevated FAO, although present in skeletal muscle mitochondria, are independent of UCP3 abundance. Interestingly, UCP3 was found to be necessary for the fasting-induced enhancement of FAO rate and capacity, possibly via mitigated mitochondrial oxidative stress. Thus, although our observations indicate that UCP3 can impact FAO rates, the mechanistic basis is not via an integral function for UCP3 in the FAO machinery. Overall our data indicate a function for UCP3 in mitochondrial adaptation to perturbed cellular energy balance and integrate previous observations that have linked UCP3 to reduced oxidative stress and FAO.     

Succinimidyl oleate, established inhibitor of CD36/FAT translocase inhibits complex III of mitochondrial respiratory chain

The functional role of CD36 protein detected in mitochondrial fractions in long chain fatty acid (LCFA) oxidation is unclear due to conflicting results obtained in Cd36 knockout mice and experiments using sulfo-N-succinimidyl oleate (SSO) for inhibition of CD36 mediated LCFA transport. We investigated effect of SSO on mitochondrial respiration and found that SSO substantially inhibits not only LCFA oxidation, but also oxidation of flavoprotein- and NADH-dependent substrates and generation of mitochondrial membrane potential. Experiments in rat liver, heart and kidney mitochondria demonstrated a direct effect on mitochondrial respiratory chain with the most pronounced inhibition of the complex III (IC₅₀ 4 μM SSO). The results presented here show that SSO is a potent and irreversible inhibitor of mitochondrial respiratory chain.     

Increased uncoupling proteins and decreased efficiency in palmitate-perfused hyperthyroid rat heart

The physiological role of mitochondrial uncoupling proteins (UCPs) in heart and skeletal muscle is unknown, as is whether mitochondrial uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation by fatty acids occurs in vivo. In this study, we found that UCP2 and UCP3 protein content, determined using Western blotting, was increased by 32 and 48%, respectively, in hyperthyroid rat heart mitochondria. Oligomycin-insensitive respiration rate, a measure of mitochondrial uncoupling, was increased in all mitochondria in the presence of palmitate: 36% in controls and 71 and 100% with 0.8 and 0.9 mM palmitate, respectively, in hyperthyroid rat heart mitochondria. In the isolated working heart, 0.4 mM palmitate significantly lowered cardiac output by 36% and cardiac efficiency by 38% in the hyperthyroid rat heart. Thus increased mitochondrial UCPs in the hyperthyroid rat heart were associated with increased uncoupling and decreased myocardial efficiency in the presence of palmitate. In conclusion, a physiological effect of UCPs on fatty acid oxidation has been found in heart at the mitochondrial and whole organ level.     

Sarcolemmal FAT/CD36 in human skeletal muscle colocalizes with caveolin-3 and is more abundant in type 1 than in type 2 fibers

FAT/CD36 is a transmembrane protein that is thought to facilitate cellular long-chain fatty acid uptake. However, surprisingly little is known about the localization of FAT/CD36 in human skeletal muscle. By confocal immunofluorescence microscopy, we demonstrate high FAT/CD36 expression in endothelial cells and weaker but significant FAT/CD36 expression in sarcolemma in human skeletal muscle. No apparent intracellular staining was observed in the muscle cells. There are indications in the literature that caveolae may be involved in the uptake of fatty acids, possibly as regulators of FAT/CD36 or other fatty acid transporters. We show that in sarcolemma, FAT/CD36 colocalizes with the muscle-specific caveolae marker protein caveolin-3, suggesting that caveolae may regulate cellular fatty acid uptake by FAT/CD36. Furthermore, we provide evidence that FAT/CD36 expression is significantly higher in type 1 compared with type 2 fibers, whereas caveolin-3 expression is significantly higher in type 2 fibers than in type 1 fibers.     

Skeletal muscle expression of p43, a truncated thyroid hormone receptor α, affects lipid composition and metabolism

Thyroid hormone is a major regulator of metabolism and mitochondrial function. Thyroid hormone also affects reactions in almost all pathways of lipids metabolism and as such is considered as the main hormonal regulator of lipid biogenesis. The aim of this study was to explore the possible involvement of p43, a 43 Kda truncated form of the nuclear thyroid hormone receptor TRα1 which stimulates mitochondrial activity. Therefore, using mouse models overexpressing p43 in skeletal muscle (p43-Tg) or lacking p43 (p43?/?), we have investigated the lipid composition in quadriceps muscle and in mitochondria. Here, we reported in the quadriceps muscle of p43?/? mice, a fall in triglycerides, an inhibition of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) synthesis, an increase in elongase index and an decrease in desaturase index. However, in mitochondria from p43?/? mice, fatty acid profile was barely modified. In the quadriceps muscle of p43-Tg mice, MUFA content was decreased whereas the unsaturation index was increased. In addition, in quadriceps mitochondria of p43-Tg mice, we found an increase of linoleic acid level and unsaturation index. Last, we showed that cardiolipin content, a key phospholipid for mitochondrial function, remained unchanged both in quadriceps muscle and in its mitochondria whatever the mice genotype. In conclusion, this study shows that muscle lipid content and fatty acid profile are strongly affected in skeletal muscle by p43 levels. We also demonstrate that regulation of cardiolipin biosynthesis by the thyroid hormone does not imply p43.