title: Hypothyroidism down-regulates mitochondrial citrate carrier activity and expression in rat liver.
abstract: The effect of hypothyroidism on citrate carrier (CiC) activity has been investigated in rat-liver mitochondria. The rate of citrate transport was reduced by approximately 50% in mitochondria from hypothyroid as compared with euthyroid rats. In parallel, a decrease in the rate of de novo fatty acid synthesis was observed in the cytosol of the former animals. Kinetic analysis of citrate transport revealed that only the Vmax was reduced by hypothyroidism, while Km was almost unaffected. Hypothyroidism increased the mitochondrial percentage of phosphatidylcholine while decreased that of phosphatidylethanolamine; an altered fatty acid pattern but no significant difference in the sum of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids as well as in the unsaturation index was observed. The CiC Arrhenius plot did not show appreciable difference between the two groups of rats. However, Western blot analysis associated with mRNA quantitation indicated that both protein level and mRNA accumulation of hepatic CiC were noticeably decreased in hypothyroid state. Therefore, a reduced content of the carrier protein can represent a plausible mechanism to explain the decline in the CiC activity observed in rat liver mitochondria of hypothyroid rats.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Lecce, I-73100 Lecce, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Giudetti
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leo
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Siculella
authors.forename: Gabriele V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Gnoni
mesh_terms: D000103:Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019343:Citric Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D015536:Down-Regulation; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases / Q000378:metabolism; D007037:Hypothyroidism / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D013963:Thyroid Hormones; C020723:citrate-binding transport protein; D019343:Citric Acid; D064429:Fatty Acid Synthases; D000103:Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase