Effect of thyroidectomy upon the activity of three mitochondrial shuttles in rats

The activities of mitochondrial alpha-glycerophosphate, malate-asparte, and malate-citrate shuttles which oxidize NADH were determined in liver and kidney cortex mitochondria isolated from Tx and control rats. Weight gain, relative liver and kidney size, oxygen consumption, and serum thyroxine were also determined. Tx animals weighed less, had smaller livers and kidneys, and showed significantly lower oxygen consumption of the resting animal and a marked decrease in serum thyroxine levels. The activity of the three shuttles studies was significantly less in liver mitochondria from Tx animals, particularly when studied in the absence of added ADP. Thyroidectomy had less effect upon shuttle activity of mitochondria from the kidney cortex, with significant decrease in activity found only in the complete alpha-glycerophosphate shuttle and in the endogenous malate-aspartate and malate-citrate shuttles studied in the absence of ADP. Changes in shuttle activity caused by thyroid hormone are discussed in relation to other known metabolic effects of thyroxine, and the possible primary role of adenine nucleotide translocase activity in mediating other thyroxine-dependent metabolic changes is considered.