regulated by multiple factors, including insulin and contraction ( 1, 2 ). Several proteins have been proposed to facilitate FA uptake by the myocardium, and these include the scavenger receptor cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36), the FA transport proteins, caveolin1, and plasma membrane-associated FA binding protein (as reviewed in Ref. 1 ). In addition to these proteins, acyl-CoA ligases that activate FA by generating the FA acyl-CoA, couple FA entry to metabolism and help maintain the gradient for FA infl ux across the plasma membrane ( 1,3 ) CD36 is abundantly expressed in the heart and facilitates a signifi cant part of myocardial FA uptake measured in vivo in humans and rodents ( 4, 5 ). Unlike other proteins implicated in FA uptake, CD36 cycles between intracellular stores and the plasma membrane, similar to the glucose transporter GLUT4. CD36 traffi cking is regulated by a number of factors including insulin, muscle contraction ( 1, 2 ), purinergic agonists such as uridine-5 ′ -triphosphate (UTP) ( 6 ), and FAs ( 7-9 ). It is believed that the effect of muscle contraction on CD36 surface translocation is mediated via activation of AMP-dependent protein kinase (AMPK) ( 10 ), although this notion was recently challenged in skeletal muscle ( 11 ).Insulin and contraction increase CD36 surface expression on cardiomyocytes to enhance myocardial extraction of circulating FA. The internalized FA is either directly oxidized in mitochondria (AMPK and contraction) or partitioned fi rst into triglycerides (insulin) that can later be hydrolyzed to provide FA for oxidation (as reviewed in Ref. Press, February 6, 2012 DOI 10.1194 Abbreviations: AICAR, 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-Dribofuranoside; AMPK, AMP-dependent protein kinase; AS160, Akt substrate 160; CA, constitutively active; CD36, fatty acid translocase cluster of differentiation 36; CHO, Chinese hamster ovary; DN, dominant-negative; GAP, GTPase-activating protein; GEF, guanine exchange factor; GFP, green fl uorescent protein; RNAi, RNA interference; siRNA, small interfering RNA; UTP, uridine-5 ′ -triphosphate; Wt, wild-type.
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