Until recently,3, has been considered an inactive by-product of triiodothyronine (T3) deiodination. However, studies from several laboratories have shown that 3,5-T2 has specific, nongenomic effects on mitochondrial oxidative capacity and respiration rate that are distinct from those due to T3. Nevertheless, little is known about the putative genomic effects of 3,5-T2. We have previously shown that hyperthyroidism induced by supraphysiological doses of 3,5-T2 inhibits hepatic iodothyronine deiodinase type 2 (D2) activity and lowers mRNA levels in the killifish in the same manner as T3 and T4, suggesting a pretranslational effect of 3,5-T2 (Garcia-G C, Jeziorski MC, Valverde-R C, Orozco A. Gen Comp Endocrinol 135: 201-209, 2004). The question remains as to whether 3,5-T2 would have effects under conditions similar to those that are physiological for T3. To this end, intact killifish were rendered hypothyroid by administering methimazole. Groups of hypothyroid animals simultaneously received 30 nM of either T3, reverse T3, or 3,5-T2. Under these conditions, we expected that, if it were bioactive, 3,5-T2 would mimic T3 and thus reverse the compensatory upregulation of D2 and tyroid receptor 1 and downregulation of growth hormone that characterize hypothyroidism. Our results demonstrate that 3,5-T2 is indeed bioactive, reversing both hepatic D2 and growth hormone responses during a hypothyroidal state. Furthermore, we observed that 3,5-T2 and T3 recruit two distinct populations of transcription factors to typical palindromic and DR4 thyroid hormone response elements. Taken together, these results add further evidence to support the notion that 3,5-T 2 is a bioactive iodothyronine. deiodinase type 2; thyroid hormone receptor 1; thyroid hormone response element; killifish IODOTHYRONINES OR THYROID hormones (TH) are essential in regulating energy expenditure and development. Triiodothyronine (T 3 ) is the bioactive TH, which modulates gene expression in virtually every vertebrate tissue through ligand-dependent transcription factors, the TH receptors (TR). Sequential deiodination of thyroxine (T 4 ) generates T 3 as well as other iodothyronines that have been considered inactive by-products, but, recently, interest has grown in identifying bioactive iodothyronines in addition to T 4 and T 3 . Studies from several laboratories have suggested that 3,5-diiodothyronine (3,5-T 2 ), a putative product of the deiodination pathway involved in T 3 metabolism, could be a peripheral mediator of some effects of TH on mitochondrial oxidative capacity and respiration rate. To date, results in mammals suggest that 3,5-T 2 has specific actions on oxygen consumption that are distinct from those of T 3 : they are not attenuated by inhibition of protein synthesis and are more rapid than those due to T 3 (for review, see Ref. 12). Genomic effects of 3,5-T 2 have been analyzed in only a few classic iodothyronine-dependent genes, such as thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroid receptor 2 (TR2), iodothyronine deiodinase type 1 (D1)...