This article is available online at http://www.jlr.org breast cancer and/or tumorigenesis in reproductive tissues ( 3 ). The BRCA1 gene produces either a full-length breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein (BRCA1) or through alternatively splicing two documented variants, BRCA1 ⌬ 11 or BRCA1 ⌬ 11b, both of which lack a nuclear localization signal ( 4 ). Recently, BRCA1 was identifi ed as a regulator of lipid metabolism in human breast cancer cells (MCF7) as a result of direct interaction with the phosphorylated form of acetylCoA carboxylase (ACC-p) at the BRCA1 C-terminal (BRCT) domains ( 5, 6 ). The interaction encourages the maintenance of the phosphorylated state of ACC thereby altering lipid metabolism in the cancer cell line ( 5, 6 ).ACC has two isoforms, ACC1 or ACC2, with ACC2 containing an extra 146 amino acids in the NH 2 -terminal region. ACC activity is negatively regulated by phosphorylation of residue Ser 79 on ACC1 and Ser 221 on ACC2 ( 7,8 ). In the active form (i.e., dephosphorylated), ACC catalyzes the carboxylation of acetyl-CoA into malonyl-CoA (MaCoA). Changes in cellular MaCoA content alter intracellular lipid dynamics in two specifi c manners ( 9, 10 ). MaCoA directly contributes to de novo synthesis of palmitate via FAS and MaCoA also allosterically inhibits carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-1), a mitochondrial long chain fatty acid transporter ( 11 ). Thus, in mammary tissue the ability of BRCA1 to affect ACC activity alters cellular lipid concentrations by indirectly regulating rates of fatty acid synthesis and/or the fl ux of fatty acids into the mitochondria.Abstract Breast cancer type 1 (BRCA1) susceptibility protein is expressed across multiple tissues including skeletal muscle. The overall objective of this investigation was to defi ne a functional role for BRCA1 in skeletal muscle using a translational approach. For the fi rst time in both mice and humans, we identifi ed the presence of multiple isoforms of BRCA1 in skeletal muscle. In response to an acute bout of exercise, we found increases in the interaction between the native forms of BRCA1 and the phosphorylated form of acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Decreasing BRCA1 content using a shRNA approach in cultured primary human myotubes resulted in decreased oxygen consumption by the mitochondria and increased reactive oxygen species production. The decreased BRCA1 content also resulted in increased storage of intracellular lipid and reduced insulin signaling. These results indicate that BRCA1 plays a critical role in the regulation of metabolic function in skeletal muscle. Collectively, these data reveal BRCA1 as a novel target to consider in our understanding of metabolic function and risk for development of metabolic-based diseases. -Jackson, K. C., E-K. Gidlund, J. Abbreviations: ACC, acetyl-CoA carboxylase; ACC-p, phosphorylated form of acetyl-CoA carboxylase; AICAR, 5-amino-1-β-D-ribofuranosylimidazole-4-carboxamide; AMPK, AMP-activated protein kinase; BRCA1, Breast Cancer 1, early onset; BRCA1 MG KO, mammary gland tissue fr...