Changes in the nuclear triiodothyronine receptor during the differentiation of preadipocytic cell lines of mice

: During the differentiation process of ob 17 preadipocytes in the presence of insulin, a progressive increase in the nuclear T3 receptor concentration per cell (1.5 to 3 fold) was observed. This increase was not found related to the addition of insulin to the culture medium and was concomitant to the expression of several phenotypes of the mature adipocyte. Triiodothyronine (T3) added to the culture medium of these cells increases the lipogenic pathway and several enzymes involved in fatty acid synthesis and esterification. After T3 addition at the same optimal physiologic concentration of 1.5 nM, the cellular concentration of its nuclear receptor was clearly reduced, without any significant alteration in the apparent affinity constant. A similar behavior was observed in 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. The molecular mechanism of action of the T3 nuclear receptor within the chromatin is not known. The biological relevance of its depletion by T3 itself remains to be determined.