Mitochondrial carrier SLC25A34 links clock, diet, and temperature control of adipocyte lipid cycling

Yet how these diverse signals are molecularly integrated remains unknown. We show that these cues converge on the orphan mitochondrial transporter SLC25A34 to orchestrate lipid cycling.

During the sleep phase, the adipocyte clock suppresses Slc25a34 expression through the REV-ERB transcriptional repressors. Entering the active phase, consuming lipid-rich diets, or exposure to cold abolishes REV-ERB repression, and lipolytic signals stimulate Slc25a34 transcription through the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors. SLC25A34 is proposed to import oxaloacetate into mitochondria, dually supporting the tricarboxylic acid cycle and cytosolic acetyl-CoA production.