Adipose and Muscle Tissue Profile of CD36 Transcripts in Obese Subjects Highlights the Role of CD36 in Fatty Acid Homeostasis and Insulin Resistance Diabetes Care 2014;37:1990–1997 | DOI: 10.2337/dc13-2835 OBJECTIVE

Fatty acid (FA) metabolism is tightly regulated across several tissues and impacts insulin sensitivity. CD36 facilitates cellular FA uptake, and CD36 genetic variants associate with lipid abnormalities and susceptibility to metabolic syndrome. The objective of this studywas to gain insight regarding the in vivometabolic influence of muscle and adipose tissue CD36. For this, we determined the relationships between CD36 alternative transcripts, which can reflect tissue-specific CD36 reg-ulation, and measures of FA metabolism and insulin resistance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The relative abundance of alternative CD36 transcripts in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle from 53 nondiabetic obese subjects was measured and related to insulin sensitivity and FA metabolism assessed by hyperinsulinemic–euglycemic clamps and isotopic tracers for glucose and FA. RESULTS Transcript 1C, one of two major transcripts in adipose tissue, that is restricted to adipocytes predicted systemic and tissue (adipose, liver, and muscle) insulin sen