SLC25A44 is a mitochondrial solute carrier that mediates branched-chain amino acid (BCAA; valine, leucine, and isoleucine) transport into mitochondria, with primary functional roles in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and systemic metabolic homeostasis 1. In BAT, SLC25A44 facilitates BCAA catabolism for thermogenesis during cold exposure and promotes systemic BCAA clearance, thereby controlling energy expenditure and glucose homeostasis 1. Loss of SLC25A44-mediated BCAA transport impairs BAT thermogenesis and systemic BCAA clearance, leading to diet-induced obesity and glucose intolerance 1. Beyond BAT, SLC25A44 appears to function as a housekeeping gene involved in secondary metabolite and ubiquinone transport, suggesting broader mitochondrial-ER-nucleus signaling roles 2. SLC25A44 has been genetically associated with multiple cerebrovascular and neurological diseases: common variants at the 1q22 locus associate with lacunar stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage [PMID:33773637; 3; 41], while genome-wide association studies identify SLC25A44 as associated with late-life memory decline 5. In pancreatic cancer, SLC25A44 expression correlates with favorable prognosis and immune infiltration, suggesting roles in tumor energy metabolism 6. In skeletal muscle insulin resistance, SLC25A44 expression remains unaltered despite BCAA accumulation 7, indicating tissue-specific regulatory mechanisms.