The thyroid hormone 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) produced a rapid increase in [3H]2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) uptake by freshly isolated rat heart slices in vitro, an effect that was evident after 1 min of pre-incubation with the hormone. This stimulatory effect of T3 was dose-related; the lowest effective concentration was 1 pM and maximal effect of about 80% above control was seen at 1 nM. Studies with several thyroid hormone analogues revealed that L-T3 was the most effective analogue which was followed in a decreasing order of potency by L-T4 = D-T3 greater than D-T4 greater than 3,5-L-T2 greater than rT3 greater than DL-thyronine. Further, the T3-induced increase in 2-DG uptake was independent of new protein synthesis because it was not blocked by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide under conditions in which [3H] leucine incorporation was inhibited by approximately 95%. Evaluation of the mechanism through which T3 exerts this action revealed that the uptake of 2-DG and 3-0-methyl-D-glucose (30MG) by heart slices was saturable, but that of L-glucose was not, and that T3 produced a similar increase in the uptake of both 2-DG and 30MG but failed to change L-glucose uptake. Saturation curve analysis of 2-DG and 30 MG uptake revealed that T3 increased Vmax values but had no effect on Km values. Moreover, T3, which promoted total 2-DG uptake rate, had no effect on the proportionate phosphorylation rate of 2-DG to 2-DG-6-phosphate by hexokinase. From this study it is concluded that thyroid hormone produces a direct and acute effect on the heart. This prompt effect of T3 to increase sugar uptake by heart slices, owing to the increase in the Vmax of the sugar transport system, is extranuclear in nature, is thyroid hormone specific, and has a physiologic relevance.