A partial view of the mechanism of insulin action

Phosphorylation of phosphoprotein phosphatase inhibitor-2 (I-2) in rat fat cells

Fat cells were incubated with 32Pi for 2 h before the [32P]I-2 was immunoprecipitated, subjected to SDS/PAGE, and detected by autoradiography. [32P]I-2 (Mr = 32,000) was not recovered when excess purified I-2 was added with the antiserum or when nonimmune serum was used. Immunoprecipitated I-2 was heat-stable, inhibited phosphatase activity, and could be synergistically phosphorylated by casein kinase II and FA/GSK-3. Several times more [32P]phosphoserine than [32P]phosphothreonine was found in I-2 from 32P-labeled cells. Insulin increased the 32P-content of I-2 by as much as 40%, suggesting that phosphorylation of I-2 might be involved in the effect of insulin on stimulating protein dephosphorylation.

Influences of variation in total energy intake and dietary composition on regulation of fat cell lipolysis in ideal-weight subjects

Weight-maintaining fat-rich, "prudent," carbohydrate-rich, as well as energy-restricted diets (300 kcal/d) were fed in succession for 7 d to 12 healthy males of ideal body weight under metabolic ward conditions. At the end of each period isolated fat cells were prepared from subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue and incubated in vitro in the absence or presence of adenosine deaminase, either alone or in combination with various lipolytic or antilipolytic hormones and agents. Variations in total energy intake and dietary composition had characteristic and specific effects on fat cell lipolysis in vitro. High carbohydrate and prudent diets resulted in low rates of nonstimulated glycerol release and impaired insulin action in the presence of adenosine deaminase (320 mU/ml). High-fat and energy restricted diets were characterized by high rates of nonstimulated glycerol release. Sensitivity of antilipolysis to insulin and prostaglandin E2 was 10 to 200 times lower respectively on energy-restricted than on fat-rich diets. The effects of alpha 2- and beta-adrenergic catecholamines and of N6-phenylisopropyladenosine were not affected by the preceding diets.

Effect of chlorpropamide on glucose transport in rat adipocytes in the absence of changes in insulin binding and receptor-associated tyrosine kinase activity

In an attempt to elucidate the cellular mechanism(s) by which sulfonylureas exert their extrapancreatic hypoglycemic effects, various parameters of insulin action were examined in vitro, using rat adipocytes maintained in a biochemically defined medium. Cells were maintained for 20 hours in the absence or presence of 175 micrograms/mL chlorpropamide and insulin binding, hexose transport, glucose metabolism, and insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity were compared. Chlorpropamide treatment had no effect on insulin binding, altering neither receptor number nor affinity. However, the sulfonylurea did enhance 2-deoxyglucose transport in both the absence (17%, P less than .01) and presence (20%, P less than .01) of insulin. Furthermore, glucose metabolism as measured by the conversion of glucose (0.2 mmol/L) to CO2 and total lipids was also significantly increased by chlorpropamide treatment in both the absence (30%, P less than .01) and presence (31%, P less than .05) of insulin. Potentiation of insulin-stimulated transport or metabolism was not explained by an increase in the basal state alone because the incremental responses to 40 ng/mL insulin were potentiated by 19% (P less than .01) and 25% (P less than .05), respectively. Activity of the insulin receptor kinase was unchanged as evaluated by autophosphorylation of partially purified receptors, phosphorylation of an artificial substrate and by phosphorylation of the receptor in situ. These studies demonstrate that the sulfonylurea, chlorpropamide, stimulates glucose transport and potentiates insulin's effect on this process by acting at a site(s) beyond insulin receptor binding and phosphorylation.

Insulin receptor kinase in human skeletal muscle from obese subjects with and without noninsulin dependent diabetes

We have studied the structure and function of the insulin receptors in obese patients with and without noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and in nonobese controls using partially purified receptors from muscle biopsies. Insulin binding was decreased in obesity due to reduced number of binding sites but no differences were observed in insulin binding between obese subjects with or without NIDDM. The structural characteristics of the receptors, as determined by affinity labeling methods and electrophoretic mobility of the beta-subunit, were not altered in obese or NIDDM compared to normal weight subjects. Furthermore, the ability of insulin to stimulate the autophosphorylation of the beta-subunit and the phosphoamino acid composition of the phosphorylated receptor were the same in all groups. However, insulin receptor kinase activity was decreased in obesity using Glu4:Tyr1 as exogenous phosphoacceptor without any appreciable additional defect when obesity was associated with NIDDM. Thus, our data are supportive of the hypothesis that in muscle of obese humans, insulin resistance is partially due to decreased insulin receptors and insulin receptor kinase activity. In NIDDM the defect(s) in muscle is probably distal to the insulin receptor kinase.

Insulin stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of its receptor beta-subunit in intact rat hepatocytes

We studied the phosphorylation of the beta subunit of the insulin receptor in intact freshly isolated rat hepatocytes, labelled with [32P]Pi. Insulin receptors partially purified by wheat-germ agglutinin chromatography were immunoprecipitated with either antibodies to insulin receptor or antibodies to phosphotyrosine. Receptors derived from cells incubated in the absence of insulin contained only phosphoserine. Addition of insulin to hepatocytes led to a dose-dependent increase in receptor beta-subunit phosphorylation, with half-maximal stimulation being observed at 2 nM-insulin. Incubation of cells with 100 nM-insulin showed that, within 1 min of exposure to the hormone, maximal receptor phosphorylation occurred, which was followed by a slight decrease and then a plateau. This insulin-induced stimulation of its receptor phosphorylation was largely accounted for by phosphorylation on tyrosine residues. Sequential immunoprecipitation of receptor with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies and with anti-receptor antibodies, and phosphoamino acid analysis of the immunoprecipitated receptors, revealed that receptors that failed to undergo tyrosine phosphorylation were phosphorylated on serine residues. The demonstration of a functional hormone-sensitive insulin-receptor kinase in normal cells strongly supports a role for this receptor enzymic activity in mediating biological effects of insulin.

Acute insulin action requires insulin receptor kinase activity: introduction of an inhibitory monoclonal antibody into mammalian cells blocks the rapid effects of insulin

The role of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase (protein-tyrosine kinase, EC 2.7.1.112) in various rapid insulin effects was studied by injecting four different cell types (by osmotic lysis of pinocytotic vesicles) with a monoclonal antibody that specifically inhibits the kinase activity of the insulin receptor and the closely related receptor for insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I. Injection of this inhibitory antibody resulted in a decreased ability of insulin to stimulate the uptake of 2-deoxyglucose in Chinese hamster ovary cells and freshly isolated rat adipocytes, ribosomal protein S6 phosphorylation in CHO cells, and glycogen synthesis in the human hepatoma cell line HepG2. The ability of insulin, IGF-I, and IGF-II to stimulate glucose uptake in TA1 mouse adipocytes was also inhibited. Studies with CHO cells demonstrated that these effects of the inhibitory antibody were specific, since there was no change in phorbol ester-stimulated glucose uptake and injection of a noninhibiting antibody to the kinase had no effect on insulin action. These studies indicate that the tyrosine kinase activity of the insulin receptor is important in mediating several rapid insulin effects in a variety of different cell types.

Phosphorylation of glycolytic and gluconeogenic enzymes by the insulin receptor kinase

Various glycolytic and gluconeogenic enzymes were tested as substrates for the insulin receptor kinase. Phosphofructokinase and phosphoglycerate mutase were found to be the best substrates. Phosphorylation of these enzymes was rapid, stimulated 2- to 6-fold by 10(-7) M insulin and occurred exclusively on tyrosine residues. Enolase, fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase, lactate dehydrogenases in decreasing order, were also subject to insulin-stimulated phosphorylation but to a smaller extent than that for phosphofructokinase or phosphoglycerate mutase. The phosphorylation of phosphofructokinase was studied most extensively since phosphofructokinase is known to catalyze a rate-limiting step in glycolysis. The apparent Km of the insulin receptor for phosphofructokinase was 0.1 microM, which is within the physiologic range of concentration of this enzyme in most cells. Tyrosine phosphorylation of phosphofructokinase paralleled autophosphorylation of the beta-subunit of the insulin receptor with respect to time course, insulin dose response (half maximal effect between 10(-9) and 10(-8) M insulin), and cation requirement (Mn2+ greater than Mg2+ much greater than Ca2+). Further study will be required to determine whether the tyrosine phosphorylation of phosphofructokinase plays a role in insulin-stimulated increases in glycolytic flux.

Adenosine modulation of fat cell responsiveness to insulin and oxytocin

We have investigated the effects of adenosine on the stimulation of glucose oxidation and lipogenesis by oxytocin and insulin in rat epididymal adipocytes. The addition of adenosine deaminase (1 U/ml) to the assay medium reduced the maximal oxytocin response (glucose oxidation and lipogenesis) to between 25 and 50% of the maximum response in control cells. The maximal response to insulin was not appreciably affected under these conditions. The addition of adenosine (10 or 30 microM) increased the cell sensitivity to oxytocin by elevating the maximum rate of oxytocin-stimulated glucose metabolism. Adenosine also increased the cell sensitivity to insulin by decreasing its ED50. A change in ED50, however, was observed only when control or adenosine-treated cells were compared to adenosine deaminase-treated cells; but not when control and adenosine-treated cells were compared. On its own, adenosine also caused an appreciable increase in both glucose oxidation and lipogenesis (ED50 approximately equal to 3 microM adenosine). The difference in the effect of adenosine on oxytocin action, compared with the effect on insulin action, points to differences in the mechanisms by which insulin and oxytocin stimulate glucose metabolism in adipocytes.

Insulin resistance in uremia: in vitro model in the rat liver using human serum to study mechanisms

We have previously demonstrated in a rat model of chronic uremia that the liver is resistant to insulin. To further investigate the mechanism(s) of insulin resistance in uremia, primary cultures of normal rat hepatocytes were incubated with varying dilutions (1/10 to 1/10,000) of sera from undialyzed end stage uremic and normal humans for 20 hours. We then studied insulin action, binding, and postbinding events. Dilutions of uremic sera as low as 1/1,000 rendered the hepatocytes resistant to maximal concentrations of insulin with regard to [14C]acetate incorporation into lipids. The dose response curve for insulin-stimulated [14C]aminoisobutyric acid uptake demonstrated a shift to the right in hepatocytes incubated with uremic sera when compared with those incubated with normal sera. The 125I-insulin binding sites and affinity, 125I-insulin internalization and degradation, insulin receptor structure, autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor, and its tyrosine-specific kinase activity were normal in the hepatocytes rendered resistant to insulin by uremic sera. However, these cells failed to generate the chemical mediator or second messenger of insulin action, as assessed by its ability to stimulate pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) in liver mitochondria from normal rats. We concluded that uremic sera renders normal rat hepatocytes resistant to insulin. Insulin resistance is a postinsulin receptor kinase defect possibly due to lack of the generation of the chemical mediator of insulin action. This in vitro cell model may be useful to further define the mechanism(s) and the serum factor(s) responsible for insulin resistance in uremia in the absence of complicating hormonal and substrate changes that occur in vivo.

Stimulation of Na+-Ca2+ exchange in heart sarcolemma by insulin

Insulin was found to stimulate Na+-dependent Ca2+ uptake in dog heart sarcolemma in a concentration dependent manner (0.001 to 1 milliunits/ml). Maximal stimulation (160 to 170%) was seen at 0.1 to 1 milliunits/ml of insulin. Unlike Na+-dependent Ca2+ uptake, ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake was unaltered by 1 microunit/ml of insulin. However, high concentrations of insulin (0.01 to 1 milliunits/ml) significantly increased the ATP-dependent Ca2+ uptake activity of heart sarcolemma; maximal increase (60%) was observed at 1 milliunit/ml of insulin. The Na+ K+-ATPase activity did not change upon incubating sarcolemma with insulin. The membrane preparation exhibited specific insulin binding characteristics. The Scatchard plot analysis of the data indicated two binding sites for insulin; the association constants for the high and low affinity sites were 2 X 10(9) M-1 and 4.4 X 10(8) M-1, respectively. These results support the view regarding the presence of insulin receptors in the heart cell membrane and indicate a dramatic effect of insulin on the sarcolemmal Ca2+ transport systems.

Rapid response of protein synthesis to insulin in 3T3 cells: effects of protein kinase C depletion and differences from the response to serum repletion

Quiescent 3T3 cells grown in media containing 4% foetal calf serum showed different responses to insulin and to serum repletion (to 12%). Insulin stimulated protein synthesis within 1 h and this early response was insensitive to actinomycin D. The later insulin response showed progressive sensitivity to actinomycin D. The serum response was slower, not occurring until 1 h, and was inhibited by actinomycin D. Depletion of cell protein kinase C by pre-treatment with phorbol ester caused a total block of the immediate response to insulin but had little effect on the response to serum or the later response to insulin. Acute phorbol ester treatment stimulated protein synthesis.

Presence of an insulin-stimulated serine kinase in cell extracts from IM-9 cells

Insulin responsive protein kinase activities of wheat germ purified glycoproteins were examined. Glycoproteins were first incubated without or with insulin, and then exposed to a serum containing antibodies to insulin receptor. Thereafter, both immunoprecipitates and supernatants were studied for their kinase activity toward histone. Incubation with anti receptor antibodies promoted insulin receptor beta subunit and histone phosphorylation. More important insulin receptor depleted extract contained a kinase activity toward histone, that was increased by preincubation with insulin. This stimulation was observed only when insulin was added before the immunoprecipitation of insulin receptors. Alkali treatment and phosphoamino acids analysis revealed that the kinase activity remaining in the supernatant is serine specific. These findings suggest, that a serine kinase activity is associated with the insulin receptor, that it can be separated from the insulin receptor with anti receptor antibodies, that the serine kinase is activated by the hormone-receptor complex.

Insulin receptors: structure and function

The recent characterization of the human insulin receptor structure and its intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity represent major advances in our understanding of the mechanism of insulin action. It is reasonable to think that the insulin-induced autophosphorylation and activation of its receptor kinase represent an important event in the action of insulin on cell metabolism and growth. The fundamental research reviewed may be followed by the discovery of molecular receptor defects in clinical syndromes of insulin resistance.

Studies on the mechanism of insulin resistance in the liver from humans with noninsulin-dependent diabetes. Insulin action and binding in isolated hepatocytes, insulin receptor structure, and kinase activity

We have developed a method to isolate insulin-responsive human hepatocytes from an intraoperative liver biopsy to study insulin action and resistance in man. Hepatocytes from obese patients with noninsulin-dependent diabetes were resistant to maximal insulin concentration, and those from obese controls to submaximal insulin concentration in comparison to nonobese controls. Insulin binding per cell number was similar in all groups. However, insulin binding per surface area was decreased in the two obese groups because their hepatocytes were larger. In addition, the pool of detergent-extractable receptor was further decreased in diabetics. Insulin receptors in all groups were unaltered as determined by affinity-labeling methods. However, insulin-stimulated insulin receptor kinase activity was decreased in diabetics. Thus, in obesity, decreased surface binding could explain resistance to submaximal insulin concentrations. In diabetes, diminished insulin-stimulated protein kinase activity and decreased intracellular pool of receptors could provide an explanation for postinsulin-binding defect(s) of insulin action in human liver.

Insulin stimulates the generation of an adipocyte phosphoprotein that is isolated with a monoclonal antibody against the regulatory subunit of bovine heart cAMP-dependent protein kinase

Incubating 32P-labeled fat cells with insulin increased by as much as 80-fold the amount of 32Pi in a soluble species of apparent Mr 62,000. This species, designated isp62, was specifically immunoprecipitated from cellular extracts with a monoclonal antibody against the type II regulatory subunit (RII) of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Fat-cell RII, purified from extracts with cAMP-Sepharose or labeled with 8-azido [32P]cAMP, had an apparent Mr 51,000. Peptide mapping indicated that isp62 and adipocyte RII were different proteins. When cells were metabolically labeled with [35S]methionine, insulin stimulated the appearance of 35S-labeled isp62, indicating that the hormonal effect involves generation of the protein. The insulin-induced increase in isp62 could be observed within 1 min, occurred with physiological concentrations of the hormone, and was rapidly reversible. The increase in isp62 was unaffected by cycloheximide, indicating that insulin stimulates the posttranslational processing of a precursor, rather than de novo synthesis of the protein.

Effects of insulin, adenosine, and prostaglandin on alpha-adrenergic-stimulated respiration in brown adipocytes

The present study compared the effects of insulin, 2-chloroadenosine, and prostaglandin E2 as inhibitors of respiration in hamster brown adipocytes stimulated with either isoproterenol or phenylephrine. Addition of 2-chloroadenosine or prostaglandin E2 strongly antagonized isoproterenol-stimulated respiration; phenylephrine-stimulated respiration was also partially inhibited by 2-chloroadenosine and prostaglandin E2, but the extent of inhibition caused by these agents was not as great as when isoproterenol was used. Isoproterenol-stimulated respiration was inhibited by insulin, but phenylephrine-stimulated respiration was insensitive to the inhibitory effect of insulin. When brown adipocytes were pretreated with pertussis toxin, isoproterenol-stimulated respiration was enhanced, but phenylephrine-stimulated respiration was not significantly affected. The inhibitory effects of 2-chloroadenosine and prostaglandin E2 on isoproterenol-stimulated respiration were completely blocked by pertussis toxin, indicating that the mode of action of these inhibitory hormones was secondary to inhibition of adenylate cyclase and resultant inhibition of lipolysis. Prostaglandin E2 inhibition of phenylephrine-stimulated respiration was also abolished by pertussis toxin. In contrast, 2-chloroadenosine inhibition of phenylephrine-stimulated respiration persisted in adipocytes treated with pertussis toxin. These data suggest that phenylephrine stimulates respiration through a mechanism that is not altered by pertussis toxin and further that 2-chloroadenosine inhibition of isoproterenol- or phenylephrine-stimulated respiration can be dissociated.

Protein kinase activity of the insulin receptor

The insulin receptor is an integral membrane glycoprotein (Mr approximately 300,000) composed of two alpha-subunits (Mr approximately 130,000) and two beta-subunits (Mr approximately 95,000) linked by disulphide bonds. This oligomeric structure divides the receptor into two functional domains such that alpha-subunits bind insulin and beta-subunits possess tyrosine kinase activity. The amino acid sequence deduced from cDNA of the single polypeptide chain precursor of human placental insulin receptor revealed that alpha- and beta-subunits consist of 735 and 620 residues, respectively. The alpha-subunit is hydrophilic, disulphide-bonded, glycosylated and probably extracellular. The beta-subunit consists of a short extracellular region which links the alpha-subunit through disulphide bridges, a hydrophobic transmembrane region and a longer cytoplasmic region which is structurally homologous with other tyrosine kinases like the src oncogene product and EGF receptor kinases. The cellular function of insulin receptors is dual: transmembrane signalling and endocytosis of hormone. The binding of insulin to its receptor on the cell membrane induces transfer of signal from extracellular to cytoplasmic receptor domains leading to activation of cell metabolism and growth. In addition, hormone-receptor complexes are internalized leading to intracellular proteolysis of insulin, whereas receptors are recycled to the membrane. These phenomena are kinetically well-characterized, but their molecular mechanisms remain obscure. Insulin receptor in different tissues and animal species are homologous in their structure and function, but show also significant differences regarding size of alpha-subunits, binding kinetics, insulin specificity and receptor-mediated degradation. We suggest that this heterogeneity of receptors may be linked to the diversity in insulin effects on metabolism and growth in various cell types. The purified insulin receptor phosphorylates its own beta-subunit and exogenous protein and peptide substrates on tyrosine residues, a reaction which is insulin-sensitive, Mn2+-dependent and specific for ATP. Tyrosine phosphorylation of the beta-subunit activates receptor kinase activity, and dephosphorylation with alkaline phosphatase deactivates the kinase. In intact cells or impure receptor preparations, a serine kinase is also activated by insulin. The cellular role of two kinase activities associated with the insulin receptor is not known, but we propose that the tyrosine- and serine-specific kinases mediate insulin actions on metabolism and growth either through dual-signalling or sequential pathways.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Studies on the specific activity of [gamma-32P]ATP in adipose and other tissue preparations incubated with medium containing [32P]phosphate

The specific activity of the gamma-32P position of ATP was measured in various tissue preparations by two methods. One employed HPLC and the enzymatic conversion of ATP to glucose 6-phosphate and ADP. The other was based on the phosphorylation of histone by catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (Hawkins, P.T., Michell, R.H. and Kirk, C.J. (1983) Biochem. J. 210, 717-720). The HPLC method also allowed the incorporation of 32P into the (alpha + beta)-positions of ATP to be determined. In rat epididymal fat-pad pieces and fat-cell preparations the specific activity of [gamma-32P]ATP attained a steady-state value after 1-2 h incubation in medium containing 0.2 mM [32P]phosphate. Addition of insulin or the beta-agonist isoprenaline increased this value by 5-10% within 15 min. Under these conditions the steady-state specific activity of [gamma-32P]ATP was 30-40% of the initial specific activity of the medium [32P]phosphate. However, if allowance was made for the change in medium phosphate specific activity during incubations the equilibration of the gamma-phosphate position of ATP with medium phosphate was greater than 80% in both preparations. The change in medium phosphate specific activity was a combination of the expected equilibration of [32P]phosphate with exchangeable intracellular phosphate pools plus the net release of substantial amounts of tissue phosphate. At external phosphate concentrations of less than 0.6 mM the loss of tissue phosphate to the medium was the major factor in the change in medium phosphate specific activity. It is concluded that little advantage is gained in employing external phosphate concentrations of less than 0.6 mM in experiments concerned with the incorporation of phosphate into proteins and other intracellular constituents. Indeed, a low external phosphate concentration may cause depletion of important intracellular phosphorus-containing components.

Stimulation of pyruvate kinase phosphatase activity by insulin in isolated rat hepatocytes

Addition of insulin (10(-8)M) to hepatocytes, incubated either in the absence or in the presence of a suboptimal concentration of glucagon, caused the reactivation of pyruvate kinase and simultaneously provoked a transient stimulation of pyruvate kinase phosphatase activity (40-70% over control values). The stimulatory effect of insulin on pyruvate kinase phosphatase activity was dose-dependent (ED50 = 1 to 2 X 10(-11)M) and persisted after Sephadex G-25 filtration or ammonium sulfate precipitation of hepatocytes extracts. Our results demonstrate that insulin exerts a short-term regulation on hepatic pyruvate kinase phosphatase activity.

Specificity of the heat-stable protein inhibitor of the branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase phosphatase

A potent, heat-stable protein inhibitor of branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase (BCKDH) phosphatase has been identified and purified to near homogeneity from bovine kidney mitochondria (Damuni, Z., Humphreys, J. S., and Reed, L. J., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., in press). This protein is a noncompetitive inhibitor of BCKDH phosphatase, with a Ki about 0.13 nM. By contrast, this protein inhibitor did not affect the activity of the cytosolic protein phosphatase-1 and phosphatase-2A or the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) phosphatase at concentrations up to 10 nM. The cytosolic protein phosphatase inhibitor-1 and inhibitor-2 had no effect on the activity of BCKDH phosphatase or PDH phosphatase at concentrations up to 50 and 300 nM respectively. These results, together with previous evidence, demonstrate that BCKDH phosphatase and its inhibitor protein are distinct from the cytosolic protein phosphatase-1 and phosphatase-2A and from protein phosphatase inhibitor-1 and inhibitor-2, respectively.

Insulin stimulation of glucose transport in isolated rat adipocytes. Functional evidence for insulin activation of intrinsic transporter activity within the plasma membrane

We examined the effects of the membrane-impermeant amino-group-modifying agent fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) on the basal and insulin-stimulated hexose-transport activity of isolated rat adipocytes. Pre-treatment of cells with FITC causes irreversible inhibition of transport measured in subsequently washed cells. Transport activity was inhibited by approx. 50% with 2 mM-FITC in 8 min. The cells respond to insulin, after FITC treatment and removal, and the fold increase in transport above the basal value caused by maximal concentrations of insulin was independent of the concentration of FITC used for pre-treatment over the range 0-2 mM, where basal activity was progressively inhibited. The ability of FITC to modify selectively hexose transporters accessible only to the external milieu was evaluated by two methods. (1) Free intracellular FITC, and the distribution of FITC bound to cellular components, were assessed after dialysis of the homogenate and subcellular fractionation on sucrose gradients by direct spectroscopic measurement of fluorescein. Most (98%) of the FITC was associated with the non-diffusible fractions. Equilibrium sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation of the homogenate demonstrated that the subcellular distribution of the bound FITC correlated with the density distribution of a plasma-membrane marker, but not markers for Golgi, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria or protein. Exposing the cellular homogenate, rather than the intact cell preparation, to 2 mM-FITC resulted in a 4-5-fold increase in total bound FITC, and the density-distribution profile more closely resembled the distribution of total protein. (2) Incubation of hexokinase preparations with FITC rapidly and irreversibly inactivates this protein. However, both intracellular hexokinase total activity and its apparent Michaelis constant for glucose were unaffected in FITC-treated intact cells. Further control experiments demonstrated that FITC pre-treatment of cells had no effect on the intracellular ATP concentration or the dose-response curve of insulin stimulation of hexose transport. Since the fold increase of hexose transport induced by insulin is constant over the range of inhibition of surface-labelled hexose transporters, we suggest that insulin-induced insertion of additional transporters into the plasma membrane may not be the major locus of acceleration of hexose transport by the hormone.

Inhibition of insulin and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor autophosphorylation by a human polyclonal IgG

The immunoglobulin G of a polyclonal antiserum (pIgG) from a patient with insulin resistance and hypoglycemia was tested for its ability to inhibit insulin binding and to affect the autophosphorylation of partially-purified insulin receptors extracted from rat liver membranes. pIgG, when added 4 hr prior to insulin, inhibited subsequent insulin binding by 50% at 30 micrograms added protein; however, insulin previously bound to the receptor could not be displaced by a 4 hr subsequent exposure of up to 70 micrograms pIgG. pIgG, independent of its effect on insulin binding, inhibited both basal and insulin-stimulated autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor in a dose-dependent manner with a half maximal effect at 3.3 to 7 micrograms protein. Furthermore, pIgG also reduced basal autophosphorylation of the EGF receptor. The effect of pIgG to inhibit basal autophosphorylation of insulin and EGF receptors, together with its ability to reduce autophosphorylation of insulin receptors fully occupied by insulin, imply that the effect of pIgG on receptor autophosphorylation is largely independent of its effect on ligand binding. Moreover, these findings suggest that pIgG may inhibit autophosphorylation by acting on domains which are similar in the insulin and EGF receptors.

Insulin rapidly stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of a Mr-185,000 protein in intact cells

Phosphotyrosine-containing proteins are minor components of normal cells which appear to be associated primarily with the regulation of cellular metabolism and growth. The insulin receptor is a tyrosine-specific protein kinase, and one of the earliest detectable responses to insulin binding is activation of this kinase and autophosphorylation of its beta-subunit. Tyrosine autophosphorylation activates the phosphotransferase in the beta-subunit and increases its reactivity toward tyrosine phosphorylation of other substrates. When incubated in vitro with [gamma-32P]ATP and insulin, the purified insulin receptor phosphorylates various proteins on their tyrosine residues. However, so far no proteins other than the insulin receptor have been identified as undergoing tyrosine phosphorylation in response to insulin in an intact cell. Here, using anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies, we have identified a novel phosphotyrosine-containing protein of relative molecular mass (Mr) 185,000 (pp185) which appears during the initial response of hepatoma cells to insulin binding. In contrast to the insulin receptor, pp185 does not adhere to wheat-germ agglutininagarose or bind to anti-insulin receptor antibodies. Phosphorylation of pp185 is maximal within seconds after exposure of the cells to insulin and exhibits a dose-response curve similar to that of receptor autophosphorylation, suggesting that this protein represents the endogenous substrate for the insulin receptor kinase.

Anabolic regulation of gluconeogenesis by insulin in isolated rat hepatocytes

The role of substrate availability in the regulation of gluconeogenesis in isolated rat hepatocytes was studied using [U-14C]alanine as a tracer in the presence of different concentrations of L-alanine in the incubation medium. At low alanine concentrations (0.5 mM) insulin decreased the 14C incorporation into the glucose pool and increased the incorporation of tracer carbons into the protein and lipid pools and into CO2. The net radioactivity lost from the glucose pool was only a small percentage of the total increase in the activity of the protein, lipid, CO2, or glycogen pools, supporting the notion that the effect of insulin in diminishing gluconeogenesis is secondary to its effects on pathways using pyruvate. At higher concentrations of alanine (2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 mM) in the incubation medium insulin increased the movement of alanine carbons into protein and glucose. This suggests that at higher substrate concentrations the ability of the liver to synthesize proteins is overwhelmed and the pyruvate carbons are forced into the gluconeogenesis pathway. These results were further confirmed by using [U-14C]lactate. The increases in observed specific activity of glucose following insulin administration would not be possible if insulin acted by affecting the activity of any enzyme directly involved in the formation or utilization of pyruvate, most of which have been proposed as sites of insulin action. Data presented show that insulin "inhibits" gluconeogenesis by affecting a change in substrate availability.

The insulin receptor kinase

The insulin receptor appears as a tetrameric glycoprotein consisting of two Mr 130,000 subunits (alpha), and two Mr 95,000 subunits (beta) in a disulfide-linked complex. Insulin bound to its specific cell surface receptors in its target cells leads to a complex array of molecular events resulting in insulin effects. It is now generally believed that protein phosphorylation-dephosphorylation reactions represent an important mechanism by which a variety of extracellular stimuli regulate cellular functions. Insulin mediates such reactions, but it is not known whether these are the biochemical link between the binding of insulin to its receptor and its final cellular effects. In search of initial post-binding events which might play a role in insulin action, we looked for phosphorylation of insulin receptors. We show that the insulin receptor displays two functional domains, an insulin binding alpha-subunit, and an insulin responsive protein kinase contained in the beta-subunit. We envisage the insulin receptor as an integrated system for transmembrane signal transmission in which hormone binding to the alpha-subunit leads to activation of the beta-subunit via conformational changes.

Calcium and insulin in the regulation of DNA synthesis in mouse mammary gland studied in organ culture

The interaction of calcium and insulin was investigated in mouse mammary gland organ culture by analysis of the time-course of the DNA-synthetic response following delayed addition of insulin or calcium to the culture media. The DNA-synthetic responses were also studied using mammary explants from virgin, pregnant and lactating mice. These experiments have shown that qualitative differences exist in the responsiveness of mammary epithelium to insulin and calcium. Thus, although it is evident that in mammary epithelium calcium modifies the DNA-synthetic response to insulin, the present data do not support the concept that Ca2+ is the intracellular mediator of insulin action.

Human fat cell lipolysis is primarily regulated by inhibitory modulators acting through distinct mechanisms

The effects of adenosine deaminase and of pertussis toxin on hormonal regulation of lipolysis were investigated in isolated human fat cells. Adenosine deaminase (1.6 micrograms/ml) caused a two-to threefold increase in cyclic AMP, which was associated with an increase in glycerol release averaging 150-200% above basal levels. Clonidine, N6-phenylisopropyladenosine, prostaglandin E2, and insulin caused a dose-dependent inhibition of glycerol release in the presence of adenosine deaminase. Pretreatment of adipocytes with pertussis toxin (5 micrograms/ml) for 180 min resulted in a five- to sevenfold increase in cyclic AMP. Glycerol release was almost maximal and isoproterenol caused either no further increase or only a marginal additional increase of lipolysis after pretreatment with pertussis toxin, whereas cyclic AMP levels were 500 times higher than in controls. The effects of antilipolytic agents known to affect lipolysis by inhibition of adenylate cyclase activity, i.e., clonidine, N6-phenylisopropyladenosine, and prostaglandin E2, were impaired. In contrast, the antilipolytic action of insulin was preserved in adipocytes pretreated with pertussis toxin. As in controls, the peptide hormone had no detectable effect on cyclic AMP after pertussis toxin treatment. The findings support the view that the antilipolytic effect of insulin does not require adenylate cyclase or phosphodiesterase action. In addition, the results demonstrate that, upon relief of endogenous inhibition, human fat cell lipolysis proceeds at considerable (adenosine deaminase) or almost maximal (pertussis toxin) rates. A certain degree of inhibition, therefore, appears to be necessary for human fat cell lipolysis to be susceptible for hormonal activation.

Proteolytic activation of protein kinase C by membrane-bound protease in rat liver plasma membrane

Incubation of rat liver plasma membrane produced histone phosphorylating activity at 75 mM Mg2+ in the soluble fraction. The release of the kinase activity was inhibited by leupeptin and bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor, suggesting the involvement of membrane-bound protease. When partially purified protein kinase C from rat liver cytosol was treated with the trypsin-like protease purified from rat liver plasma membrane, histone phosphorylating kinase which was independent of Ca2+ and phospholipids, produced with a molecular weight of about 5 X 10(4). These results suggest that membrane-bound, trypsin-like protease activates protein kinase C in plasma membrane and the activated kinase is released from the membrane to the soluble fraction.

Protease-activated protein kinase in rat liver plasma membrane

Upon limited proteolysis with trypsin, a cAMP and Ca2+-independent protein kinase was produced from rat liver plasma membrane. This enzyme showed a multifunctional capacity and phosphorylated calf thymus histone and rat liver ribosomal proteins. The molecular weight was estimated to be 5.0 X 10(4). When plasma membrane was treated with a buffer containing Triton X-100, a proenzyme with a molecular weight of 8.4 X 10(4) was extracted. By tryptic digestion, the proenzyme was converted to an active protein kinase which was similar to the enzyme obtained by the direct digestion of membrane. However, this proenzyme phosphorylated H1 histone in the presence of Ca2+ and phospholipid without proteolytic digestion. These results indicate the existence of a protease-activated protein kinase in rat liver plasma membrane and the proenzyme seems to be same as protein kinase C.

alpha-Ketoacid dehydrogenase complexes and respiratory fuel utilisation in diabetes

Activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex determines the rate of glucose oxidation in animals including man. The complex is regulated by reversible phosphorylation, phosphorylation resulting in inactivation. Activity is therefore dependent upon the activities of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase and phosphatase. Activity of the complex is reduced in diabetes and starvation as a result of insulin deficiency. The mechanism involves activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase by short-term effects of products of fatty acid oxidation and by longer term effects involving specific protein synthesis; in hepatocytes the signals may include lipid fuels and glucagon. Activity of the branched chain ketoacid dehydrogenase complex determines the rate of degradation of branched chain aminoacids which is adjusted according to dietary supply. The complex is regulated by reversible phosphorylation, phosphorylation being inactivating. In liver and kidney, but not in muscles a protein activator (free E1 component) may reactivate phosphorylated complex without dephosphorylation and facilitate hepatic oxidation of branched chain ketoacids. Metabolic adjustments induced by diet and diabetes include loss of activator protein, loss of total complex activity in liver but not muscles, and enhanced inactivation by phosphorylation in liver.

Glucagon physiology and pathophysiology in the light of new advances

Recent advances in the understanding of glucagon-insulin relationships at the level of the islets of Langerhans and of hepatic fuel metabolism are reviewed and their impact on our understanding of glucagon physiology and pathophysiology is considered. It now appears that alpha cells can respond directly to hyperglycaemia in the absence of insulin and beta cells, but that antecedent hyperglycaemia masks or attenuates this response. Insulin appears to exert ongoing release inhibition upon glucagon secretion, probably via the intra-islet microvascular system that connects beta cells to alpha cells. Diabetic hyperglucagonemia in insulin deficient states appears to be secondary to lack of the restraining influence of insulin. The alpha cell response to glucopenia, by contrast, may be in large part mediated by release of noradrenaline from nerve endings in contact with alpha cells. Glucagon's action on glucose and ketone production by hepatocytes is mediated by increase in cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase. The opposing action of insulin upon glucagon-mediated events probably occurs largely at this level. Consequently, when glucagon secretion or action is blocked, cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase activity is low even in the absence of insulin, explaining why marked glucose and ketone production is absent in bihormonal deficiency states.

Diurnal variations of lipogenic enzymes, their substrate and effector levels, and lipogenesis from tritiated water in rat liver

The activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, malic enzyme, fatty acid synthetase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (extracted with or without phosphatase inhibitor) in rat liver did not vary significantly during 24 h. The hepatic levels of glucose 6-phosphate and malate increased coordinately 3-6 h after the beginning (1900 h) of food intake and were high until morning, whereas the levels of acetyl-CoA and citrate peaked at 1900 h and then decreased. However, it is remarkable that the in vivo incorporation of 3H from tritiated water into fatty acids in liver increased with the level of malonyl-CoA after food intake. Comparing the substrate and effector levels with the Km and Ka values for the enzymes, the levels of acetyl-CoA, malonyl-CoA and citrate appear to limit the enzyme activities. It is suggested that, after food intake, the physiological activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase was increased with the substrate increase and/or with the catalytic activation with citrate, and consequently, the fatty acid synthetase activity was also increased, whereas the enzyme activities measured under optimum conditions were not.

Insulin inhibits the cholera-toxin-catalysed ribosylation of a Mr-25000 protein in rat liver plasma membranes

A method is described for preparing a plasma-membrane fraction from hepatocytes by a rapid, gentle, Percoll fractionation procedure. Cholera toxin elicited the ribosylation of a number of proteins in these membranes, including the components of the stimulatory guanine nucleotide regulatory protein, Ns. Insulin, however, inhibited the ability of cholera toxin to ribosylate a protein of Mr 25 000. The action was decreased in membranes from cells that had been pre-treated with glucagon. Ribosylation of both the components of Ns and the Mr-25 000 species occurred in whole cells treated with cholera toxin, because membranes from such treated cells exhibited decreased labelling when incubated with [32P]NAD+ and activated cholera toxin. The labelling of proteins, including the Mr-25 000 species, with [32P]NAD+ and cholera toxin in the plasma membranes was decreased by an inhibitor of ribosylation. Azido-GTP photoaffinity labelling identified several high-affinity GTP-binding proteins, including one of Mr 25 000. Cholera toxin failed to ribosylate the Mr-25 000 protein in membranes from cells that had been pre-treated with the tumour-promoting agent 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA). In membranes from such treated cells, insulin actually allowed cholera toxin to label this species. As TPA activates protein kinase C, it is possible that the Mr-25 000 protein, or a species that interacts with it, is a substrate for phosphorylation. These observations may offer an explanation for some of the perturbing effects that TPA exerts on insulin's action. It is suggested that the insulin receptor interacts with the guanine nucleotide regulatory protein system in the liver, and that the Mr-25 000 species may be a component of Nin, a specific guanine nucleotide regulatory protein that has been proposed to mediate certain of the actions of insulin on target cells [Houslay & Heyworth (1983) Trends Biochem. Sci. 8, 449-452].

The protein phosphatases involved in cellular regulation. Influence of polyamines on the activities of protein phosphatase-1 and protein phosphatase-2A

The effects of polyamines on the oligomeric forms of protein phosphatase-1 (1G), protein phosphatase-2A (2A0, 2A1 and 2A2) and their free catalytic subunits (1C and 2AC) has been studied using homogeneous enzymes isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle. Spermine increased the activity of protein phosphatase-2A towards eight of nine substrates tested. Half-maximal activation was observed at 0.2 mM with optimal effects at 1-2 mM. Above 2 mM, spermine became inhibitory. The most impressive activation of protein phosphatase-2A was obtained with glycogen synthase, especially when phosphorylated at sites-3 (8-15-fold with protein phosphatase-2A1) and phenylalanine hydroxylase (6-7-fold with protein phosphatase-2A1) as substrates. Activation of protein phosphatases 2A0, 2A1 and 2A2 was greater than that observed with 2AC. Spermine was a more potent activator than spermidine, while putrescine had only a small effect. Qualitatively similar results were obtained with five other substrates, although maximal activation was much less (1.3-3-fold with protein phosphatase-2A1). The rate of dephosphorylation of glycogen phosphorylase was decreased by spermine, inhibition being more pronounced with protein phosphatase-2AC than with 2A0, 2A1 and 2A2. Spermine (I50 = 0.1 mM with protein phosphatase-2AC) was a more potent inhibitor than spermidine (I50 = 0.9 mM) or putrescine (I50 = 8 mM). Partially purified preparations of protein phosphatases-2A0, 2A1 and 2A2 from from rat liver were affected by spermine in a similar manner to the homogeneous enzymes from rabbit skeletal muscle. Spermine did not activate protein phosphatase-1 to the same extent as protein phosphatase-2A. Greatest stimulation (2.5-fold) was again observed with glycogen synthase labelled in sites-3, with half-maximal activation at 0.2 mM and optimal effects at 1-2 mM spermine. Spermine was a much more effective stimulator than spermidine, while putrescine was ineffective. Very similar results were obtained with protein phosphatases 1G and 1C. With four other substrates maximal activation by spermine was less than 1.5-fold, while the dephosphorylation of glycogen synthase (labelled in site-2), phosphorylase kinase, pyruvate kinase and glycogen phosphorylase were inhibited. Spermine (I50 = 0.04 mM) was a more potent inhibitor of the dephosphorylation of glycogen phosphorylase than spermidine (I50 = 0.9 mM) or putrescine (I50 = 9 mM).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)