The Q allele variant (GLN121) of membrane glycoprotein PC-1 interacts with the insulin receptor and inhibits insulin signaling more effectively than the common K allele variant (LYS121)

Functional characterization of the non-catalytic ectodomains of the nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase NPP1

The ubiquitous nucleotide pyrophosphatases/phosphodiesterases NPP1-3 consist of a short intracellular N-terminal domain, a single transmembrane domain and a large extracellular part, comprising two somatomedin-B-like domains, a catalytic domain and a poorly defined C-terminal domain. We show here that the C-terminal domain of NPP1-3 is structurally related to a family of DNA/RNA non-specific endonucleases. However, none of the residues that are essential for catalysis by the endonucleases are conserved in NPP1-NPP3, suggesting that the nuclease-like domain of NPP1-3 does not represent a second catalytic domain. Truncation analysis revealed that the nuclease-like domain of NPP1 is required for protein stability, for the targeting of NPP1 to the plasma membrane and for the expression of catalytic activity. We also demonstrate that 16 conserved cysteines in the somatomedin-B-like domains of NPP1, in concert with two flanking cysteines, mediate the dimerization of NPP1. The K173Q polymorphism of NPP1, which maps to the second somatomedin-B-like domain and has been associated with the aetiology of insulin resistance, did not affect the dimerization or catalytic activity of NPP1, and did not endow NPP1 with an affinity for the insulin receptor. Our data suggest that the non-catalytic ectodomains contribute to the subunit structure, stability and function of NPP1-3.

Insulin modulates PC-1 processing and recruitment in cultured human cells

We evaluated whether insulin signaling modulates plasma cell glycoprotein (PC-1) plasma membrane recruitment, posttranslational processing, and gene expression in human cultured cell lines. Insulin induced a fourfold increase (P < 0.01) of membrane PC-1 expression by rapid and sensitive mechanism(s). This effect was reduced (P < 0.05-0.01) by inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (200 nmol/l wortmannin) and S6 kinase (50 nmol/l rapamycin) activities and intracellular trafficking (50 micromol/l monensin) and was not accompanied by PC-1 gene expression changes. Moreover, at Western blot, insulin elicited the appearance, in both plasma membrane and cytosol, of a PC-1-related 146-kDa band (in addition to bands of 163, 117, 106, and 97 kDa observed also in absence of insulin) that was sensitive to endoglycosidase H. Finally, inhibition of PC-1 translocation to plasma membrane, by wortmannin pretreatment, increases insulin-stimulated receptor autophosphorylation. Our data indicate that insulin stimulates PC-1 posttranslational processing and translocation to the plasma membrane, which in turn impairs insulin receptor signaling. Bidirectional cross talk between insulin and PC-1, therefore, takes place, which may be part of the hormone self-desensitization mechanism.

The K121Q polymorphism of the PC-1 gene is associated with insulin resistance but not with dyslipidemia

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship of the K121Q polymorphism of the plasma cell glycoprotein 1 (PC-1) gene with insulin resistance, insulin secretion, and lipids and lipoproteins.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Altogether, 110 normoglycemic subjects (group I) underwent a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp for evaluation of insulin sensitivity. The first-phase insulin secretion was determined by the intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) in a separate sample of 295 normoglycemic subjects (group II).

RESULTS

The 121Q allele (genotypes K121Q and Q121Q) compared with the K121K genotype was related to higher fasting insulin levels (group I: 69.6 +/- 45.6 vs. 51.9 +/- 28.4 pmol/l [mean +/- SD], P = 0.050; group II: 66.6 +/- 38.8 vs. 53.8 +/- 26.6 pmol/l, P = 0.009). In group I, subjects carrying the 121Q allele compared with subjects with the K121K genotype had lower rates of whole-body glucose uptake (51.17 +/- 12.07 vs. 60.12 +/- 14.86 micro mol x kg(-1) x min(-1), P = 0.012) and nonoxidative glucose disposal (33.71 +/- 10.51 vs. 41.51 +/- 13.36 micro mol x kg(-1) x min(-1), P = 0.015) during the clamp. In group II, there was no significant difference between the 121Q allele carriers and subjects with the K121K genotype in total first-phase insulin secretion during the first 10 min of the IVGTT (2,973 +/- 2,224 vs. 2,520 +/- 1,492 pmol. l(-1). min(-1), P = 0.415). No association of the K121Q polymorphism with serum lipids and lipoproteins was found.

CONCLUSIONS

In healthy normoglycemic Finnish subjects, the K121Q polymorphism of the PC-1 gene is associated with insulin resistance but not with impaired insulin secretion or dyslipidemia.

Polymorphism in ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 gene (ENPP1/PC-1) and early development of advanced diabetic nephropathy in type 1 diabetes

A polymorphism in the ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase 1 gene (ENPP1) (previously known as PC-1), resulting in an amino acid change from lysine to glutamine at codon 121 (K121Q), is associated with insulin resistance. A small follow-up study of patients with type 1 diabetes and proteinuria found that renal function declines more rapidly in carriers of the Q variant than in noncarriers. To examine this finding further, we conducted a large case-control study and a family-based study. Genomic DNA was obtained from 659 patients: 307 with normal urinary albumin excretion despite diabetes duration of >15 years (control subjects) and 352 with advanced diabetic nephropathy, of whom 200 had persistent proteinuria and 152 had end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Individuals were genotyped for Q and K variants using a previously described protocol. The frequency of Q variant carriers was 21.5% in control subjects, 31.5% in subjects with proteinuria, and 32.2% in subjects with ESRD (P = 0.012). In a stratified analysis according to duration of diabetes, the risk of early-onset ESRD for carriers of the Q variant was 2.3 times that for noncarriers (95% CI, 1.2-4.6). The Q variant was not associated with late-onset ESRD. Similar findings were obtained in a family-based study. We conclude that carriers of the Q variant of ENPP1 are at increased risk for developing ESRD early in the course of type 1 diabetes.

The Q121 PC-1 variant and obesity have additive and independent effects in causing insulin resistance

PC-1 is a membrane glycoprotein that impairs insulin receptor function. Its K121Q polymorphism is a genetic determinant of insulin resistance. We investigated whether the PC-1 gene modulates insulin sensitivity independently of weight status (i.e. both in nonobese and obese individuals). Nondiabetic subjects [164 males, 267 females; age, 37 +/- 0.6 yr, mean +/- SEM; body mass index (BMI), 32.7 +/- 0.5 kg/m(2)], who were subdivided into 220 nonobese (BMI < or = 29.9) and 211 obese, were studied. Although subjects were nondiabetic by selection criteria, plasma insulin concentrations during oral glucose tolerance test were higher (P < 0.05) in Q allele-carrying subjects (K121Q or Q121Q genotypes), compared with K121K individuals, in both the nonobese and obese groups. Insulin sensitivity, measured by euglycemic clamp in a representative subgroup of 131 of 431 randomly selected subjects, progressively decreased (P < 0.001) from nonobese K121K [n = 61; glucose disposal (M) = 34.9 +/- 1.1 micromol/kg/min] to nonobese Q (n = 21; M = 29.9 +/- 2.0), obese K121K (n = 31, M = 18.5 +/- 1.2), and obese Q (n = 18, M = 15.5 +/- 1.2) carriers. The K121Q polymorphism was correlated with insulin sensitivity independently (P < 0.05) of BMI, gender, age, and waist circumference. In conclusion, the Q121 PC-1 variant and obesity have independent and additive effects in causing insulin resistance.

A cluster of three single nucleotide polymorphisms in the 3'-untranslated region of human glycoprotein PC-1 gene stabilizes PC-1 mRNA and is associated with increased PC-1 protein content and insulin resistance-related abnormalities

Glycoprotein PC-1 inhibits insulin signaling and, when overexpressed, plays a role in human insulin resistance. Mechanisms of PC-1 overexpression are unknown. We have identified a haplotype in the 3'-untranslated region of the PC-1 gene that may modulate PC-1 expression and confer an increased risk for insulin resistance. Individuals from Sicily, Italy, carrying the "P" haplotype (i.e., a cluster of three single nucleotide polymorphisms: G2897A, G2906C, and C2948T) were at higher risk (P < 0.01) for insulin resistance and had higher (P < 0.05) levels of plasma glucose and insulin during an oral glucose tolerance test and higher levels of cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and systolic blood pressure. They also had higher (P < 0.05-0.01) PC-1 protein content in both skeletal muscle and cultured skin fibroblasts. In CHO cells transfected with either P or wild-type cDNA, specific PC-1 mRNA half-life was increased for those transfected with P (t/2 = 3.73 +/- 1.0 vs. 1.57 +/- 0.2 h; P < 0.01). In a population of different ethnicity (Gargano, East Coast Italy), patients with type 2 diabetes (the most likely clinical outcome of insulin resistance) had a higher P haplotype frequency than healthy control subjects (7.8 vs. 1.5%, P < 0.01), thus replicating the association between the P allele and the insulin resistance-related abnormalities observed among Sicilians. In conclusion, we have identified a possible molecular mechanism for PC-1 overexpression that confers an increased risk for insulin resistance-related abnormalities.