A Role for Malonyl-CoA in Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Secretion from Clonal Pancreatic β-Cells

Tissue triglycerides, insulin resistance, and insulin production: implications for hyperinsulinemia of obesity

Obesity is associated with both insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia. Initially hyperinsulinemia compensates for the insulin resistance and thereby maintains normal glucose homeostasis. Obesity is also associated with increased tissue triglyceride (TG) content. To determine whether both insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia might be secondary to increased tissue TG, we studied correlations between TG content of skeletal muscle, liver, and pancreas and plasma insulin, plasma [insulin] x [glucose], and beta-cell function in four rat models with widely varying fat content: obese Zucker diabetic fatty rats, free-feeding lean Wistar rats, hyperleptinemic Wistar rats with profound tissue lipopenia, and rats pair fed to hyperleptinemics. Correlation coefficients >0.9 (P < 0.05) were obtained among TG of skeletal muscle, liver, and pancreas and among plasma insulin, [insulin] x [glucose] product, and beta-cell function as gauged by basal, glucose-stimulated, and arginine-stimulated insulin secretion by the isolated perfused pancreas. Although these correlations cannot prove cause and effect, they are consistent with the hypothesis that the TG content of tissues sets the level of both insulin resistance and insulin production.

Engineering of glycerol-stimulated insulin secretion in islet beta cells. Differential metabolic fates of glucose and glycerol provide insight into mechanisms of stimulus-secretion coupling

Insulin secretion from beta cells in the islets of Langerhans can be stimulated by a number of metabolic fuels, including glucose and glyceraldehyde, and is thought to be mediated by metabolism of the secretagogues and an attendant increase in the ATP:ADP ratio. Curiously, glycerol fails to stimulate insulin secretion, even though it has been reported that islets contain abundant glycerol kinase activity and oxidize glycerol efficiently. We have reinvestigated this point and find that rat islets and the well differentiated insulinoma cell line INS-1 contain negligible glycerol kinase activity. A recombinant adenovirus containing the bacterial glycerol kinase gene (AdCMV-GlpK) was constructed and used to express the enzyme in islets and INS-1 cells, resulting in insulin secretion in response to glycerol. In AdCMV-GlpK-treated INS-1 cells a greater proportion of glycerol is converted to lactate and a lesser proportion is oxidized compared with glucose. The two fuels are equally potent as insulin secretagogues, despite the fact that oxidation of glycerol at its maximally effective dose (2-5 mM) occurs at a rate that is similar to the rate of glucose oxidation at its basal, nonstimulatory concentration (3 mM). We also investigated the possibility that glycerol may signal via expansion of the glycerol phosphate pool to allow enhanced fatty acid esterification and formation of complex lipids. Addition of Triacsin-C, an inhibitor of long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase, to AdCMV-GlpK-treated INS-1 cells did not inhibit glycerol-stimulated insulin secretion despite the fact that it blocked glycerol incorporation into cellular lipids. We conclude from these studies that glycerol kinase expression is sufficient to activate glycerol signaling in beta cells, showing that the failure of normal islets to respond to this substrate is due to a lack of this enzyme activity. Further, our studies show that glycerol signaling is not linked to esterification or oxidation of the substrate, but is likely mediated by its metabolism in the glycerol phosphate shuttle and/or the distal portion of the glycolytic pathway, either of which can lead to production of ATP and an increased ATP:ADP ratio.

Metabolic fate of glucose in purified islet cells. Glucose-regulated anaplerosis in beta cells

Previous studies in rat islets have suggested that anaplerosis plays an important role in the regulation of pancreatic beta cell function and growth. However, the relative contribution of islet beta cells versus non-beta cells to glucose-regulated anaplerosis is not known. Furthermore, the fate of glucose carbon entering the Krebs cycle of islet cells remains to be determined. The present study has examined the anaplerosis of glucose carbon in purified rat beta cells using specific 14C-labeled glucose tracers. Between 5 and 20 mM glucose, the oxidative production of CO2 from [3,4-14C]glucose represented close to 100% of the total glucose utilization by the cells. Anaplerosis, quantified as the difference between 14CO2 production from [3,4-14C]glucose and [6-14C]glucose, was strongly influenced by glucose, particularly between 5 and 10 mM. The dose dependence of glucose-induced insulin secretion correlated with the accumulation of citrate and malate in beta(INS-1) cells. All glucose carbon that was not oxidized to CO2 was recovered from the cells after extraction in trichloroacetic acid. This indirectly indicates that lactate output is minimal in beta cells. From the effect of cycloheximide upon the incorporation of 14C-glucose into the acid-precipitable fraction, it could be calculated that 25% of glucose carbon entering the Krebs cycle via anaplerosis is channeled into protein synthesis. In contrast, non-beta cells (approximately 80% glucagon-producing alpha cells) exhibited rates of glucose oxidation that were (1)/(3) to (1)/(6) those of the total glucose utilization and no detectable anaplerosis from glucose carbon. This difference between the two cell types was associated with a 7-fold higher expression of the anaplerotic enzyme pyruvate carboxylase in beta cells, as well as a 4-fold lower ratio of lactate dehydrogenase to FAD-linked glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase in beta cells versus alpha cells. Finally, glucose caused a dose-dependent suppression of the activity of the pentose phosphate pathway in beta cells. In conclusion, rat beta cells metabolize glucose essentially via aerobic glycolysis, whereas glycolysis in alpha cells is largely anaerobic. The results support the view that anaplerosis is an essential pathway implicated in beta cell activation by glucose.

RIN14B: a pancreatic delta-cell line that maintains functional ATP-dependent K+ channels and capability to secrete insulin under conditions where it no longer secretes somatostatin

The delta-cell line RIN14B was characterized with regard to ATP-regulated K+ (K(ATP)) channel activity and hormone release. By applying the patch-clamp technique, dose-response curves for ATP and the sulfonylurea tolbutamide were obtained in inside-out patches. The concentration causing half-maximal K(ATP) channel inhibition was found to be 23.7 and 27.6 microM for ATP and tolbutamide, respectively. ADP and diazoxide stimulated K(ATP) channel activity, an effect dependent on the presence of intracellular Mg2+. The stimulatory effect of diazoxide also required the presence of ATP. The kinetic properties of the K(ATP) channel were analysed in the presence of ATP, a combination of ADP and ATP and in nucleotide-free solutions. The distribution of K(ATP) channel open time could be described by a single exponential function with a time constant of approximately 30 ms in nucleotide-free and in ATP-containing solutions. The presence of both ATP and ADP resulted in the appearance of an additional time constant of > 150 ms. Single-channel unitary current-voltage (i-V) relation was characterised for the K((ATP) channel present in RIN14B cells. The slope conductance, measured at the reversal potential was found to be 19.1 +/- 2.4 pS. The permeability for K+ ions was calculated to be 0.31 x 10(-13) cm3 x s(-1). We have not been able to confirm the somatostatin releasing profile of the RIN14B cells using radioimmunoassays, nor could we find positive somatostatin stain with immunocytochemical techniques. We conclude that the RIN14B cell line, previously characterized as a somatostatin-secreting cell line, contains K(ATP) channels with properties closely resembling the K(ATP) channel described in the pancreatic beta-cell. However, the cell line appears to have dedifferentiated with regard to the ability to secrete somatostatin, maintaining the highly differentiated function of both insulin biosynthesis and exocytosis.

Protein kinase CK2 down-regulates glucose-activated expression of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase gene

It has been suggested that, in pancreatic beta-cells, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) is a key enzyme in glucose signal transduction leading to glucose-induced insulin secretion. The PII promoter is the only active promoter for the ACC gene in the beta-cell. Here we report that, in the pancreatic beta-cell, high glucose levels (above 20 mm) activate Sp1 binding to the glucose response element of the PII promoter, which leads to a dose-dependent increase in PII transcription. The expression of a gene coding protein kinase CK2 (CK2) alpha subunit, or the presence of okadaic acid (a serine/threonine protein phosphatase inhibitor), partially blocks the glucose activation of PII transcription. The inhibitory effect of CK2 alpha, or okadaic acid, was not observed in the absence of glucose or at low glucose concentrations. Phosphorylation of Sp1 by CK2 alpha leads to the inactivation of Sp1 binding to PII. Dephosphorylation of the phosphorylated Sp1 by protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) activates the binding of Sp1 to PII. Inhibition of PP1-catalyzed Sp1 dephosphorylation by okadaic acid, or PP1 specific inhibitor 2, decreases Sp1 binding to PII. These results suggest that the phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of Sp1 by CK2/PP1 may be the underlying mechanism by which the expression of the PII promoter of ACC is controlled in the process of glucose-mediated insulin secretion in pancreatic beta-cells.

The mitochondrial carnitine palmitoyltransferase system. From concept to molecular analysis

First conceptualized as a mechanism for the mitochondrial transport of long-chain fatty acids in the early 1960s, the carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) system has since come to be recognized as a pivotal component of fuel homeostasis. This is by virtue of the unique sensitivity of the outer membrane CPT I to the simple molecule, malonyl-CoA. In addition, both CPT I and the inner membrane enzyme, CPT II, have proved to be loci of inherited defects, some with disastrous consequences. Early efforts using classical approaches to characterize the CPT proteins in terms of structure/function/regulatory relationships gave rise to confusion and protracted debate. By contrast, recent application of molecular biological tools has brought major enlightenment at an exponential pace. Here we review some key developments of the last 20 years that have led to our current understanding of the physiology of the CPT system, the structure of the CPT isoforms, the chromosomal localization of their respective genes, and the identification of mutations in the human population.

Induction by glucose of genes coding for glycolytic enzymes in a pancreatic beta-cell line (INS-1)

Chronic elevation in glucose has pleiotropic effects on the pancreatic beta-cell including a high rate of insulin secretion at low glucose, beta-cell hypertrophy, and hyperplasia. These actions of glucose are expected to be associated with the modulation of the expression of a number of glucose-regulated genes that need to be identified. To further investigate the molecular mechanisms implicated in these adaptation processes to hyperglycemia, we have studied the regulation of genes encoding key glycolytic enzymes in the glucose-responsive beta-cell line INS-1. Glucose (from 5 to 25 mM) induced phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK-1) isoform C, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) (4-fold), and L-pyruvate kinase (L-PK) (7-fold) mRNAs. In contrast the expression level of the glucokinase (Gk) and 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase transcripts remained unchanged. Following a 3-day exposure to elevated glucose, a similar induction was observed at the protein level for PFK-1 (isoforms C, M, and L), GAPDH, and L-PK, whereas M-PK expression only increased slightly. The study of the mechanism of GAPDH induction indicated that glucose increased the transcriptional rate of the GAPDH gene but that both transcriptional and post transcriptional effects contributed to GAPDH mRNA accumulation. 2-Deoxyglucose did not mimic the inductive effect of glucose, suggesting that increased glucose metabolism is involved in GAPDH gene induction. These changes in glycolytic enzyme expression were associated with a 2-3-fold increase in insulin secretion at low (2-5 mM) glucose. The metabolic activity of the cells was also elevated, as indicated by the reduction of the artificial electron acceptor 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium. A marked deposition of glycogen, which was readily mobilized upon lowering of the ambient glucose, and increased DNA replication were also observed in cells exposed to elevated glucose. The results suggest that a coordinated induction of key glycolytic enzymes as well as massive glycogen deposition are implicated in the adaptation process of the beta-cell to hyperglycemia to allow for chronically elevated glucose metabolism, which, in this particular fuel-sensitive cell, is linked to metabolic coupling factor production and cell activation.

Fatty acids rapidly induce the carnitine palmitoyltransferase I gene in the pancreatic beta-cell line INS-1

Fatty acids are important metabolic substrates for the pancreatic beta-cell, and long term exposure of pancreatic islets to elevated concentrations of fatty acids results in an alteration of glucose-induced insulin secretion. Previous work suggested that exaggerated fatty acid oxidation may be implicated in this process by a mechanism requiring changes in metabolic enzyme expression. We have therefore studied the regulation of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I) gene expression by fatty acids in the pancreatic beta-cell line INS-1 since this enzyme catalyzes the limiting step of fatty acid oxidation in various tissues. Palmitate, oleate, and linoleate (0.35 mM) elicited a 4-6-fold increase in CPT I mRNA. The effect was dose-dependent and was similar for saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. It was detectable after 1 h and reached a maximum after 3 h. The induction of CPT I mRNA by fatty acids did not require their oxidation, and 2-bromopalmitate, a nonoxidizable fatty acid, increased CPT I mRNA to the same extent as palmitate. The induction was not prevented by cycloheximide treatment of cells indicating that it was mediated by pre-existing transcription factors. Neither glucose nor pyruvate and various secretagogues had a significant effect except glutamine (7 mM) which slightly induced CPT I mRNA. The half-life of the CPT I transcript was unchanged by fatty acids, and nuclear run-on analysis showed a rapid (less than 45 min) and pronounced transcriptional activation of the CPT I gene by fatty acids. The increase in CPT I mRNA was followed by a 2-3-fold increase in CPT I enzymatic activity measured in isolated mitochondria. The increase in activity was time-dependent, detectable after 4 h, and close to maximal after 24 h. Fatty acid oxidation by INS-1 cells, measured at low glucose, was also 2-3-fold higher in cells cultured with fatty acid in comparison with control cells. Long term exposure of INS-1 cells to fatty acid was associated with elevated secretion of insulin at a low (5 mM) concentration of glucose and a decreased effect of higher glucose concentrations. It also resulted in a decreased oxidation of glucose. The results indicate that the CPT I gene is an early response gene induced by fatty acids at the transcriptional level in beta- (INS-1) cells. It is suggested that exaggerated fatty acid oxidation caused by CPT-1 induction is implicated in the process whereby fatty acids alter glucose-induced insulin secretion.

Mechanisms of inhibition of insulin release

Several agonists including norepinephrine, somatostatin, galanin, and prostaglandins inhibit insulin release. The inhibition is sensitive to pertussis toxin, indicating the involvement of heterotrimeric Gi and/or Go proteins. Receptors for the different agonists have different selectivity for these G proteins. After G protein activation, the alpha- and beta gamma-subunits dissociate and interact with multiple targets to inhibit release. These include 1) the ATP-sensitive K+ channel and perhaps other K+ channels, 2) L-type voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, 3) adenylyl cyclase, and 4) a "distal" site late in stimulus-secretion coupling. The latter effect, which may be exerted close to the final stage of exocytosis, is the most powerful of the individual inhibitory mechanisms. G protein action on the target molecules is determined by the individual G proteins activated and their specificity for the targets. The L-type Ca2+ channel is inhibited by G(o)-1. Adenylyl cyclase is inhibited by Gi-2 and Gi-3. The distal inhibition can be exerted by Gi-1, Gi-2, Gi-3, and G(o)-2. Thus there is both selectivity and promiscuity in G protein action in the beta-cell. These characteristics allow an inhibitory ligand to be effective at multiple targets and to act differentially from other inhibitory ligands.

Glucose-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of p125 in beta cells and pancreatic islets. A novel proximal signal in insulin secretion

In this study, we demonstrate that stimulation of beta cells with carbachol and glucose causes increased tyrosine phosphorylation of a 125-kDa protein concurrently with increased insulin secretion. The effect was observed in two different insulin-secreting cell lines and in rat pancreatic islets. Tyrosine phosphorylation was largely calcium independent and occurred within 2 min after stimulation of beta cells with glucose and the muscarinic agonist carbachol. In islets, the effect of glucose was greatly diminished by the addition of mannoheptulose, a seven-carbon sugar that inhibits glucokinase, suggesting that glucose metabolism is required for tyrosine phosphorylation of the protein to occur. Neither insulin nor insulin-like growth factor I significantly increased tyrosine phosphorylation of the 125-kDa protein, suggesting that it was not an autocrine effect. Depolarization of beta cells with glyburide or 50 m potassium dramatically increased insulin secretion but had no significant effect on tyrosine phosphorylation. Addition of phorbol ester caused a less than 2-fold increase in tyrosine phosphorylation, whereas the calcium ionophore A23187 had no effect. Among the various fuel secretagogues tested, only -glucose stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation, both alone and in combination with carbachol. Finally, the tyrosine kinase inhibitor AG879 inhibited both tyrosine phosphorylation and insulin secretion in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, these data demonstrate the presence of a novel signaling pathway in glucose-induced insulin secretion: tyrosine phosphorylation of beta cell p125, which is a proximal step in insulin secretion. Our current working hypothesis is that glucose stimulation of beta cell p125 tyrosine phosphorylation is an essential step for insulin secretion.

Inhibitory effects of fatty acids on glucose-regulated B-cell function: association with increased islet triglyceride stores and altered effect of fatty acid oxidation on glucose metabolism

Long-term exposure to fatty acids (FA) inhibits B-cell function. We tested whether the inhibitory effects are associated with increased islet triglycerides (TG). Rat pancreatic islets were cultured for 48 hours in RPMI 1640 medium with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) and 11 mmol/L glucose in the presence or absence of the long-chain FA, palmitate. Palmitate (0.125 mmol/L) exposure successively increased islet TG 70% after 6 hours and 200% after 48 hours of culture. The dose-response for palmitate was similar for the increase in TG and inhibition of glucose-induced insulin secretion. Reversal of elevated islet TG in RPMI medium (after 48 hours of palmitate) was 29% after 6 hours and 84% after 24 hours. A more rapid decline of TG was observed in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate (KRB) medium in the absence of nutrients. This decline was totally prevented by 1 mumol/L of the carnitine palmitoyl transferase-I (CPT-I) inhibitor, etomoxir. Etomoxir enhanced glucose-induced insulin secretion from palmitate-cultured islets; however, this effect was lost when TG were normalized. Under conditions when oxidation of FA from islet TG stores was blocked with etomoxir, we tested the effects of octanoate, the oxidation of which is not blocked by etomoxir. Oxidation of [1-14C]octanoate from islets precultured with palmitate (48 hours) did not differ from that in control islets. Conversely, after palmitate, octanoate inhibited glucose oxidation (14CO2 production from [U-14C]glucose, 613 +/- 41 pmol/10 islets/90 min v 1,129 +/- 87 after control conditions, P < .01). In conclusion, (1) palmitate induces increases in islet TG that are associated with inhibition of B-cell function, and (2) long-term exposure to palmitate also induces an inhibitory effect of FA oxidation on glucose metabolism that is independent of TG.

Reversible Ca2+-dependent translocation of protein kinase C and glucose-induced insulin release

It has been reported that protein kinase C (PKC) interacts at multiple sites in beta-cell stimulus-secretion coupling. Nevertheless, there is still controversy concerning the importance of this enzyme in glucose-induced insulin release. The present study was undertaken to clarify whether glucose, directly, or through changes in cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration, [Ca2+]i, could promote translocation of PKC from the soluble to the membrane compartment. Whereas glucose, which increases [Ca2+]i, did not affect long-term distribution of PKC activity between soluble and membrane fractions, this distribution was reversibly affected acutely by the Ca2+ concentration in the extraction media. Translocation of PKC to the membrane by incubation of HIT cells for 10 min in the presence of 20 nM phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) resulted in a 5-fold increase in glucose-induced insulin release. This was prevented by 50 nM concentration of the PKC inhibitor staurosporine, provided that the cells were exposed to the inhibitor before the phorbol ester. Cells pretreated with TPA demonstrated increased insulin secretion in response to glucose for several hours. This time course extended beyond the disappearance of [3H]TPA from the cells, which was complete after 1 h. Activation of PKC increased both average insulin release and the amplitude of oscillations 2-fold, but did not affect oscillation frequency. The stimulatory effect of increased PKC activity on insulin release was not matched by changes in [Ca2+]i. We suggest that stimulation of the pancreatic beta-cell with glucose promotes transient translocation of certain PKC isoforms from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane as a direct consequence of the increase in [Ca2+]i. Such a translocation may promote phosphorylation of one or several proteins involved in the regulation of the beta-cell stimulus-secretion coupling. This results in potentiation of glucose-induced activation of insulin exocytosis, an effect then not mediated by an increase in [Ca2+]i per se. Hence, pulsatile insulin release can be obtained under conditions where overall [Ca2+]i does not change, challenging the view that oscillations in [Ca2+ ]i are indeed driving the oscillations in hormone release.

Dephosphorylation of Sp1 by protein phosphatase 1 is involved in the glucose-mediated activation of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase gene

When mouse 30A5 preadipocytes are exposed to high glucose concentrations, acetyl-CoA carboxylase is induced through glucose activation of promoter II of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase gene. Glucose treatment of the cells increases Sp1 binding to two GC-rich glucose response elements in promoter II. We have investigated the mechanism by which glucose increases Sp1 binding and transactivation of promoter II in 30A5 cells. DNA mobility shift assays have shown that nuclear extracts from glucose-treated cells exhibit increased Sp1 binding activity. This increase in the binding activity is not due to glucose-mediated changes in the amount of Sp1 in the nucleus but to an increase in the activity that modifies Sp1 so that it binds more effectively to the promoter sequence. This Sp1 modifying activity is inhibited by okadaic acid and phosphatase inhibitor 2, and has a molecular mass of 38-42 kDa. The catalytic subunit of type 1 protein phosphatase, whose molecular mass is 38 kDa, also increased the ability of Sp1 to bind to promoter II. Treatment of nuclear extract with antibodies against the catalytic subunit partially suppressed the nuclear activity for Sp1 activation. From these results, we conclude that the Sp1 transcription factor exhibits enhanced binding to promoter II and transcriptional activation is the result of glucose-induced dephosphorylation by type 1 phosphatase.

Activation of the ATP-sensitive K+ channel by long chain acyl-CoA. A role in modulation of pancreatic beta-cell glucose sensitivity

Long-term exposure to elevated levels of long chain free fatty acids decreases glucose-induced insulin secretion from pancreatic islets and clonal pancreatic beta-cells. The mechanism for this loss of glucose sensitivity is at present not known. In this study, we evaluated the possibility that increases in long chain acyl-CoA esters (LC-CoA), the metabolically active form of free fatty acids, might mediate the loss of glucose sensitivity. We observed that cellular levels of LC-CoA increased more than 100% in response to overnight incubation with 0.5 mM palmitic acid complexed to albumin. In the same studies, the total CoA pool increased by about 40%. Patch-clamp studies demonstrated that saturated and unsaturated LC-CoA, but not malonyl-CoA or free CoASH, induced a rapid and slowly reversible opening of ATP-sensitive K+ channels. The effect was concentration-dependent between 10 nM and 1 microM. These findings indicate that the ATP-regulated K/ channels is a sensitive target for LC-CoA and suggest that high levels of LC-CoA, which accumulate in response to hyperglycemia or prolonged exposure to free fatty acids, may prevent channel closure and contribute to the development of beta-cell glucose insensitivity.

Malonyl coenzyme A and adiposity in the Dahl salt-sensitive rat: effects of pioglitazone

These studies were designed to assess the effects of pioglitazone, a new oral antidiabetic agent that acts by improving insulin sensitivity, on blood pressure, plasma and tissue lipids, and insulin resistance in the Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl-S) rat. Reaven et al had reported that male Dahl-S rats are moderately hyperinsulinemic and insulin-resistant. This was of particular interest since these rats are not obese but are hypertriglyceridemic, and on a high-salt diet they become hypertensive. In the current study, male Sprague-Dawley control and Dahl-S rats were compared when fed standard chow of high-fat, high-sucrose (HFHS) diets with or without pioglitazone (20 mg/kg body weight/d) for 3 weeks. On the standard chow diet, Dahl-S rats were hypertriglyceridemic and had high tissue levels of malonyl coenzyme A ([CoA] Dahl-S 5.0 v control 3.3 nmol/g in muscle, and Dahl-S 15.6 v control 10.7 nmol/g in liver); however, they were not hyperinsulinemic. Pioglitazone therapy decreased both malonyl CoA and plasma triglycerides toward control values, but had no effect on plasma insulin levels. On the HFHS diet, both groups became glucose-intolerant and hyperinsulinemic; however, the hyperinsulinemia was greater and more sustained in Dahl-S rats. In addition, the HFHS diet appeared to increase the mass of retroperitoneal fat in the Dahl-S but not in the control group. Treatment with pioglitazone decreased retroperitoneal fat, but as reported previously, it increased the mass of the epididymal fat pad. The results suggest that the hypertriglyceridemia of the Dahl-S rat is associated with an increase in the concentration of malonyl CoA in both liver and muscle. They also show that pioglitazone reverses both of these abnormalities independently of its effect on plasma insulin. Whether these high levels of malonyl CoA predispose the Dahl-S rat to hyperinsulinemia and possibly obesity when placed on a HFHS diet remains to be determined.

Effects of pancreastatin and somatostatin on secretagogues-induced rise in intracellular free calcium in single rat pancreatic islet cells

Pancreastatin (PST) is known to inhibit glucose-stimulated insulin release both in vivo and in vitro, but it has not been determined whether PST acts directly on pancreatic B-cells and no study has been reported on the effect of PST on the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in pancreatic islet cells. In the present study, by using the dissociated rat pancreatic B-cells, we examined the effects of PST on the increase in [Ca2+]i induced by several insulin secretagogues, and compared them with those of somatostatin (SRIF). PST (1-100 nM) dose-dependently inhibited the glucose-induced rise in [Ca2+]i in single pancreatic islet cells. SRIF (10 nM) also suppressed the glucose-induced rise in [Ca2+]i. These demonstrated direct inhibitory actions of PST and SRIF on the pancreatic B-cells. Acetylcholine (ACh, 10 microM) with 5.5 mM glucose induced a biphasic increase in [Ca2+]i in single islet cells. SRIF (10 nM) suppressed the second phase in [Ca2+]i increase without affecting the first phase. In contrast, PST (100 nM) had no effect on the ACh-induced response. Gastric inhibitory polypeptide (100 nM) with 5.5 mM glucose induced a rise in [Ca2+]i in single islet cells. SRIF inhibited this increase, but PST did not. Both PST and SRIF failed to affect the sustained rise in [Ca2+]i evoked by excess K+. These results suggest that PST and SRIF suppress the glucose-induced insulin secretion at least partly by inhibiting the rise in [Ca2+]i in pancreatic B-cells. Furthermore, PST may suppress the glucose-induced rise in [Ca2+]i via a mechanism different from that of SRIF.

Sp1 mediates glucose activation of the acetyl-CoA carboxylase promoter

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of fatty acids, is induced in the presence of high glucose levels. The ACC gene contains two promoters: promoter I (PI) expression is inducible under lipogenic conditions, while promoter II (PII) expression, even though constitutively expressed in all tissues, is also controlled under various physiological conditions. Examination of the expression pattern of a series of deletion constructs of PII showed that the region from -340 to -249 was essential for ACC induction. In addition, by electrophoretic mobility shift assays, supershift assays, and DNase I footprinting studies, we have detected the binding of the transcription factor Sp1 at the two GC-rich sequences located within the -340 to -249 region of promoter II. Mutations at the GC-rich sequences prevented binding of Sp1, and the induction of the PII promoter was no longer observed. Cotransfection studies, in Drosophila Schneider SL2 cells, with the Sp1 expression vector and PII-CAT constructs, have further confirmed the activation of promoter II by Sp1. In addition, we have identified Sp3, another member of the Sp1 family of transcription factors, as a second factor that can bind to the glucose response elements of PII.

A malonyl-CoA fuel-sensing mechanism in muscle: effects of insulin, glucose, and denervation

Increases in the concentration of malonyl-CoA in skeletal muscle have been observed in the KKAy mouse, an obese rodent with high plasma insulin and glucose levels [Saha et al. Am. J. Physiol. 267 (Endocrinol. Metab. 30): E95-E101, 1994]. To assess whether insulin and glucose directly regulate malonyl-CoA in muscle, soleus muscles from young rats were incubated with insulin and glucose at various concentrations, and their content of malonyl-CoA was determined. In addition, the effect on malonyl-CoA of denervation and electrically induced muscle contractions was assessed. The concentration of malonyl-CoA in the soleus, taken directly from a rat fed ad libitum, was 2.0 +/- 0.2 nmol/g. In muscles incubated for 20 min in a medium devoid of added insulin and glucose, the concentration was decreased to 0.8 +/- 0.2 nmol/g. When the medium contained 0.5, 7.5, or 30 mM glucose, malonyl-CoA levels were 1.3 +/- 0.1, 1.8 +/- 0.1, or 2.4 +/- 0.2 nmol/g, respectively, in the absence of insulin and 1.7 +/- 0.1, 4.6 +/- 0.3, or 5.5 +/- 0.6 nmol/g in its presence (10 mU/ml). Compared with its level in a control muscle, the concentration of malonyl-CoA was increased threefold in the soleus 6-8 h after denervation and remained twofold higher for > or = 48 h. In contrast, muscle contractions induced by sciatic nerve stimulation, in vivo, acutely decreased the concentration of malonyl-CoA by 30-35%. The results indicate that insulin and glucose, and probably contractile activity, regulate the concentration of malonyl-CoA in muscle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The heterotrimeric G-protein Gi is localized to the insulin secretory granules of beta-cells and is involved in insulin exocytosis

Mastoparan, a tetradecapeptide found in wasp venom that stimulates G-proteins, increases insulin secretion from beta-cells. In this study, we have examined the role of heterotrimeric G-proteins in mastoparan-induced insulin secretion from the insulin-secreting beta-cell line beta-TC3. Mastoparan stimulated insulin secretion in a dose-dependent manner from digitonin-permeabilized beta-TC3 cells. Active mastoparan analogues mastoparan 7, mastoparan 8, and mastoparan X also stimulated secretion. Mastoparan 17, an inactive analogue of mastoparan, did not increase insulin secretion from permeabilized beta-TC3 cells. Mastoparan-induced insulin secretion from permeabilized beta-TC3 cells was inhibited by pretreatment of the cells with pertussis toxin, suggesting that mastoparan-induced insulin secretion is mediated through a pertussis toxin-sensitive G-protein present distally in exocytosis. Enriched insulin secretory granules (ISG) were prepared by sucrose/nycodenz ultracentrifugation. Western immunoblotting performed on beta-TC3 homogenate and ISG demonstrated that G alpha i was dramatically enriched in ISG. Levels of G alpha o and G alpha q were comparable in homogenate and ISG. Mastoparan stimulated ISG GTPase activity in a pertussis toxin-sensitive manner. Mastoparan 7 and mastoparan 8 also stimulated GTPase activity in the ISG, while the inactive analogue mastoparan 17 had no effect. Selective localization of G alpha i to ISG was confirmed with electron microscopic immunocytochemistry in beta-TC3 cells and beta-cells from rat pancreas. In contrast to G alpha o and G alpha q, G alpha was clearly localized to the ISG. Together, these data suggest that mastoparan may act through the heterotrimeric G-protein G alpha i located in the ISG of beta-cells to stimulate insulin secretion.

Lipid abnormalities in tissues of the KKAy mouse: effects of pioglitazone on malonyl-CoA and diacylglycerol

Insulin resistance is present in liver and muscle of subjects with type 2 diabetes and obesity. Recent studies suggest that such insulin resistance could be related to abnormalities in lipid-mediated signal transduction; however, the nature of these abnormalities is unclear. To examine this question further, tissue levels of diacylglycerol (DAG), malonyl-CoA, and triglyceride (TG) were determined in liver and soleus muscle of obese insulin-resistant KKAy mice and lean C57 BL control mice. In addition, the effects of treatment with pioglitazone, an antidiabetic agent that acts by increasing insulin sensitivity in muscle, liver, and other tissues, were assessed. The KKAy mice were hyperglycemic (407 vs. 138 mg/dl), hypertriglyceridemic (337 vs. 109 mg/dl), hyperinsulinemic (631 vs. 15 mU/ml), and weighed more (42 vs. 35 g) than the control mice. They also had 1.5- to 2.0-fold higher levels of malonyl-CoA in both liver and muscle, higher DAG (twofold) and TG (1.3-fold) levels in muscle, and higher TG (threefold), but not DAG, levels. Treatment of the KKAy mice with pioglitazone for 4 days decreased plasma glucose, TGs, and insulin by approximately 50% and restored hepatic and muscle malonyl-CoA levels to control values. In contrast, pioglitazone increased hepatic and muscle DAG levels two- or threefold. It has no effect on muscle or hepatic TG content, and it slightly increased hepatic TGs in the control group. The results indicate that abnormalities in tissue lipids occur in both liver and muscle of the KKAy mouse and that they are differentially altered when insulin sensitivity is enhanced by treatment with pioglitazone.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of cholinergic agonists on diacylglycerol and intracellular calcium levels in pancreatic beta-cells

We have studied the effects of cholinergic agonists on the rates of insulin release and the concentrations of diacylglycerol (DAG) and intracellular free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in the beta-cell line MIN6. Insulin secretion was stimulated by glucose, by glibenclamide and by bombesin. In the presence of glucose, both acetylcholine (ACh) and carbachol (CCh) produced a sustained increase in the rate of insulin release which was blocked by EGTA or verapamil. The DAG content of MIN6 beta-cells was not affected by glucose. Both CCh and ACh evoked an increase in DAG which was maximal after 5 min and returned to basal after 30 min; EGTA abolished the cholinergic-induced increase in DAG. ACh caused a transient rise in [Ca2+]i which was abolished by omission of Ca2+ or by addition of devapamil. Thus, cholinergic stimulation of beta-cell insulin release is associated with changes in both [Ca2+]i and DAG. The latter change persists longer than the former and activation of protein kinase C and sensitization of the secretory process to Ca2+ may underlie the prolonged effects of cholinergic agonists on insulin release. However, a secretory response to CCh was still evident after both [Ca2+]i and DAG had returned to control values suggesting that additional mechanisms may be involved.

Glucose-induced insulin release in islets of young rats: time-dependent potentiation and effects of 2-bromostearate

The development of glucose-stimulated insulin release and time-dependent potentiation (TDP) has been studied in isolated islets from 7-, 14-, and 21-day-old and 3-mo-old rats. Responses were small at 7 days and changed little at 14 days. At 21 days the amount of insulin released in response to glucose was two times that at 14 days but was still less than one-half that released by 3-mo islets. Glucose-induced TDP was absent at 7 days but was present at 21 days. The second phase response to glucose decreased with perifusion time in 7-, 14-, and 21-day islets. In 7- and 21-day islets, high glucose in the presence of 2-bromostearate, an inhibitor of fatty acid oxidation, prevented the time-dependent decrease in responses; in addition, it induced TDP and enhanced TDP in the 7-day and 21-day islets, respectively. The data suggest that, in the young islet, glucose metabolism fails to inhibit fatty acid oxidation as it does in the mature islet and that this leads to a diminished signal for stimulus-secretion coupling.

Hexose metabolism in pancreatic islets: unequal oxidation of the two carbons of glucose-derived acetyl residues

The fate of the C1 and C2 of glucose-derived acetyl residues was examined in rat pancreatic islets. The production of 14CO2 from D-[2-14C]glucose exceeded that from D-[6-14C]glucose, in the same manner as the oxidation of [1-14C]acetate exceeded that of [2-14C]acetate. The difference in 14CO2 output from D-[2-14C]glucose and D-[6-14C]glucose was matched by complementary differences in the generation of 14C-labeled acidic metabolites and amino acids. Even the production of 14C-labeled L-lactate was somewhat higher in the case of D-[6-14C]glucose than D-[2-14C]glucose. The ratio between D-[2-14C]glucose and D-[6-14C]glucose oxidation progressively decreased at increasing concentrations of the hexose (2.8, 7.0, and 16.7 mM), was higher after 30 than 120 min incubation, and was decreased in the presence of a nonmetabolized analogue of L-leucine. These findings are consistent with the view that the difference between D-[6-14C]glucose and D-[2-14C]glucose oxidation is mainly attributable to the inflow into the Krebs cycle of unlabeled metabolites generated from endogenous nutrients, this being compensated by the exit of partially labeled metabolites from the same cycle. The present results also indicate that the oxidation of glucose-derived acetyl residues relative to their generation in the reaction catalyzed by pyruvate dehydrogenase is higher than that estimated from the ratio between D-[6-14C]glucose and D-[3,4-14C]glucose conversion to 14CO2.

The 5' untranslated regions of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase mRNA provide specific translational control in vitro

Acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the biosynthesis of long-chain fatty acids. Transcription of the single-copy ACC gene from two independent promoters, together with the differential splicing of the transcripts, gives rise to mature ACC mRNA having the same open reading frame (ORF), but exhibiting heterogeneity in their 5' untranslated region (5'-UTR). Class 1 ACC mRNA are transcribed from the inducible promoter 1 and their 5'-end leading sequences are provided by exon 1. Class 2 ACC mRNA are transcribed from the constitutively expressing promoter 2 and their leading sequences are derived from exon 2. In order to understand the role of different 5' UTR of ACC mRNA we have synthesized in vitro transcripts with defined ACC mRNA 5' UTR and examined their relative translational efficiencies in rabbit reticulocyte lysates. The major translation product of both forms of ACC mRNA was initiated at the first AUG of the ORF. Class 1 transcripts had a 6-9-fold better translational efficiency than class 2 transcripts, based on the quantity of major peptide produced by a given amount of transcript. The poor translational efficiency of class 2 transcripts can be improved by the removal of sequences contributed by exon 2, suggesting that they play an inhibitory role in the translation of class 2 types of ACC mRNA. In addition to their higher translational efficiency, the class 1 transcripts can also initiate translation at in-frame non-AUG codons, located in exon 1, i.e. upstream to the starting AUG of the common ACC mRNA ORF. This results in novel ACC peptides with extended N termini. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that the 5' UTR heterogeneity in the ACC mRNA may be involved in post-transcriptional control, at the level of translation, of the ACC gene expression.

Hexose metabolism in pancreatic islets. Effect of (-)-hydroxycitrate upon fatty acid synthesis and insulin release in glucose-stimulated islets

Anaplerotic reactions leading to the de novo synthesis of fatty acids, were recently proposed to participate in the coupling of metabolic to secretory events in the process of glucose-stimulated insulin release. In an attempt to validate such a proposal, the effect of (-)-hydroxycitrate upon fatty acid synthesis and insulin release was investigated in glucose-stimulated rat pancreatic islets. The inhibitor of ATP citrate-lyase, when tested in the 1.0-2.0 mM range, failed to affect glucose-stimulated insulin release, but also failed to inhibit the incorporation of 14C-labelled acetyl residues derived from L-[U-14C]leucine into islet lipids. A partial inhibition of fatty acid labelling by 3H2O was only observed in islets incubated for 120 min in the presence of 5.0 mM (-)-hydroxycitrate and absence of CaCl2. These findings suggest that (-)-hydroxycitrate is not, under the present experimental conditions, a useful tool to abolish fatty acid synthesis in intact pancreatic islets.

Hexose metabolism in pancreatic islets: pyruvate carboxylase activity

The anaplerotic hypothesis for insulin release postulates that an increased generation of malonyl-CoA, acyl residues and diacylglycerol in nutrient-stimulated pancreatic islets may couple the catabolism of nutrient secretagogues to more distal events in the secretory sequence. In the light of this hypothesis, pyruvate carboxylase activity was measured in rat pancreatic islets using two distinct radioisotopic procedures. The first procedure is based on the conversion of oxalacetate generated from pyruvate to 14C-labelled citrate in the presence of [1-14C]acetyl-CoA and citrate synthase. The second technique involves the conversion of 14C-labelled oxalacetate generated from [1-14C]pyruvate to radioactive aspartate in the presence of L-glutamate and glutamate-oxalacetate transaminase. Pyruvate carboxylase activity amounted to 10 pmol/min per islet, was restricted to mitochondria, displayed a Km for pyruvate close to 0.4 mM, and demonstrated dependency towards ATP (apparent Ka close to 0.1 mM), Mg2+ and acetyl-CoA. It is proposed that pyruvate carboxylase activity accounts for the generation of 14C-labelled amino acids other than alanine in islets exposed to D-[3,4-14C]glucose and participates to the pyruvate/citrate shuttle for the transport of acetyl-CoA out of the mitochondria in nutrient-stimulated islets.

Protein kinase C in insulin releasing cells. Putative role in stimulus secretion coupling

The evidence for the involvement of protein kinase C (PKC) in insulin secretion stimulated by glucose and Ca2(+)-mobilizing receptor agonists has been reviewed. Results of phorbol ester binding to intact cells and the measurements of the proportion of PKC associated with the membrane after cell fractionation are presented. Glucose stimulation leads to increased phorbol ester binding without causing membrane insertion of the enzyme which, however, occurs with receptor agonists. It is suggested that the rise in cytosolic Ca2+ in response to glucose favours the apposition of PKC to the membrane whereas intercalation of the enzyme requires phospholipase C-mediated generation of diacylglycerol. It is possible that this effect of glucose on PKC, although not involved in the initiation of secretion, could explain the potentiation of insulin release observed in the presence of the receptor agonists.

Glucose metabolism, second messengers and insulin secretion

Insulin secretion from beta cells of the islets of Langerhans in the endocrine pancreas is regulated by glucose, glucose metabolites, metabolic intermediates such as ATP, acetyl CoA and reduced pyridine nucleotides, and classical second messengers. Receptor responses transduced by guanine nucleotide binding proteins modulate metabolic activity, the generation of second messengers, and cell depolarization during stimulus-response coupling in the beta cell. This review will consider insulin secretion as regulated by glucose metabolic pathways and second messengers.