Modulation of glucose transport in hamster adipocytes by insulin and by beta- and alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists

Synergistic induction of insulin resistance by endothelin-1 and cAMP in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Both endothelin-1 (ET-1) and cAMP are implicated for inducing insulin resistance. Since we have shown previously that there is a crosstalk between ET-1 and cAMP signaling pathways in regulating glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, we extended our investigation in this study on whether they may have a synergistic effect on inducing insulin resistance. Our results showed that it was indeed the case. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, phosphorylation of PKB, IRS-1-associated PI3K, and IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation were all inhibited by ET-1 and 8-bromo cAMP in a synergistic manner. IRS-1 protein levels were similarly decreased by ET-1 and 8-bromo cAMP, attributable to suppressed mRNA expression. In addition, after correction for the loss in IRS-1 protein, the inhibition of insulin-stimulated IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation or IRS-1-associated PI3K was mainly caused by cAMP. Moreover, whereas IRS-2 protein levels were increased by cAMP or ET-1 plus cAMP, insulin-stimulated IRS-2-associated PI3K activities were abolished by both treatments. Furthermore, ET-1 and β-adrenergic agonists had similar synergistic inhibition on insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. In conclusion, we have shown that ET-1 and cAMP may synergistically induce insulin resistance in adipocytes via inhibiting IRS-1 expression as well as insulin-stimulated IRS-1/IRS-2 activities.

Antagonistic effects of a covalently dimerized insulin derivative on insulin receptors in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

In the present study we describe the antagonistic effects of the covalently dimerized insulin derivative B29,B29'-suberoyl-insulin on insulin receptors in 3T3-L1 mouse cells. In differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes, the derivative fully inhibits binding of 125I-labeled insulin to its receptor with about the same affinity as unlabeled insulin. In contrast, the dimerized derivative only partially (approximately 20%) mimics insulin's effects on glucose transport and DNA synthesis in the absence of insulin. In the presence of insulin, the agent competitively inhibits insulin-stimulated DNA synthesis ([3H]thymidine incorporation into total DNA), glucose transport activity (2-deoxyglucose uptake rate), and insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity. In rat adipocytes, in contrast, the dimerized derivative stimulates glucose transport (initial 3-O-methylglucose as well as 2-deoxyglucose uptake rates) to the same extent as insulin does, and it fails to inhibit the effect of insulin. The data indicate that the dimerized insulin derivative B29,B29'-suberoyl-insulin is an insulin receptor antagonist (partial agonist) which retains a moderate intrinsic activity. The effects of this agent reveal a striking difference in insulin receptor-mediated stimulation of glucose transport between 3T3-L1 fatty fibroblasts and the mature rat adipocyte.

Phosphorylation of G-protein alpha-subunits in intact adipose cells: evidence against a mediating role in insulin-dependent metabolic effects

The phosphorylation of G-protein alpha-subunits was studied in plasma membranes prepared from isolated, intact adipocytes equilibrated with [32P]phosphate and subsequently incubated in the presence or absence of insulin. In iodinated or unlabeled plasma membranes, antiserum generated against a peptide corresponding to a region common to G-protein alpha-subunits immunoprecipitated two major proteins of 45 and 40 kDa, which were identified as Gs and Gi alpha-subunit, respectively, by comparison with [32P]ADP-ribosylated G-proteins. In membranes prepared from cells equilibrated with [32P]phosphate, the antiserum precipitated a 45 kDa phosphoprotein. Pre-immune serum failed to immunoprecipitate the phosphoprotein. Insulin stimulated [32P]phosphate incorporation into the 45 kDa protein approximately 2-fold. Control experiments suggested that the 45 kDa phosphoprotein was not identical with G alpha s, since (1) the peptide used to raise the antiserum failed to inhibit significantly immunoprecipitation of the 45 kDa phosphoprotein with the antiserum, (2) in contrast to the Gs alpha-subunit, the phosphoprotein was readily removed from the immunocomplex by washing with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and (3) the subcellular localization of the phosphoprotein differed considerably from that of the Gs alpha-subunit. No phosphate was detected in immunoprecipitates from either basal or insulin-treated cells after the 45 kDa phosphoprotein had been removed. These data argue against a mediating role of phosphorylated G-protein alpha-subunits in the action of insulin.

Quantitative dissociation of glucose transport stimulation and insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activation in isolated adipocytes with a covalent insulin dimer (B29,B29'-suberoyl-insulin)

The covalent insulin dimer B29,B29'-suberoyl-insulin was investigated for its effects on insulin receptor binding, insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity and glucose transport in isolated adipose cells. The dimer stimulated glucose transport (initial 3-O-methylglucose uptake rate) to the same extent as insulin did (basal rate, 35 +/- 3 pmol/sec/microliter lipid; insulin, 380 +/- 27; B29,B29'-suberoyl-insulin, 369 +/- 24, means +/- S.E.), although at higher concentrations (EC50 1.94 +/- 0.64 nM versus 0.1 +/- 0.02 with insulin). In contrast, the dimer only partially (23%) mimicked insulin's effect on phosphate incorporation into insulin receptors immunoprecipitated after equilibration of cells with [32P]phosphate. Similarly, insulin receptor tyrosine kinase as assessed by receptor autophosphorylation and phosphorylation of the substrate poly-(Glu/Tyr) was not fully activated by treatment of cells with the insulin dimer (31 and 42% of the effect of insulin, respectively) in concentrations which maximally activate glucose transport and give rise to full insulin receptor occupancy (5 X 10(-7) M). Further, the dimer activated the receptor tyrosine kinase in solubilized purified insulin receptor preparations from adipose cells to only 25% of the effect of insulin (EC50 32.0 +/- 16 versus 1.9 +/- 1.0 nM with insulin) in spite of full receptor occupancy. Binding of the dimer to insulin receptors followed single site binding kinetics, indicating that the derivative is unable to induce negative cooperativity of the insulin receptor. It is concluded that a partial phosphorylation of insulin receptors and a submaximal tyrosine kinase activation are sufficient for full stimulation of glucose transport in the adipocyte. Further, it is suggested that negative cooperativity of the insulin receptor and activation of its tyrosine kinase require a similar conformational change of the receptor protein.

Control of placental glucose transfer

There is little evidence to suggest that the membrane transfer mechanism of the placenta for glucose becomes saturated until maternal blood glucose concentrations are quite high. Also, recent evidence suggests that the membrane transport system for glucose in the placenta is not stimulated by maternal or fetal insulin. Furthermore, there is no solid evidence that hormonal or non-hormonal factors function in vivo to limit membrane transport of glucose in the placenta. Therefore, the limited data which are available suggest that there are no specific mechanisms which acutely regulate placental membrane transport of glucose, and that this membrane transport mechanism operates to maximize maternal-to-fetal glucose transfer. The rate of maternal-to-fetal glucose transfer is a function of the transplacental concentration gradient. This gradient appears to be under the control of fetal insulin and placental lactogen. The available data suggest that both hormones act to increase this concentration gradient: insulin by decreasing fetal blood glucose, and placental lactogen by both decreasing fetal and increasing maternal blood glucose concentrations. Furthermore, high rates of glucose uptake by fetal erythrocytes tend to promote maintenance of this concentration gradient. Therefore, these influences of the maternal-fetal concentration gradient promote transplacental glucose flux to the fetus. As illustrated by the fetal complications associated with maternal hyperglycaemia, the cellular and organismic physiology of the fetus and placenta appears to maximize, rather than optimize, glucose availability to the fetus. It may be, however, that during normal pregnancy, maximal availability is optimal for fetal development.

Insulin stimulation of adipocyte membrane glucose transport. A graded biologic response insensitive to bilayer lipid disordering

Aspects of the mechanism by which insulin stimulates the membrane glucose transport system were examined by assessing the influence of the bilayer lipid structure on transport stimulation characteristics, and considering the form of the insulin dose-response curve. We tested the effects of membrane lipid perturbation on the insulin stimulation process. Benzyl alcohol, at concentrations (25 mM) that grossly fluidize lipids forming the adipocyte membrane bilayer matrix, caused 50% inhibition of intrinsic transporter activity. However, this membrane perturbation had no significant effect on either the insulin dose-response curve (conducted at 37 degrees) or the time-course of the insulin stimulation of hexose transport (conducted at 32 degrees). These data are difficult to rationalize in terms of a model in which transport stimulation involves interaction of transporters and hormone-bound receptors that is limited by lateral diffusion of these proteins in the fluid lipid bilayer. Curve-fitting experimental insulin dose-response data for stimulation of 2-deoxy-D-glucose and D-glucose uptake provided an estimate of an insulin "association constant" for transport regulation that may be compared with recent insulin receptor binding data. Similar magnitude constants were obtained whether estimated directly from plots of transport velocity versus arithmetic hormone dose, or by extrapolation from linear segments of sigmoidal velocity versus log dose plots, or from inverse (Lineweaver-Burk-type) plots of the insulin dose-response data. Insulin apparently regulates transport by associating with a binding site, having an apparent dissociation constant which is determinable through kinetic measurements of hexose uptake (KDapp approx. 17-40 pM). This is in good agreement with the dissociation constant, KD, determined from Scatchard plots of recent binding data to adipocytes, for a class of receptors representing the "high affinity" binding sites for insulin. Insulin dose-response curve simulations also indicated that the stimulation process may be classified in pharmacologic terms as a typical graded biologic response and may involve insulin association with a site that regulates transport rates in a manner kinetically analogous to allosteric modulation of a V-series enzyme by a noncompetitive ligand. From the results we suggest that a relatively close association occurs between transport and receptor proteins in the membrane, where the relative activation of transport depends on the fractional occupancy of functional high affinity receptors by insulin, and the insulin stimulation of transport involves regions of the membrane that are not influenced significantly by