Annual variations in the binding of insulin to hepatic membranes of the frog Rana esculenta

Cryoprotectants and extreme freeze tolerance in a subarctic population of the wood frog

Wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) exhibit marked geographic variation in freeze tolerance, with subarctic populations tolerating experimental freezing to temperatures at least 10-13 degrees Celsius below the lethal limits for conspecifics from more temperate locales. We determined how seasonal responses enhance the cryoprotectant system in these northern frogs, and also investigated their physiological responses to somatic freezing at extreme temperatures. Alaskan frogs collected in late summer had plasma urea levels near 10 μmol ml-1, but this level rose during preparation for winter to 85.5 ± 2.9 μmol ml-1 (mean ± SEM) in frogs that remained fully hydrated, and to 186.9 ± 12.4 μmol ml-1 in frogs held under a restricted moisture regime. An osmolality gap indicated that the plasma of winter-conditioned frogs contained an as yet unidentified osmolyte(s) that contributed about 75 mOsmol kg-1 to total osmotic pressure. Experimental freezing to -8°C, either directly or following three cycles of freezing/thawing between -4 and 0°C, or -16°C increased the liver's synthesis of glucose and, to a lesser extent, urea. Concomitantly, organs shed up to one-half (skeletal muscle) or two-thirds (liver) of their water, with cryoprotectant in the remaining fluid reaching concentrations as high as 0.2 and 2.1 M, respectively. Freeze/thaw cycling, which was readily survived by winter-conditioned frogs, greatly increased hepatic glycogenolysis and delivery of glucose (but not urea) to skeletal muscle. We conclude that cryoprotectant accrual in anticipation of and in response to freezing have been greatly enhanced and contribute to extreme freeze tolerance in northern R. sylvatica.

In vitro insulin stimulatory effect on glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in the gills of the estuarine crab Chasmagnathus granulata

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of insulin on glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in crab Chasmagnathus granulata gills. We observed an increased glucose uptake and incorporation of d-[(14)C]glucose into glycogen when posterior C. granulata gills were incubated in the presence of insulin; however, this was not observed in anterior gills, despite the presence of similar insulin receptors. In posterior gills, basal glucose uptake in the summer was significantly higher than in the winter. Moreover, in the summer, the insulin dose required to stimulate glucose uptake was twice as high as in the winter. However, there was no significant difference in terms of basal glycogen synthesis in summer and winter. In crustaceans, the endogenous insulin/IGFI substance might be involved in the rapid restoration of glycogen levels in the gills, increasing glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis. Bovine insulin seems to have a stimulatory effect on glycogen metabolism only in posterior gills.

Insulin, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and glucagon: the evolution of their receptors

Insulin and glucagon, two of the most studied pancreatic hormones bind to specific membrane receptors to exert their biological actions. Insulin-like growth factors IGF-I and IGF-II are structurally related to insulin, although they are expressed ubiquitously. The biological functions of the IGFs are mediated by different transmembrane receptors, which includes the insulin, IGF-I and IGF-II receptors. The interaction of insulin, insulin related peptides and glucagon with the corresponding receptors has been studied extensively in mammals and continues to be so. At the same time, research on ectothermic animals has made enormous progress in the recent years. This paper summarizes current knowledge on insulin, IGF-I and glucagon receptors, from a comparative point of view with special attention to non-mammalian vertebrates. The review covers adult and mostly typical target tissues, and with very few exceptions, developmental aspects are not considered. Binding characteristics, tissue distribution and structure of insulin and IGF-I receptors will be considered first, because both ligands and receptors are structurally related and have overlapping functions. These sections will be followed by similar distribution of information on glucagon receptors. Readers interested in either structure or functions of insulin, IGFs and glucagon in nonmammalian vertebrates are referred to other reviews (Mommsen TP, Plisetskaya EM. Insulin in fishes and agnathans: history, structure and metabolic regulation. Rev Aquat Sci 1991;4:225-259; Mommsen TP, Plisetskaya EM. Metabolic and endocrine functions of glucagon-like peptides: evolutionary and biochemical perspectives. Fish Physiol Biochem 1993;11:429-438; Duguay SJ, Mommsen TP. Molecular aspects of pancreatic peptides. In: Sherwood NM, Hew CL, editors, Fish Physiology. vol 13. 1994:225-271; Plisetskaya EM, Mommsen TP. Glucagon and glucagon-like peptides in fishes. Int Rev Citol 1996;168:187-257.).

Physiological significance of behavioral hypothermia in hypoglycemic frogs (Rana catesbeiana)

Hypoxia elicits a number of compensatory responses in animals, including behavioral hypothermia. The hypothesis that hypoglycemia induces hypothermia in the bullfrog Rana catesbeiana was tested and that this behavioral response would be beneficial. Frogs equipped with a temperature probe were tested in a thermal gradient (10-40 degrees C). Insulin (15 IU kg-1) caused significant reduction of body temperature, from 25.0 to 17.8 degrees C. A non-metabolizable glucose analogue, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG, 50 mg kg-1), which blocks intracellular glucose utilization, was also injected and caused a similar drop in body temperature, despite an increase in plasma glucose levels. To assess the possible benefits of hypoglycemia-induced hypothermia, the effects of insulin and 2-DG injections were measured on plasma glucose concentration and on oxygen consumption of frogs equilibrated at 10, 20 and 30 degrees C. The plasma glucose was elevated at higher temperatures and so was oxygen consumption. The insulin caused a significant reduction of plasma glucose concentration (about 1.22 muMol ml-1) whereas 2-DG caused a significant increase (about 0.70 muMol ml-1) at 30 degrees C. Both drugs caused a reduction of oxygen consumption (approximately 0.388 and 0.382 ml min-1 kg at 30 degrees C after insulin and 2-DG injection, respectively). No effect of either insulin or 2-DG was observed when the animals were equilibrated at 10 degrees C. In conclusion, hypothermia may be a beneficial response to hypoglycemia in frogs.

Identification and initial characterization of serum growth hormone binding protein in the turtle Chrysemys dorbigni

Proteins that bind growth hormone (GHBP) have been identified in the blood of many mammalian and avian species, but not in reptilian species. We carried out binding studies with the serum of turtles using chromatographic techniques as well as the dextran-charcoal separation method. As in other species, we found at least two different GHBPs: one with high MW and low affinity and the other with lower MW and higher affinity. The high affinity GHBP was partially purified using gel filtration and affinity chromatography, reaching a degree of purification of 11,000 times (0.17 nmol/g of serum protein in the serum vs 1900 nmol/g protein in the purified material). When the high affinity GHBP was characterized, it was found to have a dissociation constant (Kd: 2.6 +/- 0.7 nM) similar to those described for mouse or rat, but lower than those for chicken, rabbit or man. The binding capacity (Bmax) was 120 +/- 43 fmoles/mg of protein, which can be also expressed as 1.08 +/- 0.38 pmol/ml of serum. A preliminary MW estimation of 50-60 kDa was obtained for turtle higher affinity GHBP. The specificity of this high affinity GHBP is somatogenic, since bovine GH competes as well as human GH for 125I-hGH bound to binding protein, while ovine PRL competes only partially and with low affinity. Unrelated hormones, as insulin and glucagon, can not displace the 125I-hGH bound to turtle GHBP. A very important seasonal variation in turtle GHBP activity was observed: maximum binding was found in November (springtime), followed by a continuous decline over March and May.

Up-regulation of insulin binding in fish skeletal muscle by high insulin levels

The effects of insulin titres on regulation of receptor binding were studied in several fish species. Insulin receptors were semi-purified by affinity chromatography (WGA-agarose) from skeletal muscle of carp, brown trout and rainbow trout that had been subjected to increases in insulinemia produced either by arginine injection, food administration, or adaptation to an experimental diet (extruded diet with high-digestibility carbohydrates). Arginine injection provoked acute hyperinsulinemia in both carp and trout. Specific binding of insulin to the skeletal muscle was significantly increased 3 h after injection (from 5.8 +/- 0.3 to 9.6 +/- 0.9%/10 micrograms protein in carp and from 0.8 +/- 0.2 to 1.5 +/- 0.4%/10 micrograms in trout). The same effect was observed in carp liver preparations (from 6.0 +/- 0.75 to 9.9 +/- 1.25%/10 micrograms). No alterations in tyrosine kinase activity of the receptors were detected in either carp or trout preparations: basal activities of the receptors were maintained (3100 +/- 200 fmol P/fmol receptors/30 min and 3700 +/- 400 fmol P/fmol receptors/30 min, in carp and trout, respectively), as were the percentage of stimulation over basal levels obtained by incubation with insulin (227 +/- 25% and 160 +/- 10% respectively). Food ingestion raised plasma insulin levels more steadily. Specific binding also increased in skeletal muscle preparations, especially in carp (from 5.7 +/- 0.3 to 11 +/- 1.7%/10 micrograms at 4 h and 10 +/- 0.7%/10 micrograms at 8 h). Tyrosine kinase activity was maintained without significant changes. Rainbow trout adapted for 2 months to an extruded diet presented higher insulin titres and higher glycogen reserves in liver and muscle. Insulin binding to skeletal muscle preparations was also significantly increased (from 0.36 +/- 0.02 to 0.77 +/- 0.1%/10 micrograms), as was tyrosine kinase activity (from 132 +/- 4% to 156 +/- 6%, without alterations in the basal activity). Results showed that fish can respond to both acute and maintained increases in insulinemia by increasing the number of insulin receptors. Tyrosine kinase activity, in contrast, is only modified after long-term adaptation.

Binding and bioactivity of insulin in primary cultures of carp (Cyprinus carpio) hepatocytes

Isolated carp hepatocytes cultured in serum-free, chemically defined medium were used to investigate within the same cell preparation characteristics of the binding of insulin as well as effects of insulin on cellular metabolism. The binding of human [(125)I]-insulin to carp hepatocytes was studied in kinetic, saturation and displacement experiments. A dependency of insulin binding on the collagenase used for cell isolation was demonstrated. Insulin binding decreased during the first 12h of culture but remained constant during the following 12h. The kinetic experiments revealed that [(125)I]-insulin binding reached a steady state within 20-30 min of incubation. The mathematical analysis of the saturation experiments demonstrated the existence of two populations of binding sites, one with high affinity (Kd1 = 5.5 pM) and low capacity (Bmax1 = 0.14 fmol/mg protein or 77 binding sites/cell) and one with low affinity (Kd2 = 2.4 nM) and high capacity (Bmax2 = 17.6 fmol/mg protein or 9623 binding sites/cell). In competition experiments, 312 pM [(125)I]-insulin was displaced by cold insulin, IGF-I and IGF-II with IC50 values of 2.2, 7.9 and 20.3 nM, respectively. Glucagon was without effect. Binding of insulin to carp hepatocytes resulted in a significant reduction of glucose release and a significant increase of protein synthesis as of de novo fatty acid synthesis.

Insulin binding to isolated hepatocytes of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout

The questions addressed in this study were: 1) whether insulin added to the incubation medium can down-regulate (125)I insulin binding to isolated hepatocytes of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss); 2) whether quantitative assessment of insulin processing can be made on isolated fish liver cells; 3) how ambient temperatures can affect insulin binding, and down-regulation of insulin receptors.After isolation and a short (up to 4h) "metabolic recovery period", liver cells were used either directly in (125)I insulin binding assay or first preincubated for 18h at 4°C or for 3h at 15°C, with or without mammalian or salmon insulin in concentrations ranging from 1 to 1000 nM.Preincubation at 15°C, decreased binding capacity (number of binding sites per liver cell) in all five independent hepatocyte preparations treated with 1000 nM insulin and in four out of five preparations treated with 100 nM insulin. At 4°C insulin binding sites were down-regulated in less than 50% of all hepatocyte preparations and only in the presence of 1000 nM insulin.Differential quantitive assessment was made of a) intact free insulin; b) insulin degraded; c) intact insulin bound to the cell membrane; d) internalized but degraded insulin, and e) intact insulin internalized by liver cells. Hepatocytes preincubated with 100 - 1000 nM insulin at 15°C bound and internalized less (125)I insulin.We hypothesize that in vivo, at water temperatures of 15°C and higher, extreme physiological levels of plasma insulin may regulate the numbers of insulin receptors in the salmonid liver. In contrast, in fish inhabiting cold waters the regulation of insulin receptors by circulating plasma insulin seems to be of little physiological importance.

Time-dependent effects of insulin on Schwann cell proliferation in the in vitro regenerating adult frog sciatic nerve

The present study showed that insulin (0.01 microgram/ml, approximately 2 nM) inhibited [3H]-thymidine incorporation in support cells, most likely Schwann cells, of the cultured frog sciatic nerve. A 25-35% inhibition took place in regenerating nerve preparations as well as in preparations devoid of neuronal protein synthesis, i.e., in isolated 5 mm nerve segments and in gangliectomized nerves, suggesting that the effect was direct and not mediated via the neuronal cells. The inhibition by insulin was time-dependent in that an effect was seen after 4 days but not at shorter or at longer periods of culturing. In separate experiments biotinylated insulin was shown to be taken up by Schwann cells in the regenerating nerve. Addition of serum increased the [3H]-thymidine incorporation severalfold and abolished the inhibitory action of insulin. Our results suggest that insulin, at a certain stage of the regeneration programme, exerts a direct, inhibitory effect on the proliferation of the Schwann cells in the cultured frog sciatic nerve.