Interactions of insulin, catecholamines and adenosine in the regulation of glucose transport in isolated rat cardiac myocytes

Loss of brain energy metabolism control as a driver for memory impairment upon insulin resistance

The pathophysiological mechanisms intersecting metabolic and neurodegenerative disorders include insulin resistance, which has a strong involvement of environmental factors. Besides central regulation of whole-body homeostasis, insulin in the central nervous system controls molecular signalling that is critical for cognitive performance, namely signalling through pathways that modulate synaptic transmission and plasticity, and metabolism in neurons and astrocytes. This review provides an overview on how insulin signalling in the brain might regulate brain energy metabolism, and further identified molecular mechanisms by which brain insulin resistance might impair synaptic fuelling, and lead to cognitive deterioration.

Effect of chronic administration of forskolin on glycemia and oxidative stress in rats with and without experimental diabetes

Forskolin is a diterpene derived from the plant Coleus forskohlii. Forskolin activates adenylate cyclase, which increases intracellular cAMP levels. The antioxidant and antiinflammatory action of forskolin is due to inhibition of macrophage activation with a subsequent reduction in thromboxane B2 and superoxide levels. These characteristics have made forskolin an effective medication for heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and asthma. Here, we evaluated the effects of chronic forskolin administration on blood glucose and oxidative stress in 19 male Wistar rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes compared to 8 healthy male Wistar rats. Rats were treated with forskolin, delivered daily for 8 weeks. Glucose was assessed by measuring fasting blood glucose in diabetic rats and with an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in healthy rats. Oxidative stress was assessed by measuring 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8‑OHdG) in 24-h urine samples. In diabetic rats, without forskolin, fasting blood glucose was significantly higher at the end than at the beginning of the experiment (8 weeks). In both healthy and diabetic rats, forskolin treatment lowered the fasting glucose at the end of the experiment but no effect was found on oral glucose tolerance. The 8-OHdG levels tended to be less elevated in forskolin-treated than in untreated group. Our results showed that chronic administration of forskolin decreased fasting blood glucose levels; however, the reductions of 8-OHdG were not statistically significant.

Gastric inhibitory peptide controls adipose insulin sensitivity via activation of cAMP-response element-binding protein and p110β isoform of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase

Gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP) is an incretin hormone secreted in response to food intake. The best known function of GIP is to enhance glucose-dependent insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells. Extra-pancreatic effects of GIP primarily occur in adipose tissues. Here, we demonstrate that GIP increases insulin-dependent translocation of the Glut4 glucose transporter to the plasma membrane and exclusion of FoxO1 transcription factor from the nucleus in adipocytes, establishing that GIP has a general effect on insulin action in adipocytes. Stimulation of adipocytes with GIP alone has no effect on these processes. Using pharmacologic and molecular genetic approaches, we show that the effect of GIP on adipocyte insulin sensitivity requires activation of both the cAMP/protein kinase A/CREB signaling module and p110β phosphoinositol-3' kinase, establishing a novel signal transduction pathway modulating insulin action in adipocytes. This insulin-sensitizing effect is specific for GIP because isoproterenol, which elevates adipocyte cAMP and activates PKA/CREB signaling, does not affect adipocyte insulin sensitivity. The insulin-sensitizing activity points to a more central role for GIP in intestinal regulation of peripheral tissue metabolism, an emerging feature of inter-organ communication in the control of metabolism.

Transport characteristics of HL-1 cells: a new model for the study of adenosine physiology in cardiomyocytes

Adenosine is a physiologically important nucleoside in the cardiovascular system where it can act as a cardioprotectant and modulator of energy usage. Adenosine transporters (ATs) modulate cellular adenosine levels, which, in turn, can affect a number of processes such as receptor activation and glucose uptake, but their role in cardiac physiology is poorly understood. Therefore, we have developed a new cell model by determining various adenosine-related characteristics of HL-1, an immortalized atrial cardiomyocyte murine cell line. Adenosine uptake in HL-1 cells is sodium independent, saturable, and inhibitable by nucleoside transport inhibitors (nitrobenzylthioinosine (NBTI), dipyridamole, dilazep). Reverse transcription--polymerase chain reaction analysis confirmed that HL-1 cells possess mouse equilibrative nucleoside transporters 1 and 2 (mENT1, mENT2) and kinetic analyses indicate moderate-affinity (Km = 51.3 +/- 12.9 microM), NBTI-sensitive adenosine transport. NBTI binds at a high-affinity single site (B(max) = 520 +/- 10 fmol/mg protein, Kd = 0.11 +/- 0.04 nM, 1.6 x 10(5) NBTI-binding sites/cell). HL-1 cells possess adenosine receptor, metabolic enzyme, protein kinase C isoform, and insulin-stimulated glucose transport profiles that match normal mouse heart. Therefore, HL-1 is an excellent model to study ATs within cardiomyocytes and the first model for evaluating in detail the role of the ATs in modulating effects of adenosine.

Endocrine manifestations of stimulatory G protein alpha-subunit mutations and the role of genomic imprinting

The heterotrimeric G protein G(s) couples hormone receptors (as well as other receptors) to the effector enzyme adenylyl cyclase and is therefore required for hormone-stimulated intracellular cAMP generation. Receptors activate G(s) by promoting exchange of GTP for GDP on the G(s) alpha-subunit (G(s)alpha) while an intrinsic GTPase activity of G(s)alpha that hydrolyzes bound GTP to GDP leads to deactivation. Mutations of specific G(s)alpha residues (Arg(201) or Gln(227)) that are critical for the GTPase reaction lead to constitutive activation of G(s)-coupled signaling pathways, and such somatic mutations are found in endocrine tumors, fibrous dysplasia of bone, and the McCune-Albright syndrome. Conversely, heterozygous loss-of-function mutations may lead to Albright hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO), a disease characterized by short stature, obesity, brachydactyly, sc ossifications, and mental deficits. Similar mutations are also associated with progressive osseous heteroplasia. Interestingly, paternal transmission of GNAS1 mutations leads to the AHO phenotype alone (pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism), while maternal transmission leads to AHO plus resistance to several hormones (e.g., PTH, TSH) that activate G(s) in their target tissues (pseudohypoparathyroidism type IA). Studies in G(s)alpha knockout mice demonstrate that G(s)alpha is imprinted in a tissue-specific manner, being expressed primarily from the maternal allele in some tissues (e.g., renal proximal tubule, the major site of renal PTH action), while being biallelically expressed in most other tissues. Disrupting mutations in the maternal allele lead to loss of G(s)alpha expression in proximal tubules and therefore loss of PTH action in the kidney, while mutations in the paternal allele have little effect on G(s)alpha expression or PTH action. G(s)alpha has recently been shown to be also imprinted in human pituitary glands. The G(s)alpha gene GNAS1 (as well as its murine ortholog Gnas) has at least four alternative promoters and first exons, leading to the production of alternative gene products including G(s)alpha, XLalphas (a novel G(s)alpha isoform that is expressed only from the paternal allele), and NESP55 (a chromogranin-like protein that is expressed only from the maternal allele). A fourth alternative promoter and first exon (exon 1A) located approximately 2.5 kb upstream of the G(s)alpha promoter is normally methylated on the maternal allele and transcriptionally active on the paternal allele. In patients with isolated renal resistance to PTH (pseudohypoparathyroidism type IB), the exon 1A promoter region has a paternal-specific imprinting pattern on both alleles (unmethylated, transcriptionally active), suggesting that this region is critical for the tissue-specific imprinting of G(s)alpha. The GNAS1 imprinting defect in pseudohypoparathyroidism type IB is predicted to decrease G(s)alpha expression in renal proximal tubules. Studies in G(s)alpha knockout mice also demonstrate that this gene is critical in the regulation of lipid and glucose metabolism.

Increased insulin sensitivity in Gsalpha knockout mice

The stimulatory guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G(s)) is required for hormone-stimulated cAMP generation. Gnas, the gene encoding the G(s) alpha-subunit, is imprinted, and targeted disruption of this gene in mice leads to distinct phenotypes in heterozygotes depending on whether the maternal (m-/+) or paternal (+/p-) allele is mutated. Notably, m-/+ mice become obese, whereas +/p- mice are thinner than normal. In this study we show that despite these opposite changes in energy metabolism, both m-/+ and +/p- mice have greater sensitivity to insulin, with low to normal fasting glucose levels, low fasting insulin levels, improved glucose tolerance, and exaggerated hypoglycemic response to administered insulin. The combination of increased insulin sensitivity with obesity in m-/+ mice is unusual, because obesity is typically associated with insulin resistance. In skeletal muscles isolated from both m-/+ and +/p- mice, the basal rate of 2-deoxyglucose uptake was normal, whereas the rate of 2-deoxyglucose uptake in response to maximal insulin stimulation was significantly increased. The similar changes in muscle sensitivity to insulin in m-/+ and +/p- mice may reflect the fact that muscle G(s)alpha expression is reduced by approximately 50% in both groups of mice. GLUT4 expression is unaffected in muscles from +/p- mice. Increased responsiveness to insulin is therefore the result of altered insulin signaling and/or GLUT4 translocation. This is the first direct demonstration in a genetically altered in vivo model that G(s)-coupled pathways negatively regulate insulin signaling.

Type IV phosphodiesterase inhibitor suppresses insulin-dependent myocardial glucose uptake

1. Phosphodiesterase (PDE) IV has been localized at cardiomyocytes and the coronary vasculature and modulates cAMP, but the effect of PDE IV on myocardial glucose uptake has not been demonstrated. 2. Glucose uptake in rat isolated hearts treated with the PDE IV inhibitor rolipram was measured by [31P] nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. 3. Under non-stimulating conditions, glucose uptake was not significantly different between control and rolipram (1 micromol/L)-treated rat hearts, whereas enhanced uptake in insulin-stimulated conditions was significantly attenuated by rolipram. 4. Phosphodiesterase IV inhibitor negatively affects insulin-dependent myocardial glucose uptake.

Uptake of glucose analogs reflects the rate of contraction of cultured myocytes

The present study demonstrates that: a) adenosine and R-N6-(2-phenylisopropyl)-adenosine (R-PIA, A1 and A3 adenosine receptor agonist) inhibited [3H]deoxyglucose uptake or [3H]3-O-methyl-D-glucose uptake; b) sugar uptake reflects the rate of contraction in cardiac cultures; c) [3H]deoxyglucose uptake or [3H]3-O-methyl-D-glucose uptake are useful quantitative probes for beating rate evaluation. A 25-40% decrease in [3H]deoxyglucose uptake (p < 0.01) was obtained following 13-21 min treatment with 100 microM adenosine together with 1 microM dipyridamole or with 10 microM R-PIA, which inhibited spontaneous contractions. Adenosine (10 microM) attenuated spontaneous beating rate and inhibited approximately 55% of the [3H]deoxyglucose uptake following 22 h treatment (p < 0.01). 1 microM R-PIA also attenuated beating rate following either a short (1 min) or long (24 h) application and decreased [3H]deoxyglucose uptake by 20-30% (p < 0.01) during 0.5-24 h of treatment. A 157 +/- 9% and 205 +/- 11% increase (p < 0.01) in [3H]deoxyglucose uptake was obtained at 27 and 37 degrees C, respectively, compared with the uptake at 17 degrees C, which completely inhibited spontaneous contractions. Similar results [33 +/- 6% (p < 0.01) and 21 +/- 8% (p < 0.05) inhibition in [3H]deoxyglucose uptake] were obtained following 2 and 22 h of carbamylcholine treatment, respectively. This treatment also reduced spontaneous contractions. [3H] 3-O-Methyl-D-glucose uptake also decreased by 31 +/- 12% (p < 0.05) as a result of the arrest of contractions by adenosine. Elevations of 90 +/- 13% and 34 +/- 11% (p < 0.01) in [3H]deoxyglucose uptake were obtained following treatment with isoprenaline after 2 and 22 h application, respectively. It is concluded that adenosine and R-PIA inhibited [3H]deoxyglucose uptake or [3H] 3-O-methyl-D-glucose uptake in rat heart culture and that there is a linkage between the rate of cardiac contractions in culture and sugar uptake.

beta-adrenergic stimulation induces transient imbalance between myocardial substrate uptake and metabolism in vivo

At steady state, a balance is expected between net myocardial uptake of the principal exogenous carbon substrates and the rate at which these substrates are metabolized. Such a balance is present when the sum of the oxygen extraction ratios (OERs) for glucose, lactate, and free fatty acids (FFA) is near unity. We have previously observed that systemic administration of the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol (Iso) induces a state of excess myocardial substrate uptake relative to the rate of substrate metabolism, reflected by a sum of OERs significantly >1.0. This occurs in conjunction with an Iso-stimulated increase in circulating insulin levels. The goal of the present study was to determine whether this excess substrate uptake depends on the effects of insulin and time. In open-chest anesthetized pigs, myocardial blood flow, substrate uptake, and oxygen consumption were measured at baseline and during systemic administration of Iso (0.08 microgram. kg-1. min-1 iv) under the following conditions: group 1 (n = 10), normal endogenous insulin release; group 2 (n = 10), inhibition of endogenous insulin release with somatostatin; group 3 (n = 7), at 45 and 90 min Iso; group 4 (n = 7), at 45 and 90 min Iso, with exogenous insulin given during the latter measurement. In group 1, plasma insulin rose fivefold with Iso while the sum of the OERs for glucose, lactate, and FFA increased from 0.92 +/- 0.21 at baseline to 1.57 +/- 0.17 with Iso (P < 0.01). In group 2, somatostatin blunted the increase in insulin with Iso and there was no significant change in the sum of OERs between baseline and Iso. In group 3, the sum of OERs increased from 0.95 +/- 0.11 at baseline to 1.69 +/- 0.20 at 45 min Iso (P < 0.01), similar to the response of group 1. However, the state of excess substrate uptake was transient; by 90 min Iso the sum of OERs declined to 0.69 +/- 0.21 (P < 0.05 vs. 45 min Iso). In group 4, excess substrate uptake could not be sustained at 90 min Iso despite administration of exogenous insulin. Systemic beta-adrenergic stimulation causes a transient condition of myocardial substrate uptake in excess of metabolism. Increased plasma insulin is necessary to produce this condition, but a high insulin level does not prolong the condition.

Signals mediating stimulation of cardiomyocyte glucose transport by the alpha-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine

Phenylephrine, a potent stimulator of cardiomyocyte glucose transport (GT), caused a rapid rise in cytosolic Ca2+ by 30%. Agents inducing a similar Ca2+ response did not stimulate (angiotension II, vasopressin) or inhibited GT by 20% (elevated extracellular Ca2+). Stimulation of GT by phorbol myristate acetate was additive to both phases of phenylephrine's effect (4 min, 60 min). Phenylephrine had no influence on the adenosine 3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) and guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) levels. Agents raising cAMP (isoproterenol) or cGMP (e.g., nitroprusside) did not stimulate GT. Wortmannin (inhibitor of 1-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase) suppressed the action of insulin on GT but not that of phenylephrine. In contrast, the Na+/H+ exchange inhibitor amiloride (which blocks phenylephrine-induced cytosolic alkalinization or even lowers cellular pH) depressed the effect of phenylephrine by 50%, whereas insulin-stimulated GT was little affected. However, raising extracellular pH up to 8.4 failed to increase GT. Lowering pH to 6.8 decreased phenylephrine's effect by 40% whereas insulin-dependent GT was not significantly altered. Clorgyline, tranylcypromine (monoamine oxidase inhibitors), and added catalase suppressed the slow phase of phenylephrine's action, whereas amiloride also affected the fast phase. We conclude that 1) stimulation of cardiomyocyte GT by phenylephrine does not involve cAMP, cGMP, or 1-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase; 2) protein kinase C activation cannot explain the full extent of stimulation; 3) Ca2+ release or cytosolic alkalinization may be required but is not sufficient to trigger phenylephrine's action, and 4) the slow phase of stimulation is mediated by the monoamine oxidase-dependent degradation of phenylephrine and by the resulting H2O2 formation.

Contraction-independent effects of catecholamines on glucose transport in isolated rat cardiomyocytes

The effects of catecholamines on glucose transport were studied in noncontracting isolated rat cardiomyocytes. alpha-Adrenergic treatment (phenylephrine, or norepinephrine + propranolol) led to an approximately fourfold stimulation of glucose transport in basal cells (no insulin). The effect of phenylephrine was suppressed by the alpha 2-antagonist yohimbine or the beta-antagonist propranolol. The beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol partially counteracted the action of phenylephrine (but not that of insulin). Phenylephrine increased glucose transport in two phases with apparent half times of 3.2 and 13.0 min, respectively. Correspondingly, different EC50 values were found after 10 and 45 min on phenylephrine addition (5.0 +/- 1.9 vs. 31.6 +/- 9.6 microM, respectively). Maximal stimulation by phenylephrine was at least partially additive to that of insulin and of other stimulators of glucose transport (e.g., H2O2, vanadate, lithium). Phenylephrine significantly increased the level of cell surface glucose carriers GLUT-1 (1.54-fold) and GLUT-4 (1.78-fold), as assessed by using the specific photolabel 2-N-[4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)benzoyl]- 1,3-bis(D-mannos-4-yloxy)propyl-2-amine. In conclusion, catecholamines stimulate cardiomyocyte glucose transport through alpha 1-adrenergic receptors independently or downstream of a contraction-evoked stimulus. This effect is at least partially explained by a recruitment of glucose transporters to the cell surface. The mechanism(s) and/or signals involved differ from those triggered by insulin and insulinomimetic agents.

C-peptide stimulates glucose transport in isolated human skeletal muscle independent of insulin receptor and tyrosine kinase activation

We have previously demonstrated that C-peptide stimulates glucose transport in skeletal muscle from non-diabetic subjects in a dose-dependent manner. To further elucidate the mechanism by which C-peptide activates glucose transport, we investigated the influence of human recombinant C-peptide on receptor and post-receptor events involved in the glucose transport process. Human skeletal muscle specimens were obtained from the vastus lateralis by means of an open biopsy procedure. Stimulation of isolated muscle strips from healthy control subjects with supra-physiological concentrations of insulin (6,000 pmol/l) and C-peptide (2,500 pmol/l), did not further augment the twofold increase in the rate of 3-o-methylglucose transport induced by either stimulus alone. C-peptide did not displace 125I-insulin binding from partially purified receptors, nor did it activate receptor tyrosine kinase activity. Tyrosine-labelled 125I-C-peptide did not bind specifically to crude membranes prepared from skeletal muscle, or to any serum protein other than albumin. The beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation with isoproterenol inhibited insulin- but not C-peptide-mediated 3-o-methylglucose transport by 63 +/- 18% (p < 0.01), whereas the cyclic AMP analogue, Bt2cAMP, abolished the insulin- and C-peptide-stimulated 3-o-methylglucose transport. C-peptide (600 pmol/l) increased 3-o-methylglucose transport 1.8 +/- 0.2-fold in skeletal muscle specimens from patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. In conclusion, C-peptide stimulates glucose transport by a mechanism independent of insulin receptor and tyrosine kinase activation. In contrast to the effect on insulin-stimulated glucose transport, catecholamines do not appear to have a counter regulatory action on C-peptide-mediated glucose transport.

Intracerebroventricular administration of somatostatin octapeptide counteracts the hormonal and metabolic responses to stress in normal and diabetic dogs

Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of carbachol elicits hormonal and metabolic responses similar to moderate stress. In normal dogs, ICV carbachol stimulated marked counterregulatory hormone release, but altered plasma glucose only marginally because the marked increment in glucose production (Ra) was almost matched by the increment of utilization (Rd), even though plasma insulin was unchanged. In alloxan-diabetic dogs, Rd did not match Ra and plasma glucose increased substantially. Since somatostatin octapeptide (ODT8-SS) inhibits some sympathetic mechanisms of the stress response, we explored the extent to which ODT8-SS can alleviate the counterregulatory responses to stress induced by carbachol, and particularly whether it can restore glycemic control in diabetes. ODT8-SS (20 nmol) was ICV-injected (1) in normal dogs (n = 5), and (2) prior to ICV carbachol before (n = 7) and after (n = 6) the induction of alloxan-diabetes. ODT8-SS did not affect basal values, but when administered before ICV carbachol there were no significant increments in plasma epinephrine, cortisol, arginine vasopressin (AVP), insulin, glucose, or lactate. There were significant increases in norepinephrine, glucagon, Ra, Rd, and the glucose metabolic clearance rate (MCR), although they were much smaller than seen previously with ICV carbachol alone. After induction of alloxan-diabetes, Rd and MCR did not change with ICV ODT8-SS and carbachol as in normal dogs, but norepinephrine, epinephrine, glucagon, lactate, plasma glucose, and Ra increased, although with the exception of glucagon these increases were much smaller than seen previously with ICV carbachol alone. ODT8-SS administered before ICV carbachol in normal or diabetic animals resulted in increased free fatty acid (FFA) levels. The increases in glycerol were less than and those in FFA greater than seen previously with ICV carbachol alone. Since ODT8-SS does not alter basal counterregulatory hormone release but suppresses the release during stress, this is a useful probe to analyze some of the metabolic responses to stress. When the response to carbachol from our previous report is compared with the responses to carbachol + ODT8-SS, it is indicated that the stress-related increase in Ra was consistent with stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, whereas increased Rd is related to an unknown stress-related neuroendocrine mechanism that requires a permissive effect of insulin, since it was not seen in the frankly diabetic animals. We hypothesize that the stress-induced increase in Rd occurs not only in muscle but also in adipocytes, and that the somatostatin-induced attenuation of Rd decreased FFA re-esterification and consequently markedly increased stress-induced FFA release.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Glucose transport and phosphorylation in single cardiac myocytes: rate-limiting steps in glucose metabolism

Microanalytic methods were used to investigate the regulation of glucose metabolism by insulin in single myocytes isolated from adult rat ventricles. Cultured myocytes were incubated with or without insulin and, with either glucose or 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG), rinsed, and freeze-dried. Individual cells were weighed and levels of 2-DG-6-phosphate (2-DG-6-P) or glucose and glucose 6-phosphate (G-6-P) were determined after enzymatic amplification. In cells incubated with 2-DG, insulin increased the level of 2-DG-6-P by as much as 30-fold, indicative of dramatic activation of glucose transport. In cells incubated with glucose, insulin increased the levels of G-6-P by approximately threefold. Increasing extracellular glucose without insulin also increased G-6-P; however, intracellular glucose concentrations were not increased, indicating that glucose transport is rate limiting in nonstimulated myocytes. In contrast, intracellular glucose concentrations were increased by over an order of magnitude by insulin, reaching 60% of the extracellular glucose concentration. Measurements of glucose and G-6-P in the same insulin-treated cells revealed that accumulation of G-6-P reached a plateau when extracellular glucose was increased > 2 mM. At this point the estimated intracellular glucose concentration was 300 microM, or approximately 10 times the Michaelis constant of hexokinase for glucose. These results indicate that in the presence of insulin and physiological concentrations of glucose, hexokinase is saturated with glucose. Consequently, the rate-limiting step for insulin-stimulated glucose utilization is glucose phosphorylation rather than glucose transport.

Phenylarsine oxide and hydrogen peroxide stimulate glucose transport via different pathways in isolated cardiac myocytes

The aim of this study was to investigate the stimulating effects of sulfhydryl reagents on glucose transport in isolated rat heart muscle cells and to compare them with the action of insulin. Low concentrations of the sulfhydryl oxidants hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and diamide (5-100 microM), but also of phenylarsine oxide (PAO) (0.5-3 microM), that is known to specifically react with vicinal SH-groups, stimulated the rate of 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake by a factor of 4 to 8 in these cells, while higher concentrations were inhibitory. The stimulating effects of H2O2 or diamide, and, to a significantly lesser extent, those of PAO or insulin, were depressed in cells pretreated with the sulfhydryl-alkylating agent N-ethylmaleimide (56-100 microM). H2O2 raised the Vmax and lowered the Km of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose uptake, while PAO or insulin solely increased Vmax. The increase in glucose transport caused by H2O2 was antagonized by the beta-adrenergic agonist isoprenaline (1 microM) or by a membrane-permeant cyclic AMP analog, whereas the effects of PAO or insulin were not altered. The action of H2O2 was additive with the stimulation induced by the protein phosphatase inhibitors okadaic acid (1 microM) or vanadate (6 mM), whereas the responses to PAO or insulin were reduced in the presence of these agents. Finally, H2O2 and PAO, but not insulin, acted additively with the protein kinase C ligand phorbol myristate acetate (0.8 microM) and with phospholipase C (0.03 units/ml). We conclude that, in cardiac myocytes, H2O2, on the one hand, and PAO (and possibly insulin), on the other hand, stimulate glucose transport via at least two distinct, SH-dependent pathways. These pathways, in turn, differ from a protein kinase C- and from a phospholipase C-mediated mechanism.

Characterization of the adenosine receptor modulating insulin action in rat skeletal muscle

The pharmacological profile of adenosine receptors in rat soleus muscle has been investigated by studying the effects of A1-and A2-selective adenosine receptor agonists on glucose utilization and the system A amino acid transporter under conditions where adenosine has been reported to exert a modulatory action on these insulin-sensitive processes. In the presence of adenosine deaminase and a sub-maximally effective concentration of insulin (50 microU/ml), the A1-selective agonists N6-cyclopentyladenosine and R(-)-N6-(2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine (R(-)PIA) caused concentration-dependent inhibitions of 2-deoxy[3H]glucose 6-phosphate and alpha-[14C]methylaminoisobutyric acid accumulations, but had no effect on the rate of [14C]glucose incorporation into glycogen, in incubated soleus muscle strips. These effects on glucose transport/phosphorylation and system A amino acid transport could be antagonized by 8-cyclopentyl-1,3- dipropylxanthine and 8-phenyltheophylline. The A2-selective adenosine receptor agonists CGS 21680 and 2-(phenylamino)adenosine were much less potent in their inhibition of these metabolic processes. These data support the proposal that adenosine exerts a post-receptor insulin-modulatory action in skeletal muscle and strongly suggest that this action is mediated by A1 adenosine receptors: the possible intracellular signalling mechanism(s) for this hormone-modulatory effect of adenosine are discussed.

GLUT4 facilitates insulin stimulation and cAMP-mediated inhibition of glucose transport

The glucose transporter isoform GLUT4 is found only in cells that exhibit insulin-sensitive glucose transport. To investigate the function of this transporter, L6 myoblasts were stably transfected with GLUT4 cDNA. GLUT4 underwent insulin-dependent movement to the cell surface in myoblasts overexpressing the transporter. One cell line (243-6) expressed sufficient levels of the GLUT4 protein to study insulin-dependent glucose transport. Unlike wild-type L6 cells, 243-6 myoblasts exhibited two features that are characteristic of differentiated muscle fibers and adipocytes in vivo: a large insulin-stimulated component of glucose transport and inhibition of this stimulated component by cAMP. Relative to normal L6 cells, 243-6 cells responded to insulin or insulin-like growth factor 1 with a 5-fold larger increase in 2-deoxy[3H]glucose uptake. N6,O2'-Dibutyryladenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (Bt2cAMP) did not inhibit transport in normal L6 myoblasts, which express only GLUT1, but inhibited IGF-1/insulin-stimulated transport by 50% in 243-6 cells. The effect of cAMP was investigated further by using Chinese hamster ovary cells transiently expressing GLUT1 and GLUT4. Bt2cAMP inhibited glucose transport only in Chinese hamster ovary cells expressing GLUT4. These results indicate that cAMP-mediated inhibition of glucose transport is dependent on expression of the GLUT4 isozyme.

Myocardial glucose utilization. Failure of adenosine to alter it and inhibition by the adenosine analogue N6-(L-2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine

The effects of adenosine and the nonmetabolizable adenosine analogue N6-(L-2-phenylisopropyl)adenosine (PIA) on glucose transport or metabolism were determined in purified myocardial sarcolemmal vesicles, isolated cardiocytes, and perfused hearts. Adenosine (100 microM) did not affect hexose transport in myocytes. Also, adenosine deaminase, added to metabolize adenosine to inosine, did not alter transport of hexose into myocytes regardless of whether or not insulin was present. In contrast, PIA effectively inhibited 3-O-methyl-D-glucose uptake in myocytes even during insulin stimulation. PIA inhibited D-glucose-specific transport in both rat and bovine cardiac sarcolemmal vesicles (Ki = 26 microM at [D-glucose] = 5 mM). However, insulin did not affect glucose transport in sarcolemmal vesicles, which implies that receptor-coupled processes probably are not intact in this preparation. Thus, inhibition of PIA may not be receptor mediated. Also, PIA inhibited binding of cytochalasin B to bovine cardiac sarcolemmal vesicles, which supports the idea that PIA inhibits glucose flux by binding to the glucose transporter. To determine if adenosine altered glucose metabolism rather than transport, we measured the rate of 3H2O production from metabolism of D-[2-3H]glucose in paced rat hearts ([D-glucose] = 5.5 mM, [pyruvate] = 0.2 mM) perfused with a range of PIA or adenosine concentrations with or without 0.01 microM insulin. Adenosine (0.01-100 microM) in the presence or absence of insulin increased coronary flow but did not change glycolytic rates. Similar results were obtained with PIA (no insulin) rather than adenosine in the perfusate. However, with glucose as the only exogenous substrate, 100 microM PIA inhibited glycolysis by approximately 50%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Highly insulin-responsive isolated rat heart muscle cells yielded by a modified isolation method

Freshly isolated adipocytes or cardiac myocytes appear to be subject to unspecific stimulation during isolation and subsequent handling, e.g. with respect to glucose transport. We have developed a modified procedure that yields rat cardiomyocytes with a very low basal, i.e. non stimulated hexose uptake rate (ca. 3 pmol * s-1 * mg protein-1 at 1 mM sugar), as compared to data reported by others. This low value correlates with the reported oxygen consumption of non-beating, isolated rat hearts, when these are perfused with glucose as the only substrate. The basal rate of glucose uptake in our quiescent cardiomyocytes is slightly lower than the value measured by others in beating rat hearts in vivo. Insulin (10 nM) stimulates 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake 8- to 20-fold and 3-O-methyl-D-glucose uptake 14- to 20-fold, as compared to control. This insulin effect is markedly larger than that usually observed in isolated cardiomyocytes, but it is similar in magnitude to the stimulation of glucose transport reported for isolated, perfused rat hearts. In these cells, new stimulatory effects on the glucose transport, e.g. that of sulfhydryl reagents like phenylarsine oxide, become apparent. We conclude that the cardiomyocytes obtained by this modified method exhibit a basal glucose transport rate that is close to physiological values. These cells represent a new highly responsive model to detect and to investigate the effects of glucose transport stimulators (insulin, contraction etc.).

G-protein-mediated regulation of the insulin-responsive glucose transporter in isolated cardiac myocytes

Isolated muscle cells from adult rat heart were used to study the involvement of G-proteins in the regulation of the glucose transporter by insulin and isoprenaline. Efficient modification of G-protein functions was established by measuring isoprenaline-stimulated cyclic AMP production, viability and ATP content after treating the cells with cholera toxin and pertussis toxin for 2 h. Under these conditions cholera toxin decreased the stimulatory action of insulin on 3-O-methylglucose transport by 56%, but pertussis toxin had no effect. Basal transport was not affected by toxin treatment. Isoprenaline increased 3-O-methylglucose transport by 63%. This effect was not mimicked by dibutyryl cyclic AMP, but was completely blocked by cholera toxin. Streptozotocin-diabetes abolished isoprenaline action and decreased stimulation of transport by 64%. Concomitantly, cholera-toxin sensitivity of glucose transport was lost in cells from diabetic animals. This was paralleled by a large decrease (87 +/- 4%) in mRNA expression of the insulin-regulatable glucose transporter, as shown by Northern-blot analysis of RNA isolated from cardiomyocytes of diabetic rats. These data suggest a functional association between the insulin-responsive glucose transporter and a cholera-toxin-sensitive G-protein mediating stimulation by insulin and isoprenaline.

On the role of insulin in regulation of adenosine deaminase activity in rat tissues

After administration of insulin adenosine deaminase activity was reduced in different skeletal muscle types, the heart and the liver. On the other hand profound reduction in the plasma insulin concentration (streptozotocin diabetes) resulted in elevation of the enzyme activity in the tissues. It is concluded that the local concentration of adenosine may be effected by the concentration of insulin in the plasma.

Activation of glucose transport by activatory receptor agonists of adenylate cyclase in rat adipocytes

1. Catecholamine, glucagon, and adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulated 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) uptake via an increase in glucose transporters in plasma membranes, similarly to insulin. 2. In contrast to the action of insulin, the stimulating effects of these agonists on 2-DG uptake were abolished when Gi was not activated. 3. The mode of the 2-DG uptake stimulation was partially different among these agonists.

Suppression of insulin-stimulated glucose transport in L6 myocytes by calcitonin gene-related peptide

The binding of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) to L6 myocytes, the coupling of this receptor to adenylyl cyclase and the resultant effects on insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose uptake were examined. L6 cells express specific binding sites for CGRP. Binding of human [125I]CGRP was inhibited by rat CGRP with an IC50 of approximately 10(-9) M. Synthetic human calcitonin at concentrations up to 10(-6) M had no effect on the binding of CGRP, suggesting that L6 cells express CGRP receptors, rather than calcitonin receptors which are also capable of binding CGRP. The CGRP receptor appeared to be coupled to adenylyl cyclase. Concentrations of CGRP greater than 3 x 10(-9) M increased the cellular content of cAMP. At 3 x 10(-8) M, CGRP increased cAMP 500-fold. CGRP at 10(-10) M and above suppressed the stimulation of 2-deoxyglucose uptake by insulin. Acute incubation of L6 cells with insulin stimulated 2-deoxyglucose uptake 1.6-fold, which was inhibited up to 70% by CGRP. Our results demonstrate that the specific binding of CGRP to L6 cells causes large increase in the cellular content of cAMP - and inhibition of insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose uptake, but the differences in the dose-response curves suggest that the suppression of insulin action by CGRP cannot be solely explained by the increase in cAMP.

Affinity labeling of forskolin-binding proteins. Comparison between glucose carrier and adenylate cyclase

An [125I]iodoazidosalicylic acid derivative of forskolin was synthesized for identification of the diterpene's binding sites on the catalytic subunit of adenylate cyclase and on glucose transport proteins. The affinity label was selectively incorporated into proteins of Mr 40,000-60,000 in membranes from human erythrocytes and from various other tissues. The iodoazidosalicylic acid derivative also specifically labeled the catalytic moiety of adenylate cyclase from rabbit myocardial membranes. However, the structural requirements of the two forskolin-binding sites must be different, since the affinity of the photolabel for the glucose carriers is much higher than that for the cyclase catalyst. Furthermore, the label is readily competed with by D-glucose and cytochalasin B for its binding site on the glucose carrier but not on adenylate cyclase.

Identification of the glucose transporter in mammalian cell membranes with a 125I-forskolin photoaffinity label

The glucose transporter has been identified in a variety of mammalian cell membranes using a photoactivatable carrier-free radioiodinated derivative of forskolin, 3-[125I]iodo-4-azidophenethylamido-7-O-succinyldeacetylforskoli n ([125I]IAPS-forskolin) at 1-3 nM. The membranes that were photolabelled with [125I]IAPS-forskolin were human placental membranes, rat cortical and cerebellar synaptic membranes, rat cardiac sarcolemmal membranes, rat adipocyte plasma membranes, smooth-muscle membranes, and S49 wild-type (WT) lymphoma-cell membranes. The glucose transporter in plasma membranes prepared from the insulin-responsive rat cardiac sarcolemmal cells, rat adipocytes and smooth-muscle cells were determined to be approx. 45 kDa by SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Photolysis of human placental membranes, rat cortical and cerebellar synaptic membranes, and WT lymphoma membranes with [125I]-IAPS-forskolin, followed by SDS/PAGE, indicated specific derivatization of a broad band (43-55 kDa) in placental membranes and a narrower band (approx. 45 kDa) in synaptic membranes and WT lymphoma membranes. Digestion of the [125I]IAPS-forskolin-labelled placental and WT lymphoma membranes with endo-beta-galactosidase showed a reduction in the apparent molecular mass of the radiolabelled band to approx. 40 kDa. The membranes that were photolabelled with [125I]IAPS-forskolin and trypsin-treated produced a radiolabelled proteolytic fragment with an apparent molecular mass of 18 kDa. [125I]IAPS-forskolin is a highly effective probe for identifying low levels of glucose transporters in mammalian tissues.

The role of adenosine in insulin action coupling in rat adipocytes

The involvement of adenosine in the coupling of insulin binding to action was investigated in rat adipocytes. Reduction of endogenous adenosine levels by treatment with adenosine deaminase (ADA) had no significant effect on either basal or maximally stimulated glucose transport, but reduced the insulin sensitivity of transport stimulation. Adenosine deaminase treatment also shifted the EC50 of H2O2 stimulation of transport from 0.13 mM to 0.30 mM, and the EC50 for insulin stimulation of protein synthesis from 0.40 +/- 0.06 ng/ml to 1.30 +/- 0.25 ng/ml. Adenosine appears to be acting through the pharmacological Ri adenosine receptor subtype. The mode of action of adenosine does not seem to involve inhibition of adenylate cyclase. Adenosine also influences the kinetics of insulin action. ADA treatment slows the onset of transport stimulation by a maximal insulin concentration (10 ng/ml). Increasing the hormone level to 100 ng/ml overcomes this slowing without increasing transport further. The deactivation of glucose transport following removal of insulin is accelerated by ADA treatment. Thus, adenosine is involved both in maintaining a high efficiency of an early step in the insulin signaling process and in maintaining optimal activity of the insulin-stimulated glucose transport system.

Inhibition by forskolin of insulin-stimulated glucose transport in L6 muscle cells

The cardioactive diterpene forskolin is a known activator of adenylate cyclase, but recently a specific interaction of this compound with the glucose transporter has been identified that results in the inhibition of glucose transport in several human and rat cell types. We have compared the sensitivity of basal and insulin-stimulated hexose transport to inhibition by forskolin in skeletal muscle cells of the L6 line. Forskolin completely inhibited both basal and insulin-stimulated hexose transport when present during the transport assay. The inhibition of basal transport was completely reversible upon removal of the diterpene. In contrast, insulin-stimulated hexose transport did not recover, and basal transport levels were attained instead. This effect of inhibiting (or reversing) the insulin-stimulated fraction of transport is a novel effect of the diterpene. Forskolin treatment also inhibited the stimulated fraction of transport when the stimulus was by 4 beta-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate, reversing back to basal levels. Half-maximal inhibition of the above-basal insulin-stimulated transport was achieved with 35-50 microM-forskolin, and maximal inhibition with 100 microM. Forskolin did not inhibit 125I-insulin binding under conditions where it caused significant inhibition of insulin-stimulated hexose transport. Forskolin significantly elevated the cyclic AMP levels in the cells; however its inhibitory effect on the above basal, insulin-stimulated fraction of hexose transport was not mediated by cyclic AMP since: (i) 8-bromo cyclic AMP and cholera toxin did not mimic this effect of the diterpene, (ii) significant decreases in cyclic AMP levels caused by 2',3'-dideoxyadenosine in the presence of forskolin did not prevent inhibition of insulin-stimulated hexose transport, (iii) isobutylmethylxanthine did not potentiate forskolin effects on glucose transport but did potentiate the elevation in cyclic AMP, and (iv) 1,9-dideoxyforskolin, which does not activate adenylate cyclase, inhibited hexose transport analogously to forskolin. We conclude that forskolin can selectively inhibit the insulin- and phorbol ester-stimulated fraction of hexose transport under conditions where basal transport is unimpaired. The results are compatible with the suggestions that glucose transporters operating in the stimulated state (insulin or phorbol ester-stimulated) differ in their sensitivity to forskolin from transporters operating in the basal state, or, alternatively, that a forskolin-sensitive signal maintains the stimulated transport rate.

Effect of forskolin on voltage-gated K+ channels is independent of adenylate cyclase activation

Forskolin is commonly used to stimulate adenylate cyclase in the study of modulation of ion channels and other proteins by adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent second messenger systems. In addition to its action on adenylate cyclase, forskolin directly alters the gating of a single class of voltage-dependent potassium channels from a clonal pheochromocytoma (PC12) cell line. This alteration occurred in isolated cell-free patches independent of soluble cytoplasmic enzymes. The effect of forskolin was distinct from those of other agents that raise intracellular cAMP levels. The 1,9-dideoxy derivative of forskolin, which is unable to activate the cyclase, was also effective in altering the potassium channel activity. This direct action of forskolin can lead to misinterpretation of results in experiments in which forskolin is assumed to selectively activate adenylate cyclase.

An investigation of glucose uptake in relation to steroidogenesis in rat testis and tumour Leydig cells

The mechanisms of the requirement of glucose for steroidogenesis were investigated by monitoring the uptake of the glucose analogue 2-deoxy-D-glucose by rat testis and tumour Leydig cells. The characteristics of glucose transport in both of these cell types were found to resemble those of the facilitated-diffusion systems for glucose found in most other mammalian cells. The Leydig cells took up 2-deoxy-D-glucose but not L-glucose, and the uptake was inhibited by both cytochalasin B and forskolin. In the presence of luteinizing hormone, the rate of 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake by both cell types was increased by approx. 50%. In addition to D-glucose, it was shown that the Leydig cells could also utilize 3-hydroxybutyrate or glutamine to maintain steroidogenesis.