Insulin: in search of a mechanism

Metabolic control and future opportunities for growth regulation

The last 10 years have seen a significant expansion in the scope of attempts to manipulate the growth of animals (Buttery, Lindsay and Haynes, 1986). The expansion of interest has been driven by a number of factors, both economic and theoretical. At the economic level the need to develop energetically and economically efficient strategies of animal production has been coupled with a renewed awareness of the implications for human health of excessive intakes of saturated fats. Emphasis then has switched from the maximization of weight gain as an end in itself towards a need to promote protein deposition at any given intake and, at the same time, to reduce the fat content of meat and meat products. These twin objectives might be achieved by one of three strategies: the promotion of protein deposition alone, because at any given rate of weight gain this will tend to minimize the rate of fat deposition (the so-called repartitioning effect); the reduction of fat gain (an approach that has received particularly close attention by those concerned primarily with human obesity); or ideally the simultaneous promotion of protein accretion and depression of that of fat.

Insulin affects the ability of Gi to be ADP-ribosylated but does not elicit its phosphorylation in intact hepatocytes

Insulin inhibited the ability of activated pertussis toxin to catalyse the ADP-ribosylation of alpha-Gi in isolated plasma membranes in either the absence of added guanine nucleotides or in the presence of GTP. In contrast, when the non-hydrolysable GTP analogue guanylyl-5'-imido-diphosphate (p[NH]ppG) was added to ribosylation mixtures, to inhibit the action of pertussis toxin in catalysing the ADP-ribosylation of alpha-Gi, then the addition of insulin attenuated the action of p[NH]ppG causing an increase in alpha-Gi ribosylation. Pre treatment of intact hepatocytes with insulin had no effect on the subsequent ability of thiol-preactivated pertussis toxin to cause the ADP-ribosylation of alpha Gi using isolated membranes from such cells. The ability of p[NH]ppG to inhibit forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was attenuated in the presence of insulin. Insulin did not cause the phosphorylation of alpha-Gi in either intact hepatocytes or in isolated membranes.

Distinct functional domains on the insulin receptor beta-subunit Do they provide a molecular basis for "selective" insulin resistance?

The insulin receptor is seen as having a number of structurally and functionally distinct domains. Modifications of particular domains may lead to the partial crippling of receptor function, which could give rise to selective insulin-resistant states.

Binding to GDP-agarose identifies a novel 60kDa substrate for the insulin receptor tyrosyl kinase in mouse NIH-3T3 cells expressing high concentrations of the human insulin receptor

Insulin increased dramatically the tyrosyl phosphorylation of the insulin receptor beta-subunit in mouse NIH-3T3 fibroblasts transfected with the human insulin receptor. Insulin also increased the phosphorylation, on tyrosine residues, of an endogenous 60kDa protein. This protein was identified after being eluted from a GDP-agarose support by GDP. It is suggested that the 60kDa species may be a novel guanine nucleotide binding protein which is specifically phosphorylated by the insulin receptor.

Tyrosine protein kinase activity of the EGF receptor is required to induce activation of receptor-operated calcium channels

We have investigated the effects of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on calcium ion channels in A431 epidermoid carcinoma cells. We have found that: -1- EGF stimulates Ca2+ channels. -2- EGF stimulated Ca2+ channels are voltage independent, exhibit a low conductance (8 pS) and a bursting multichannels activity (BMC). -3- Activation of the tyrosine-kinase function of the EGF receptor is required to generate Ca2+ current. -4- Inositol (1,4,5) triphosphate (Ins (1,4,5) P3) and EGF have similar effect on the channel activation. These results suggest that: stimulation of tyrosine-kinase activity of the EGF receptor, production of Ins (1,4,5)P3 and calcium entry via voltage independent channels are important connected steps in mediating the mitogenic effect of this growth factor.

Biological effects of epidermal growth factor, with emphasis on the gastrointestinal tract and liver: an update

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a 6,000 Da polypeptide hormone produced by glands of the gastrointestinal tract, namely the salivary and Brunner's glands. It is found in a wide variety of external secretions as well as in blood and amniotic fluid. In fetal and neonatal life, EGF appears to play an important role in the development of the oral cavity, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and eyelids. Its presence in cells of the central nervous system suggests that it also plays a role in modulating the development of this system. In adult animals, the function of EGF is much less well understood. In rodents, it apparently modulates acid secretion from parietal cells in the stomach, and it undoubtedly plays an important role in wound healing, either through its localization within skin or by the licking of wounds with EGF-containing saliva. Considerable evidence now suggests that it may be one of the key factors in initiating liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy or chemical injury. The liver appears to be the principal organ which regulates the circulating level of EGF. In fact, EGF is cleared so efficiently by the liver that only the peripheral cells of the lobule (zone 1) sequester EGF, and little remains in the circulation for cells in the more distal zones (zones 2 and 3). In the liver, EGF normally binds to a plasma membrane receptor and is internalized within the liver cell, where the vast majority of EGF and its receptor are destroyed in lysosomes. A small but consistent quantity of EGF enters the bile intact. In the regenerating liver, however, the lysosomal pathway appears to be shut down, and the EGF is diverted to hepatocyte nuclei prior to the initiation of DNA synthesis. Nuclear EGF is found free as well as bound to a high-molecular-weight protein which has many characteristics identical to the plasma membrane EGF receptor. The plasma membrane receptor is a large transmembrane glycoprotein of 170,000 Da containing four domains: an extracellular EGF-binding portion, a hydrophobic membrane-spanning segment, a proximal cytoplasmic domain which binds ATP and protein substrates containing tyrosine for phosphorylation and a terminal cytoplasmic portion with 3 tyrosines which undergo autophosphorylation after EGF binding.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Insulin stimulates a novel GTPase activity in human platelets

Insulin stimulated the activity of a high-affinity GTPase activity in human platelet membranes some 62% over that of the basal activity. Half-maximal stimulation (Ka) was achieved with 3.1 nM insulin. The Km for GTP of the insulin-stimulated GTPase was 0.6 microM GTP. Treatment of isolated platelet membranes with cholera toxin, but not pertussis toxin, blocked insulin's ability to stimulate GTPase activity. Cholera toxin acted as a more potent inhibitor of the insulin-stimulated GTPase activity than that of the GTPase activity of the stimulatory guanine nucleotide regulatory protein, Gs, as monitored by stimulation using prostaglandin E1 (PGE1). Mixed ligand experiments showed that insulin stimulated GTPase activity in an additive fashion to GTPase activity stimulated by PGE1, due to Gs; by adrenaline (+ propranolol), due to the inhibitory guanine nucleotide regulatory protein, G1 and by vasopressin, which stimulates the putative 'Gp', a G-protein suggested to control the stimulation of inositol phospholipid metabolism. Insulin thus appears to stimulate a novel high-affinity GTPase activity in human platelet membranes. This may reflect the functioning of the putative Gins, a guanine nucleotide regulatory protein which has been suggested to mediate certain of insulin's actions on target tissues.

Effect of S-adenosylhomocysteine on insulin-independent release of pyruvate dehydrogenase activator from rat adipocyte plasma membranes

The addition of insulin to adipocyte plasma membranes has been shown to release a low molecular weight, acid stable mediator which activates mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase. The insulin-dependent release of this activator is dependent on the method used to prepare the plasma membranes. Adipocyte plasma membranes prepared in 0.25 M sucrose, 10 mM MOPS, pH 7.4 released an activator of pyruvate dehydrogenase in an insulin-independent manner. Insulin is required to stimulate phospholipid methylation in these membranes. The inhibition of insulin-stimulated phospholipid methylation with 1 mM S-adenosylhomocysteine resulted in a significant increase in amount and/or activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase activator. The insulin-dependent dependent release of mediators of insulin action from adipocyte plasma may be regulated by phospholipid methylation.

The insulin receptor tyrosyl kinase phosphorylates holomeric forms of the guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins Gi and Go

An affinity purified human insulin receptor preparation was shown to phosphorylate the alpha- and beta-subunits of the guanine nucleotide-regulatory proteins Gi and Go, derived from bovine brain. The presence of insulin stimulated the rate of their phosphorylation some 2-fold. The presence of Gi and Go did not affect the degree of autophosphorylation of the beta-subunit of the insulin receptor. Under conditions known to cause the dissociation of Gi and Go into their constituent subunits then phosphorylation of Gi and Go by the insulin receptor was abolished. The alpha-subunits of Gi and Go could be selectively phosphorylated by the insulin receptor tyrosyl kinase using appropriate concentrations of Mg2+ and GTP-gamma-S.

Signal transduction by guanine nucleotide binding proteins

High affinity binding of guanine nucleotides and the ability to hydrolyze bound GTP to GDP are characteristics of an extended family of intracellular proteins. Subsets of this family include cytosolic initiation and elongation factors involved in protein synthesis, and cytoskeletal proteins such as tubulin (Hughes, S.M. (1983) FEBS Lett. 164, 1-8). A distinct subset of guanine nucleotide binding proteins is membrane-associated; members of this subset include the ras gene products (Ellis, R.W. et al. (1981) Nature 292, 506-511) and the heterotrimeric G-proteins (also termed N-proteins) (Gilman, A.G. (1984) Cell 36, 577-579). Substantial evidence indicates that G-proteins act as signal transducers by coupling receptors (R) to effectors (E). A similar function has been suggested but not proven for the ras gene products. Known G-proteins include Gs and Gi, the G-proteins associated with stimulation and inhibition, respectively, of adenylate cyclase; transducin (TD), the G-protein coupling rhodopsin to cGMP phosphodiesterase in rod photoreceptors (Bitensky, M.W. et al. (1981) Curr. Top. Membr. Transp. 15, 237-271; Stryer, L. (1986) Annu. Rev. Neurosci. 9, 87-119), and Go, a G-protein of unknown function that is highly abundant in brain (Sternweis, P.C. and Robishaw, J.D. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 13806-13813; Neer, E.J. et al. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 14222-14229). G-proteins also participate in other signal transduction pathways, notably that involving phosphoinositide breakdown. In this review, I highlight recent progress in our understanding of the structure, function, and diversity of G-proteins.

The effect of insulinomimetic agents on protein degradation in H35 hepatoma cells

A wide variety of agents are shown to mimic insulin action and inhibit rates of intracellular protein degradation in H35 hepatoma cells. For oxidizing agents such as NaNO2, H2O2 and oxidized glutathione, inhibition of protein breakdown is reversed by adding catalase. Phenylhydrazine behaves like an oxidant and mimics insulin action in a manner potentiated by superoxide dismutase and reversed by catalase. Similarly the effect of insulin itself is increased by superoxide dismutase and reduced by catalase. Sulfhydryl reagents also mimic insulin action: inhibition of protein breakdown is seen following addition of 2-mercaptoethanol or a brief pre-treatment with N-ethylmaleimide or iodoacetate. Mild pre-treatment with trypsin also inhibits subsequent rates of protein breakdown. A model is proposed suggesting that these insulinomimetic actions involve a common mechanism which links the generation of active oxygen species through the redox potential of the cell to the activation of a proteinase.

Role of inositol lipid breakdown in the generation of intracellular signals. State of the art lecture

Many hormones, neurotransmitters, and secretagogues act by increasing the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration in target cells. The initial event following binding of agonists to specific receptors in the plasma membrane involves a receptor-mediated activation of a guanosine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein), which induces a Ca2+-independent activation of phospholipase C. This novel, presently uncharacterized G protein is inactivated by pertussis toxin-catalyzed adenosine 5'-diphosphate ribosylation in some but not all cell types. Phospholipase C catalyzes the breakdown of inositol lipids, notably phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, with the production of inositol phosphates and 1,2-diacylglycerol. Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) is responsible for a rapid mobilization of intracellular Ca2+ by activating Ca2+ efflux from a subpopulation of the endoplasmic reticulum. The properties of this process are consistent with its being a ligand-activated ion channel with electrogenic Ca2+ efflux being charge-compensated by K+ influx. Sustained hormonal responses require extracellular Ca2+ and a prolonged elevation of the cytosolic free Ca2+. This is brought about by hormone-mediated changes of Ca2+ flux across the plasma membrane involving both an inhibition of Ca2+ efflux and an activation of Ca2+ influx. This review summarizes recent findings concerning the role of G proteins in receptor coupling to phospholipase C; the regulation of enzymes of phosphoinositide metabolism; the evidence for IP3 being a Ca2+-mobilizing second messenger and its mechanism of action; the formation of new inositol phosphates and their possible significance; the relation of intracellular Ca2+ mobilization and plasma membrane Ca2+ fluxes to the kinetics of the hormone-induced cytosolic free Ca2+ transient; and the possible roles of protein kinase C in influencing the hormone-mediated functional response.

Inhibition of insulin and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor autophosphorylation by a human polyclonal IgG

The immunoglobulin G of a polyclonal antiserum (pIgG) from a patient with insulin resistance and hypoglycemia was tested for its ability to inhibit insulin binding and to affect the autophosphorylation of partially-purified insulin receptors extracted from rat liver membranes. pIgG, when added 4 hr prior to insulin, inhibited subsequent insulin binding by 50% at 30 micrograms added protein; however, insulin previously bound to the receptor could not be displaced by a 4 hr subsequent exposure of up to 70 micrograms pIgG. pIgG, independent of its effect on insulin binding, inhibited both basal and insulin-stimulated autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor in a dose-dependent manner with a half maximal effect at 3.3 to 7 micrograms protein. Furthermore, pIgG also reduced basal autophosphorylation of the EGF receptor. The effect of pIgG to inhibit basal autophosphorylation of insulin and EGF receptors, together with its ability to reduce autophosphorylation of insulin receptors fully occupied by insulin, imply that the effect of pIgG on receptor autophosphorylation is largely independent of its effect on ligand binding. Moreover, these findings suggest that pIgG may inhibit autophosphorylation by acting on domains which are similar in the insulin and EGF receptors.

The phorbol ester TPA prevents the expression of both glucagon desensitisation and the glucagon-mediated block of insulin stimulation of the peripheral plasma membrane cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase in rat hepatocytes

The phorbol ester TPA (12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate) causes a dose-dependent inhibition of the glucagon-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity expressed in plasma membranes isolated from TPA-treated hepatocytes. However, no observable inhibitory effect of TPA on adenylate cyclase activity was observed in cells which had been exposed to glucagon for 5 min, prior to isolation, to desensitise adenylate cyclase. The degree of inhibition of adenylate cyclase elicited by both glucagon desensitisation and TPA treatment of hepatocytes was identical. Pre-treatment of hepatocytes with TPA was also found to prevent glucagon from blocking insulin's activation of the peripheral plasma membrane cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase in intact hepatocytes. TPA treatment also inhibited the ability of cholera toxin to activate the peripheral cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase in intact hepatocytes. It is suggested that in these particular instances TPA and glucagon elicit mutually exclusive processes rather than TPA mimicking glucagon desensitisation per se.

A simple computer model for insulin-receptor interactions and insulin dependent glucose uptake by adipocytes

A simple computer model is described for the simulation of insulin binding to cell surface receptors on adipocytes and the subsequent stimulation of glucose uptake. The model is based on the currently accepted physiology and biochemistry of insulin action. The model successfully simulated changes in sensitivity to insulin with changes in receptor numbers seen with in vitro experiments; it is also consistent with the proposal that an increased rate of insulin-receptor complex internalisation should lead to an insulin-resistant state. The model also suggests that such an insulin-resistant state should not be affected by a subsequent increase in the rate of return of internalised receptors to the outer cell surface.

ATP-stimulated interaction between epidermal growth factor receptor and supercoiled DNA

The receptor for epidermal growth factor (EGF) has been identified as a transmembrane glycoprotein that has tyrosine-specific kinase activity. The kinase activity of the receptor is enhanced in the presence of EGF (or related peptides), and the phosphorylation of a number of substrates, as well as autophosphorylation of the receptor, has been reported. Analogous findings have been described for the insulin receptor and the receptor for platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). Thus, a number of hormone receptors and several viral transforming proteins appear to share the highly unusual property of tyrosine-specific kinase activity. Nevertheless, the specific relationship between tyrosine kinase activity and the control of cell growth and replication is unknown. It is known that after the initial binding of EGF to the plasma membrane, the hormone together with its receptor is rapidly internalized in endocytic vesicles and the hormone is eventually degraded in lysosomes. It is possible that the function of EGF is simply to stimulate internalization of its receptor, and that as a result of its altered location the receptor is able to phosphorylate a cytoplasmic component or even interact directly with a nuclear component. We now report that the purified receptor for EGF is able to interact with and nick supercoiled double-stranded DNA in an ATP-stimulated manner.