Identification and subcellular distribution of adipocyte peptides and phosphopeptides

Differential protein phosphorylation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes in response to insulin versus platelet-derived growth factor. No evidence for a phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase-independent pathway in insulin signaling

Insulin regulates glucose metabolism in adipocytes via a phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent pathway that appears to involve protein phosphorylation. However, the generation of phosphoinositides is not sufficient for insulin action, and it has been suggested that insulin regulation of glucose metabolism may involve both PI3K-dependent and -independent pathways, the latter being insulin specific. To test this hypothesis, we have designed a phosphoprotein screen to study insulin-specific phosphoproteins that may be either downstream or in parallel to PI3K. Nineteen insulin-regulated phosphospots were detected in the cytosol and high speed pellet fractions, only six of which were significantly regulated by platelet-derived growth factor. Importantly, almost all (92%) of the insulin-specific phosphoproteins identified using this approach were sensitive to the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin. Thus, we obtained no evidence for an insulin-specific, PI3K-independent signaling pathway. A large proportion (62%) of the insulin-specific phosphoproteins were enriched in the same high speed pellet fraction to which PI3K was recruited in response to insulin. Thus, our data suggest that insulin specifically stimulates the phosphorylation of a novel subset of downstream targets and this may in part be because of the unique localization of PI3K in response to insulin in adipocytes.

The major integral membrane glycoprotein in adipocytes is a novel 200-kDa heterodimer

The major glycoprotein in adipocytes was purified from rat adipocyte membranes by affinity chromatography with wheat germ agglutinin-agarose followed by DEAE-Sepharose ion exchange chromatography. The protein had an apparent molecular weight of 200-kDa when analysed by SDS-PAGE under non-reducing conditions. When electroeluted from the gel, boiled in the presence of beta-mercaptoethanol, and re-analysed by gel electrophoresis, it was found to be composed of 100- and 160-kDa subunits. The N-terminal sequences were determined through 20 amino acids for each subunit, were found to be identical, and were homologous with no previously described protein sequences. The protein was not extractable from the membrane by high salt concentrations, indicating it was an integral membrane protein. Membrane fractionation by differential ultracentrifugation showed it was present predominantly in the plasma membrane fraction. The protein was susceptible to cell surface radiolabelling, further suggesting it was a plasma membrane protein. In summary, the major membrane glycoprotein in adipocytes is a novel 200-kDa heterodimer whose disulfide-linked subunits possess identical N-terminal sequences.

Collagen-induced changes in the pattern of protein synthesis of fibroblasts

Cells were cultured on plastic, collagen fibrils or gelatin. General protein synthetic activity of cells did not show any significant difference among the three substrates, whereas the pattern of protein synthesis was substrate-dependent. Profiles of protein synthesis (polypeptide maps) were obtained by subjecting two-dimensional autoradiograms of polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to a computer-assisted image analyzer. Major polypeptide spots expressed on gelatin were rather like those on plastic. Collagen fibrils caused significant changes in the polypeptides map. Fibroblasts on collagen fibrils produced 364 spots of polypeptides, 26% of which were synthesized specifically on collagen fibrils. The remaining was shared by cells on plastic and was categorized into three groups: (1) polypeptides whose synthesis was up-regulated by collagen fibrils (26% of the total); (2) polypeptides that were expressed equally on both plastic and collagen fibrils (51%); and (3) polypeptides down-regulated by collagen fibrils (23%). A protein with molecular weight of 150 K and an isoelectric point (pI) of 7.3 was one of the collagen-induced and worthy of further analysis. This protein was found to change its pI depending upon the amounts of collagen fibrils and was shown to be located in the mitochondrial fraction.

Distribution of beta-adrenergic binding in fractionated porcine adipocytes

1. The subcellular distribution of the porcine adipocyte beta-adrenergic receptor was studied in fractionated adipocytes. 2. The 30,000 g pellet obtained from hypotonically lysed cells contained membrane vesicles and mitochondria; it yielded approx 200-300 fmol dihydroalprenolol-bound receptors/mg protein. 3. Activity was increased to about 1000 fmol/mg protein after isolation of a plasma membrane fraction on a Percoll gradient. 4. The 5'-nucleotidase, succinate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase activities were usually enriched in compartments different from the ligand-binding activity. 5. Activity of porcine adipocyte 5'-nucleotidase, a purported plasma membrane marker enzyme, was not distributed in the same manner as the beta-adrenergic receptor.

Protein phosphorylation in isolated human adipocytes-adrenergic control of the phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase

The effect of adrenergic agents on protein phosphorylation in human adipocytes was examined. Freshly isolated human fat cells were incubated with 32PO4 in order to label intracellular ATP, then treated with a variety of adrenergic and other pharmacologic agents. Treatment with the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol led to a significant increase in phosphate content of at least five protein bands (Mr 52, 53, 63, 67, 84 kDa). The increase in phosphorylation was partially inhibited by the alpha-2 agonist clonidine. Epinephrine, a combined alpha and beta agonist, was less effective at increasing phosphate content of the proteins than was isoproterenol. Neither insulin nor the alpha-1 agonist phenylephrine had any discernible effect on the pattern of protein phosphorylation. The 84 kDa phosphorylated peptide band appears to contain hormone-sensitive lipase, a key enzyme in the lipolytic pathway which is activated by phosphorylation. These results are somewhat different than previously reported results for rat adipocytes, and represent the first report of overall pattern and adrenergic modulation of protein phosphorylation in human adipocytes.

Phosphorylation of the human erythrocyte glucose transporter by protein kinase C: localization of the site of in vivo and in vitro phosphorylation

1. The human erythrocyte glucose transporter was phosphorylated in vitro by protein kinase C. 2. Tryptic cleavage of phosphorylated native transporter produced two major unphosphorylated membrane-embedded fragments weighing 23 and 19 kDa and released numerous water-soluble peptides. 3. Ion-exchange FPLC of the soluble tryptic peptides resolved the mixture into two phosphopeptide peaks. 4. Tryptic digestion of glucose transporter that was phosphorylated in vivo in response to phorbol esters produced soluble phosphopeptides that eluted at identical salt concentrations. 5. Proteolytic digestion and peptide mapping of the transporter revealed that the site(s) of phosphorylation lie within the large cytoplasmic domain that bisects the molecule.

Insulin and phorbol ester stimulate phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase at similar sites in isolated adipocytes. Lack of correspondence with sites phosphorylated on the purified enzyme by protein kinase C

1. The phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA) stimulates fatty acid synthesis from glucose in isolated adipocytes with a half-maximal effect at 0.72 microM. In seven batches of cells, the maximal effects of TPA and insulin were 8.5 +/- 1.1-fold and 27.1 +/- 2.1-fold respectively. Insulin also stimulated fatty acid synthesis from acetate 8.9 +/- 0.5-fold (three experiments), but TPA did not significantly increase fatty acid synthesis from this precursor. 2. In contrast to insulin, TPA treatment of isolated adipocytes did not produce an activation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase which was detectable in crude cell extracts. 3. The total phosphate content of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, isolated from adipocytes in the presence of protein phosphatase inhibitors, was estimated by 32P-labelling experiments to be 2.6 +/- 0.1 (5), 3.4 +/- 0.2 (5), and 3.8 +/- 0.2 (3) mol/mol subunit for enzyme from control, insulin- and TPA-treated cells respectively. Insulin and TPA stimulated phosphorylation within the same two tryptic peptides. 4. Purified acetyl-CoA carboxylase is phosphorylated in vitro by protein kinase C at serine residues which are recovered in three tryptic peptides, i.e. peptide T1, which appears to be identical with the peptide Ser-Ser(P)-Met-Ser-Gly-Leu-His-Leu-Val-Lys phosphorylated by cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase, and peptides Ta and Tb, which have the sequences Ile-Asp-Ser(P)-Gln-Arg and Lys-Ile-Asp-Ser(P)-Gln-Arg respectively, and which appear to be derived from a single site by alternative cleavages. None of these correspond to the peptides whose 32P-labelling increase in response to insulin or TPA. Peptides Ta/Tb are not significantly phosphorylated in isolated adipocytes, even after insulin or TPA treatment. Peptide T1 is phosphorylated in isolated adipocytes, but this phosphorylation is not altered by insulin or TPA. 5. These results show that TPA mimics the effect of insulin on phosphorylation, but not activation, of acetyl-CoA carboxylase, i.e. that these two events can be dissociated. In addition, phorbol ester stimulates phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in isolated adipocytes, but this is not catalyzed directly by protein kinase C, and acetyl-CoA carboxylase does not appear to be a physiological substrate for this kinase.

Modulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase by inhibitors of IMP dehydrogenase: implications for insulin regulation

The activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), the rate-limiting enzyme of fatty acid biosynthesis, can be regulated by both adenine and guanine nucleotides in vitro. We have employed two inhibitors of IMP dehydrogenase, ribavarin and tiazofurin, to investigate a possible role for intracellular nucleotides in ACC regulation in rat adipocytes. Ribavarin, but not tiazofurin, leads to a profound time-dependent inhibition of ACC activity that is associated with a decrease in both intracellular ATP and GTP. This inactivating effect is largely reversed with guanosine, accompanied by increases in both ATP and GTP levels. Epinephrine-mediated inactivation of ACC in intact cells is not altered by ribavarin incubation. However, in these experiments, insulin-mediated activation is observed only after ribavarin-induced inhibition of the enzyme. These data suggest that nucleotides may modulate ACC activity and influence is regulation by insulin in intact cells. The possible mechanisms underlying the insulin activation of ACC and the role of intracellular nucleotides in insulin action are discussed.

Characterization of the major phosphoprotein and its kinase on the surface of the rat adipocyte

Intact rat fat cells exposed to 12.5 microM [gamma-32P]ATP incorporate label into specific proteins within minutes. By solubilizing the reaction mixture with SDS which by passes the subcellular fractionation steps, the labeled proteins can be identified in autoradiographs of SDS-PAGE gels. The most prominently labeled protein has an Mr of 42,000. Localization of this component to the cell surface can be made on the basis of inhibition of phosphorylation by addition of a protein derived from the rat brain with protein kinase inhibitory property, susceptibility of the phosphorylated protein to tryptic digestion, whereas the unphosphorylated protein is unaffected by digestion with trypsin (15 min), inhibition of phosphorylation of this protein after brief exposure to melittin, and the consistent observation that more label is associated with the 42,000 Mr band in homogenates and permeabilized cells than in comparable numbers of intact cells exposed to the same amount of label. A 42,000 Mr phosphoprotein is also present in mitochondria which is most likely the alpha subunit of pyruvate dehydrogenase. To rule out the possibility that the cell surface protein might be a mitochondrial contaminant from broken cells, 32Pi-labeled and [gamma-32P]ATP-labeled cells were solubilized with Triton and chromatographed on a rabbit anti-pyruvate dehydrogenase antibody-Sepharose 4B column. A single labeled peak was detected upon elution of the bound fraction only in the 32Pi-labeled sample, and not in the [gamma-32P]ATP-labeled sample. Subcellular fractionation studies of intact cells labeled with [gamma-32P]ATP showed differences in the recovery of phosphoproteins of 42,000 Mr depending on whether a continuous sucrose gradient (27.6-54.1%, g/ml) or a discontinuous sucrose gradient (16, 35 and 48%, g/ml) was used. Phosphoproteins of 42,000 Mr were located in the mitochondrial and membrane fractions collected by discontinuous sucrose gradient separation, whereas a phosphoprotein of 42,000 Mr was found primarily in the mitochondrial fraction after continuous sucrose gradient separation. By 5'-nucleotidase activity measurements, the latter approach appears to result in the isolation of a heavy fragment of the plasma membrane with the mitochondrial light fraction which is 42,000 in Mr and labeled. Finally, comparison of the autoradiographs of two-dimensional (2D) gels (isoelectric focusing followed by 10% SDS-PAGE) show different isoelectric points for 42,000 Mr components in [gamma-32P]ATP- and 32Pi-labeled cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Effects of aging on the lipid order and composition of rat adipocyte ghosts

An analysis of the cholesterol/phospholipid ratio of adipocyte ghosts from rat epididymal fat pads shows a significant increase with age (P less than 0.005). An attempt to correlate these changes with the order of the lipid matrix was made using the stearic acid spin label 2-(3-carboxypropyl)-4, 4-dimethyl-2-tridecyl-3-oxazolidinyloxyl [I(12,3)]. Although order was negatively correlated with temperature in preparations from both 6- and 24-month-old rats, no effect of age could be detected.

A comparison of the polypeptide composition of plasma membranes prepared from the white adipose tissue and adipocytes of the mouse, rat, rabbit, ox and chicken by a Percoll self-forming gradient procedure

The Percoll self-forming gradient method has been applied for the preparation of plasma membranes from white adipose tissue and isolated adipocytes from mouse, rat, rabbit, ox and chicken. Characterization of the membranes produced by marker enzyme analysis confirmed the general applicability of the method. The polypeptide composition of the membranes was studied by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The patterns seen with tissue and adipocytes of a single species source were compared and the Coomassie blue and periodic acid Schiff staining bands characteristic of each species were compared systematically. Additionally materials from lean (FA/-) and obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats were compared. The species-specific differences in polypeptide composition form a useful basis for the further development of methods whereby the adipocyte-differentiated phenotype may be detected in a wide range of systems.

Thyroid hormones and fat cell phosphorylation

The phosphorylation of cytosolic and plasma membrane proteins was studied in isolated fat cells from euthyroid and thyroidectomized rats. The analysis, by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, of subcellular fractions of 32P-labelled fat cells revealed the presence of 10-12 phosphoprotein bands in the cytosol. The washed plasma membrane fraction contained 4 major phosphoproteins with estimated molecular weights of 70-67, 60, 42-40 and 26-22 kDa. Two-dimensional analysis of the 32P-labelled phosphoproteins showed that their isoelectric points were between 6.3 and 4.1. The profiles and the isoelectric points were similar in fat cells from euthyroid and thyroidectomized rats. The state of hypothyroidism did not affect the basal phosphorylation of fat cell proteins of the cytosolic or plasma membrane fractions. The incubation of fat cells from euthyroid rats in the presence of isoproterenol or dibutyryl adenosine cyclic monophosphate led to (a) an increase in the 32P labelling of cytosolic proteins which may be subunits of acetyl CoA carboxylase, ATP citrate lyase, hormone-sensitive lipase and other proteins, with apparent molecular weights between 50 and 42 kDa, and (b) an increase in the 32P labelling of plasma membrane proteins of 26-22 kDa. In the case of fat cells from hypothyroid rats, the dibutyryl adenosine cyclic monophosphate increased the 32P labelling of plasma membrane proteins, whereas in the presence of isoproterenol these reactions did not occur. These results show that thyroid hormones control the 32P labelling of proteins of the cytosol and plasma membrane fractions of rat fat cells and therefore, at least in some cases, the lipolytic and lipogenic pathways.

Effect of secretin on protein phosphorylation in dispersed acini from rat pancreas

Dispersed acini from rat pancreas, incubated in the presence of KH2(32)PO4 to steady state 32P incorporation into cellular proteins, were exposed to secretin. 32P incorporated into selected proteins, separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, reached a plateau by 150 min. Effect of secretin on amylase release, cellular cyclic AMP levels and protein phosphorylation was then examined. Stimulation of amylase release was apparent with 10(-10)M and was maximal with 10(-7)M by 10 min incubation. Almost maximal increase in cellular cyclic AMP levels and 32P incorporation into selected proteins was also observed with 10(-7)M secretin by 10 min in the presence of 10 mM theophyllin. Both secretin (10(-8)M) and dibutyryl cyclic AMP (10(-3)M) induced the phosphorylation of similar proteins analyzed by counting 32P content in each peptide band after SDS gel electrophoresis. Addition of cyclic AMP (10(-6)M) to homogenates of acini also augmented 32P incorporation from [gamma-32P]ATP into similar proteins. These results indicate that secretin enhances protein phosphorylation in pancreatic acinar cells and cyclic AMP may mediate the action of secretin on protein phosphorylation.

The short term hormonal control of cytoplasmic protein phosphorylation in hepatocytes from fed rats

Exposure of 32P-prelabelled isolated hepatocytes to vasopressin affected the phosphorylation of nine of the 26 phosphoproteins resolved by sodium dodecyl sulphate gel electrophoresis. Glucagon (2 nM) or cyclic AMP elicited significant changes in the phosphorylation of only four phosphoproteins. A very high concentration of glucagon (1000 nM) affected additional phosphoproteins. Insulin alone significantly increased the phosphorylation of a single protein. Vasopressin, A23187, glucagon and cyclic AMP all induced the dephosphorylation of a single phosphoprotein of mol. wt 20,000. The significance of these results with respect to the short-term control of hepatic metabolism is discussed.

Retention of insulin-stimulated D-glucose transport activity by adipocyte plasma membranes following extraction of extrinsic proteins

Plasma membrane vesicles prepared from adipocytes incubated with insulin exhibited accelerated D-glucose transport activity characteristic to insulin action on intact fat cells. Both control and insulin-stimulated D-glucose transport activities were inhibited by cytochalasin B and thiol reagents. Extraction of plasma membranes with dimethylmaleic anhydride eluted 80% of the protein from plasma membrane vesicles. The two major glycoprotein bands (94,000 and 78,000 daltons) and small amounts of a 56,000-dalton band were retained in dodecyl sulfate gels of the extracted membranes. Both control and insulin-activated D-glucose transport activities were retained by plasma membrane vesicles extracted with dimethylmaleic anhydride. Cytochalasin B binding activity was also retained by extracted membrane vesicles and D-glucose uptake into extracted vesicles derived from untreated or insulin-treated fat cells was inhibited by cytochalasin B. These results suggest that the modification of the adipocyte hexose transport system elicited by insulin action is not altered by a major purification step which involves quantitative extraction of extrinsic membrane proteins.

Regulation of plasma membrane protein phosphorylation in two mammalian cell types

The appreciation of protein phosphorylation as a ubiquitous mechanism for the post-translational control of protein function has drawn our attention to the phosphorylation of plasma membrane proteins. We have studied this phenomenon in the human erythrocyte and rat adipocyte, and have observed several features, common to the two systems, which may be of general significance. In examining protein phosphorylation in intact cells incubated with 32Pi, it is evident that the 32P-polypeptides of the plasma membrane are among the most highly labelled species in the cell, despite their minor contribution to overall protein content. The addition of epinephrine (to adipocytes) or cAMP (to erythrocytes) increases the phosphorylation of certain peptides, whereas others are unaffected. The protein kinases mediating these phosphorylations are present in the plasma membrane as isolated, and can be divided into two groups--cAMP dependent and cAMP independent. These two classes of kinase differ markedly in their substrate specificity toward endogenous and exogenous polypeptide substrates. Two classes of protein kinases with similar properties can be detected in the cytoplasm. The relationship between the membrane-bound and cytoplasmic enzymes is uncertain. The potential roles of the plasma membrane cAMP dependent protein kinases are evident from the diverse effects of cAMP on surface properties; however, the prevalence of plasma membrane proteins phosphorylated via cAMP independent pathways is striking. Thus, elucidation of the regulatory properties of the plasma membrane cAMP independent protein kinases may give new insight into the control of a variety of surface phenomena not mediated by cAMP.