Action of insulin on the transport of 3-O-methylglucose in frog sartorius muscles

Common pathway for the induction of hexose transport by insulin and stress

The effect of stress (heat shock, arsenite, or Semliki Forest virus [SFV] infection) on the induction of increased hexose transport has been compared with that of insulin. All four treatments increase the Vmax for transport by BHK cells three- to five-fold, with little effect (less than 40% decrease) on Km. Hydrogen peroxide and phenylarsine oxide (PAO) prevent the increase in hexose transport induced by stress treatments as effectively as they do that induced by insulin. Pinocytosis is not affected by any of the four treatments. On the other hand, the induction by insulin is sensitive to amiloride, whereas that by arsenite is not. Rat embryo fibroblasts, which respond poorly to insulin, respond well to arsenite, heat shock, or SFV infection. It is concluded that the stress response is mediated by certain compounds that may be common to those required for the action of insulin, but that those compounds act at a stage subsequent to the function of the insulin receptor.

Induction of sugar uptake response to insulin by serum depletion in fusing L6 myoblasts

The L6 muscle cell line is proposed as an excellent cell culture system for studying glucose transport and its regulation by serum and insulin throughout myogenesis. The rate of hexose uptake decreased after cell fusion. Fetal calf serum (5 h) stimulated hexose uptake, and serum deprivation depressed it. Both effects were prevented by cycloheximide. Insulin stimulated the uptake of either 2-deoxy-D-glucose or 3-O-methyl-D-glucose provided that the basal rate was previously depressed by serum deprivation. The response to the hormone was significant only after the onset of cell fusion. Stimulation of transport was observed within the first 10 min after insulin administration and was insensitive to cycloheximide. Half-maximal stimulation of uptake was obtained with 5 X 10(-8) M insulin in 1% albumin solutions. Basal and insulin-stimulated uptake showed equal sensitivity to cytochalasin B. However, they differed in their sensitivity to extracellular Ca2+: basal transport was depressed, whereas insulin-stimulated transport was further enhanced in Ca2+-free media. Advantages of the cell culture system are discussed.