Glucose-induced positive cooperativity of fructose phosphorylation by human B-cell glucokinase

D-glucose‑ and 3-O-methyl-D-glucose-induced upregulation of selected genes in rat hepatocytes and INS1E cells: re‑evaluation of the possible role of hexose phosphorylation

The biochemical events involved in the upregulation of selected glucose‑responsive genes by 3‑O‑methyl‑D‑glucose (3‑MG) remain to be elucidated. The present study mainly aimed to re‑evaluate the possible role of 3‑MG phosphorylation in the upregulation of the thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP) and liver pyruvate kinase (LPK) genes in rat hepatocytes and INS1E cells. TXNIP and LPK transcription was assessed in rat liver and INS1E cells exposed to a rise in D‑glucose concentration, 2‑deoxy‑D‑glucose (2‑DG), 3‑MG and, when required, D‑mannoheptulose. The phosphorylation of D‑[U‑14C]glucose and 3‑O‑[14C]methyl‑D‑glucose (14C-labeled 3-MG) was measured in rat liver, INS1E cell and rat pancreatic islet homogenates. The utilization of D‑[5‑3H]glucose by intact INS1E cells was also measured. In rat hepatocytes, a rise in the D‑glucose concentration increased the TXNIP/hypoxanthine‑guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) and LPK/HPRT ratios, while 2‑DG and 3‑MG also increased the TXNIP/HPRT ratio, but not the LPK/HPRT ratio. In INS1E cells, the TXNIP/HPRT and LPK/HPRT ratios were increased in response to the addition of D‑glucose, 2‑DG and 3‑MG. Furthermore, D‑mannoheptulose abolished the response to D‑glucose and 2‑DG, but not to 3‑MG, in these cells. Liver cell homogenates catalyzed the phosphorylation of 3‑MG to a modest extent, whilst INS1E and rat pancreatic islet cell homogenates did not. Moreover, 3‑MG marginally decreased D‑glucose phosphorylation in INS1E cell homogenates but not in liver cell homogenates. D‑[5‑3H]glucose utilization by intact INS1E cells was decreased by 2‑DG, but not by 3‑MG. These findings reinforce the view that the upregulation of the TXNIP and LPK genes induced by 3‑MG is not attributable to its phosphorylation or any favorable effect on D‑glucose metabolism.

Comparative effects of fructose and glucose on lipogenic gene expression and intermediary metabolism in HepG2 liver cells

Consumption of large amounts of fructose or sucrose increases lipogenesis and circulating triglycerides in humans. Although the underlying molecular mechanisms responsible for this effect are not completely understood, it is possible that as reported for rodents, high fructose exposure increases expression of the lipogenic enzymes fatty acid synthase (FAS) and acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC-1) in human liver. Since activation of the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) is associated with increases in the expression of FAS and ACC-1, it raises the possibility that HBP-related metabolites would contribute to any increase in hepatic expression of these enzymes following fructose exposure. Thus, we compared lipogenic gene expression in human-derived HepG2 cells after incubation in culture medium containing glucose alone or glucose plus 5 mM fructose, using the HBP precursor 10 mM glucosamine (GlcN) as a positive control. Cellular metabolite profiling was conducted to analyze differences between glucose and fructose metabolism. Despite evidence for the active uptake and metabolism of fructose by HepG2 cells, expression of FAS or ACC-1 did not increase in these cells compared with those incubated with glucose alone. Levels of UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc), the end-product of the HBP, did not differ significantly between the glucose and fructose conditions. Exposure to 10 mM GlcN for 10 minutes to 24 hours resulted in 8-fold elevated levels of intracellular UDP-GlcNAc (P<0.001), as well as a 74-126% increase in FAS (P<0.05) and 49-95% increase in ACC-1 (P<0.01) expression above controls. It is concluded that in HepG2 liver cells cultured under standard conditions, sustained exposure to fructose does not result in an activation of the HBP or increased lipogenic gene expression. Should this scenario manifest in human liver in vivo, it would suggest that high fructose consumption promotes triglyceride synthesis primarily through its action to provide lipid precursor carbon and not by activating lipogenic gene expression.

Glucose and fructose as functional modulators of overall dog, but not boar sperm function

The main aim of the present work was to test the effects of glucose and fructose on the phosphorylation levels of proteins linked to the control of overall sperm function in two species with very different metabolic characteristics, dog and boar. Incubation of dog spermatozoa with 10mM glucose increased serine phosphorylation of proteins related to cell cycle and signal transduction including cyclins B and E, Cdk2, Cdk6, Cdc6, PYK2, c-kit, Raf-1, TRK and several protein phosphatases. Incubation of dog spermatozoa with 10mM fructose decreased serine phosphorylation levels of cyclins B and D3, Cdk1/Cdc2, Cdk2, Cdk6, Akt, PI3 kinase, ERK-1 and protein kinase C. Incubation of boar spermatozoa with glucose or fructose did not modify any of the phosphorylation patterns studied. Given that one important difference between dog and boar spermatozoa is the presence of glucokinase (GK) in dog but not in boar, GK-transfected COS7 cells were incubated with either 10mM glucose or 10mM fructose. Incubation of GK-transfected cells with fructose decreased serine phosphorylation of cyclin A, ERK-2 and Hsp-70. In contrast, incubation of control COS7 cells with fructose increased serine phosphorylation of Cdk6, Cdk1/Cdc2, protein kinase C and Hsp-70. Incubation with glucose did not induce any significant effect. Our results indicate that monosaccharides act as signalling compounds in dog spermatozoa after ejaculation through changes in the phosphorylation levels of specific proteins. One of the factors that may be related to the action of sugars is the equilibrium of the total sperm hexokinase activity, in which the presence or absence of GK appears to be relevant.

Opposite effects of D-fructose on total versus cytosolic ATP/ADP ratio in pancreatic islet cells

D-fructose (10 mM) augments, in rat pancreatic islets, insulin release evoked by 10 mM D-glucose. Even in the absence of D-glucose, D-fructose (100 mM) displays a positive insulinotropic action. It was now examined whether the insulinotropic action of D-fructose could be attributed to an increase in the ATP content of islet cells. After 30-60 min incubation in the presence of D-glucose and/or D-fructose, the ATP and ADP content was measured by bioluminescence in either rat isolated pancreatic islets (total ATP and ADP) or the supernatant of dispersed rat pancreatic islet cells exposed for 30 s to digitonine (cytosolic ATP and ADP). D-fructose (10 and 100 mM) was found to cause a concentration-related decrease in the total ATP and ADP content and ATP/ADP ratio below the basal values found in islets deprived of exogenous nutrient. Moreover, in the presence of 10 mM D-glucose, which augmented both the total ATP content and ATP/ADP ratio above basal value, D-fructose (10 mM) also lowered these two parameters. The cytosolic ATP/ADP ratio, however, was increased in the presence of D-glucose and/or D-fructose. Under the present experimental conditions, a sigmoidal relationship was found between such a cytosolic ATP/ADP ratio and either (86)Rb net uptake by dispersed islet cells or insulin release from isolated islets. These data provide, to our knowledge, the first example of a dramatic dissociation between changes in total ATP content or ATP/ADP ratio and insulin release in pancreatic islets exposed to a nutrient secretagogue. Nevertheless, the cationic and insulinotropic actions of d-glucose and/or d-fructose were tightly related to the cytosolic ATP/ADP ratio.

Plasma D-glucose, D-fructose and insulin responses after oral administration of D-glucose, D-fructose and sucrose to normal rats

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether oral D-fructose modifies the plasma D-glucose and insulin responses to oral D-glucose administration in normal rats.

DESIGN

Oral D-glucose (1.7, 3.5, 6.9 or 13.9 micromol/g body weight), D-fructose (6.9 micromol/g), both D-glucose and D-fructose (1.7 or 3.5 micromol/g of each hexose) or sucrose (3.7 micromol/g) were administered intragastrically to overnight fasted rats and the plasma concentration of D-glucose, D-fructose and insulin measured over the ensuing 120 minutes. Control experiments were conducted after oral administration of H(2)O or saline.

RESULTS

The administration of D-fructose, given as the free hexose or as sucrose, instead of augmenting the plasma D-glucose concentration evoked by the concomitant administration of D-glucose, tended both to improve the insulin response of the pancreatic B-cell and to minimize hyperglycemia, when compared to the results of experiments including the administration of equimolar amounts of D-glucose alone. For instance, the area under the plasma D-glucose curve was comparable in the rats receiving both D-glucose and D-fructose (3.5 micromol/g of each hexose) and the rats receiving only D-glucose (3.5 micromol/g), averaging respectively 836 +/- 32 and 850 +/- 34 mM . min each. Likewise, the paired ratio between the areas under the plasma insulin and D-glucose curves, when corrected for the threshold concentration for the insulinotropic action of the hexose (2.05 +/- 0.10 mM), averaged 44.3 +/- 3.0 nmol/mol in the 16 rats receiving D-fructose alone, sucrose alone or both D-glucose and D-fructose, as compared to 37.7 +/- 2.9 nmol/mol in the 22 rats receiving increasing amounts of D-glucose alone.

CONCLUSIONS

The intake of D-fructose, as the free hexose or as sucrose, favours D-glucose homeostasis. This is likely to be attributable to the reciprocal effects of the aldose and ketose upon their respective phosphorylation by glucokinase in both hepatocytes and insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells.

Immediate and delayed effects of D-fructose upon insulin, somatostatin, and glucagon release by the perfused rat pancreas

Novel information was recently provided concerning the reciprocal effects of D-glucose and D-fructose upon their respective metabolism in rat pancreatic islets. In the light of such findings, this study aims at comparing the effects of D-glucose and D-fructose on insulin, somatostatin, and glucagon release from the isolated perfused rat pancreas. A rise in D-glucose concentration from 3.3 to 5.0 or 7.3 mM or the administration of D-fructose (17 and 40 mM) in the presence of 3.3 mM D-glucose stimulated insulin release in a concentration-related manner, but failed to affect somatostatin output. The secretion of glucagon was decreased in all cases. The secretory response to L-arginine (5 mM), 25 min after restoring the basal concentration of D-glucose, was more markedly affected, in terms of potentiation of insulin and somatostatin release and reduction of glucagon output, after prior administration of D-fructose than after a prior increase in D-glucose concentration. These findings argue against any major role for a paracrine regulation of hormonal release and, instead, are consistent with a causal link between metabolic and secretory events in the islet cells. Nevertheless, the present results emphasize differences in the response of distinct pancreatic endocrine cell types to the same or distinct hexoses.

Isotopic discrimination between D-[1-(13)C]fructose and D-[2-(13)C]fructose in rat liver cells

When liver cells from either normal or hereditarily diabetic rats are exposed to (13)C-enriched D-fructose (10 mM) and unlabelled D-glucose (also 10 mM) in the presence of D(2)O, the output of (13)C-enriched D-glucose generated from D-[1-(13)C]fructose is significantly lower than that from D-[2-(13)C]fructose. This coincides with a higher generation of (13)C-enriched L-lactate and L-alanine from D-[1-(13)C]fructose, as compared to D-[2-(13)C]fructose. In absolute terms, the mean paired difference in the output of (13)C-enriched D-glucose generated from D-[1-(13)C]fructose versus D-[2-(13)C]fructose is not significantly different from the mean paired difference in the production of (13)C-enriched L-lactate and L-alanine from the same precursors, with an overall mean value of 7.01 +/- 1.59 micromol (n = 8; P < 0.005). It is proposed that these findings indicate isotopic discrimination at the phosphoglucoisomerase level between (12)C and (13)C for the carbon atom in position 1 (as compared to that in position 2) of D-fructose 6-phosphate.

Stimulation of hepatocyte glucose metabolism by novel small molecule glucokinase activators

Glucokinase (GK) has a major role in the control of blood glucose homeostasis and is a strong potential target for the pharmacological treatment of type 2 diabetes. We report here the mechanism of action of two novel and potent direct activators of GK: 6-[(3-isobutoxy-5-isopropoxybenzoyl)amino]nicotinic acid(GKA1) and 5-([3-isopropoxy-5-[2-(3-thienyl)ethoxy]benzoyl]amino)-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-carboxylic acid(GKA2), which increase the affinity of GK for glucose by 4- and 11-fold, respectively. GKA1 increased the affinity of GK for the competitive inhibitor mannoheptulose but did not affect the affinity for the inhibitors palmitoyl-CoA and the endogenous 68-kDa regulator (GK regulatory protein [GKRP]), which bind to allosteric sites or to N-acetylglucosamine, which binds to the catalytic site. In hepatocytes, GKA1 and GKA2 stimulated glucose phosphorylation, glycolysis, and glycogen synthesis to a similar extent as sorbitol, a precursor of fructose 1-phosphate, which indirectly activates GK through promoting its dissociation from GKRP. Consistent with their effects on isolated GK, these compounds also increased the affinity of hepatocyte metabolism for glucose. GKA1 and GKA2 caused translocation of GK from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. This effect was additive with the effect of sorbitol and is best explained by a "glucose-like" effect of the GK activators in translocating GK to the cytoplasm. In conclusion, GK activators are potential antihyperglycemic agents for the treatment of type 2 diabetes through the stimulation of hepatic glucose metabolism by a mechanism independent of GKRP.

Anomeric specificity of the stimulatory effect of D-glucose on D-fructose phosphorylation by human liver glucokinase

D-Glucose was recently reported to stimulate d-fructose phosphorylation by human B-cell glucokinase. The present study aims at investigating the anomeric specificity of such a positive cooperativity. The alpha-anomer of D-glucose was found to increase much more markedly than beta-D-glucose the phosphorylation of D-fructose by human liver glucokinase. Such an anomeric preference diminished at high concentrations of the D-glucose anomers, i.e. when the effect of the aldohexose upon d-fructose phosphorylation became progressively less marked. A comparison between the effects of the two anomers of D-glucose and those of equilibrated D-glucose upon D-fructose phosphorylation by human liver glucokinase indicated that the results obtained with the equilibrated aldohexose were not significantly different from those expected from the combined effects of each anomers of D-glucose. In isolated rat islets incubated for 60 min at 4 degrees C, alpha-D-glucose (5.6 mm), but not beta-D-glucose (also 5.6 mm), augmented significantly the conversion of D-[U-(14)C]fructose (5.0 mm) to acidic radioactive metabolites. Likewise, in islets prelabeled with (45)Ca and perifused at 37 degrees C, D-fructose (20.0 mm) augmented (45)Ca efflux and provoked a biphasic stimulation of insulin release from islets exposed to alpha-D-glucose (5.6 mm), while inhibiting (45)Ca efflux and causing only a sluggish and modest increase in insulin output from islets exposed to beta-D-glucose (also 5.6 mm). The enhancing action of D-glucose upon D-fructose phosphorylation by glucokinase thus displays an obvious anomeric preference for alpha-D-glucose, and such an anomeric specificity remains operative in intact pancreatic islets.

Comparison between D-[3-3H]- and D-[5-3H]glucose and fructose utilization in pancreatic islets from control and hereditarily diabetic rats

The metabolism of D-glucose and/or D-fructose was investigated in pancreatic islets from control rats and hereditarily diabetic GK rats. In the case of both D-glucose and D-fructose metabolism, a preferential alteration of oxidative events was observed in islets from GK rats. The generation of 3HOH from D-[5-3H]glucose (or D-[5-3H]fructose) exceeded that from D-[3-3H]glucose (or D-[3-3H]fructose) in both control and GK rats. This difference, which is possibly attributable to a partial escape from glycolysis of tritiated dihydroxyacetone phosphate, was accentuated whenever the rate of glycolysis was decreased, e.g., in the absence of extracellular Ca(2+) or presence of exogenous D-glyceraldehyde. D-Mannoheptulose, which inhibited D-glucose metabolism, exerted only limited effects upon D-fructose metabolism. In the presence of both hexoses, the paired ratio between D-[U-14C]fructose oxidation and D-[3-3H]fructose or D-[5-3H]fructose utilization was considerably increased, this being probably attributable, in part at least, to a preferential stimulation by the aldohexose of mitochondrial oxidative events. Moreover, this coincided with the fact that D-mannoheptulose now severely inhibited the catabolism of D-[5-3H]fructose and D-[U-14C]fructose. The latter situation is consistent with both the knowledge that D-glucose augments D-fructose phosphorylation by glucokinase and the findings that D-mannoheptulose, which fails to affect D-fructose phosphorylation by fructokinase, inhibits the phosphorylation of D-fructose by glucokinase.

Effects of D-glucose upon D-fructose metabolism in rat hepatocytes: A 13C NMR study

Isolated hepatocytes from fed rats were exposed for 120 min to D-glucose (10 mM) and either D-[1-13C]fructose, D-[2-13C]fructose or D-[6-13C]fructose (also 10 mM) in the presence of D2O. The identification and quantification of 13C-enriched D-fructose and its metabolites (D-glucose, L-lactate, L-alanine) in the incubation medium and the measurement of their deuterated isotopomers indicated, by comparison with a prior study conducted in the absence of exogenous D-glucose, that the major effects of the aldohexose were to increase the recovery of 13C-enriched D-fructose, decrease the production of 13C-enriched D-glucose, restrict the deuteration of the 13C-enriched isotopomers of D-glucose to those generated by cells exposed to D-[2-13C]fructose, and to accentuate the lesser deuteration of the C, (as compared to C5) of 13C-enriched D-glucose derived from D-[2-13C]fructose. The ratio between C2-deuterated and C2-hydrogenated L-lactate, as well as the relative amounts of the CH3-, CH2D-, CHD, and CD3- isotopomers of 13C-enriched L-lactate were not significantly different, however, in the absence or presence of exogenous D-glucose. These findings indicate that exogenous D-glucose suppressed the deuteration of the C1 of D-[I-13C]glucose generated by hepatocytes exposed to D-[1-13C]fructose or D-[6-13C]fructose, as otherwise attributable, in part at least, to gluconeogenesis from fructose-derived [3-13C]pyruvate, and apparently favoured the phosphorylation of D-fructose by hexokinase isoenzymes, probably through stimulation of D-fructose phosphorylation by glucokinase.

Inclusion of low amounts of fructose with an intraduodenal glucose load markedly reduces postprandial hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia in the conscious dog

Intraportal infusion of small amounts of fructose markedly augmented net hepatic glucose uptake (NHGU) during hyperglycemic hyperinsulinemia in conscious dogs. In this study, we examined whether the inclusion of catalytic amounts of fructose with a glucose load reduces postprandial hyperglycemia and the pancreatic beta-cell response to a glucose load in conscious 42-h-fasted dogs. Each study consisted of an equilibration (-140 to -40 min), control (-40 to 0 min), and test period (0-240 min). During the latter period, glucose (44.4 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) was continuously given intraduodenally with (2.22 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) or without fructose. The glucose appearance rate in portal vein blood was not significantly different with or without the inclusion of fructose (41.3 +/- 2.7 vs. 37.3 +/- 8.3 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1), respectively). In response to glucose infusion without the inclusion of fructose, the net hepatic glucose balance switched from output to uptake (from 10 +/- 2 to 11 +/- 4 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) by 30 min and averaged 17 +/- 6 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1). The fractional extraction of glucose by the liver during the infusion period was 7 +/- 2%. Net glycogen deposition was 2.44 mmol glucose equivalent/kg body wt; 49% of deposited glycogen was synthesized via the direct pathway. Net hepatic lactate production was 1.4 mmol/kg body wt. Arterial blood glucose rose from 4.1 +/- 0.2 to 7.3 +/- 0.4 mmol/l, and arterial plasma insulin rose from 42 +/- 6 to 258 +/- 66 pmol/l at 30 min, after which they decreased to 7.0 +/- 0.5 mmol/l and 198 +/- 66 pmol/l, respectively. Arterial plasma glucagon decreased from 54 +/- 7 to 32 +/- 3 ng/l. In response to intraduodenal glucose infusion in the presence of fructose, net hepatic glucose balance switched from 9 +/- 1 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1) output to 12 +/- 3 and 28 +/- 5 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1) uptake by 15 and 30 min, respectively. The average NHGU (28 +/- 5 micromol x kg(-1) x min(-1)) and fractional extraction during infusion period (12 +/- 2%), net glycogen deposition (3.68 mmol glucose equivalent/kg body wt), net hepatic lactate production (3.27 mmol/kg), and glycogen synthesis via the direct pathway (68%) were significantly higher (P < 0.05) compared to that in the absence of fructose. The increases in arterial blood glucose (from 4.4 +/- 0.1 to 6.4 +/- 0.2 mmol/l at 30 min) and arterial plasma insulin (from 48 +/- 6 to 126 +/- 30 pmol/l at 30 min) were significantly smaller (P < 0.05). In summary, the inclusion of small amounts of fructose with a glucose load augmented NHGU, increased hepatic glycogen synthesis via the direct pathway, and augmented hepatic glycolysis. As a result, postprandial hyperglycemia and insulin release by the pancreatic beta-cell were reduced. In conclusion, catalytic amounts of fructose have the ability to improve glucose tolerance.

Metabolism of D-[1-(13)C]fructose, D-[2-(13)C]fructose, and D-[6-(13)C]fructose in rat hepatocytes incubated in the presence of H(2)O or D(2)O

Isolated hepatocytes from fed rats were exposed for 120 min to D-[1-(13)C]fructose, D-[2-(13)C]fructose, or D-[6-(13)C]fructose in the presence of H(2)O or D(2)O. The identification and quantification of (13)C-enriched metabolites (D-glucose, L-lactate) in the incubation medium and the measurement of their deuterated isotopomers indicated that the ketohexose was phosphorylated predominantly at the intervention of fructokinase and that the majority of the D-glyceraldehyde molecules generated from d-fructose 1-phosphate were further metabolized, e.g., after phosphorylation to D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. It is proposed that the present procedure may help to further characterize the regulation of D-fructose metabolism in both hepatocytes and other cell types.

Analysis of the cooperativity of human beta-cell glucokinase through the stimulatory effect of glucose on fructose phosphorylation

Using overexpressed Escherichia coli sorbitol-6-phosphate dehydrogenase to monitor fructose 6-phosphate formation, we found that the stimulation of fructose phosphorylation by glucose was reduced in two human beta-cell glucokinase mutants with a low Hill coefficient or when the activity of wild type glucokinase was decreased by replacing ATP with poorer nucleotide substrates. Mutation of two other residues, neighboring glucose-binding residues in the catalytic site, also reduced the affinity for glucose as a stimulator of fructose phosphorylation. Among a series of glucose analogs, only 3, all substrates of glucokinase, stimulated fructose phosphorylation; other analogs were either inactive or inhibited glucokinase. Glucose increased the apparent affinity for inhibitors that are glucose analogs but not for the glucokinase regulatory protein or palmitoyl-CoA. These data indicate that the stimulatory effect of glucose on fructose phosphorylation reflects the positive cooperativity for glucose and is mediated by binding of glucose to the catalytic site. They support models involving the existence of two slowly interconverting conformations of glucokinase that differ through their affinity for glucose and for glucose analogs. We show by computer simulation that such a model can account for the kinetic properties of glucokinase, including the differential ability of mannoheptulose and N-acetylglucosamine to suppress cooperativity (Agius, L., and Stubbs, M. (2000) Biochem. J. 346, 413-421).

Anomeric specificity of human liver and B-cell glucokinase: modulation by the glucokinase regulatory protein

The anomeric specificity of the wild-type recombinant forms of human liver and B-cell glucokinase was investigated using radioactive anomers of d-glucose as tracers. With d-glucose at anomeric equilibrium and at 30 degrees C, the maximal velocity, Hill number, and K(s) amounted, respectively, to 16 micromol min(-1) mg(-1), 1.8 and 6.9 mM in the case of liver glucokinase, and 7.3 micromol min(-1) mg(-1), 2.0 and 7.1 mM in the case of B-cell glucokinase. Whether at 20-22 or 30 degrees C, the maximal velocity, Hill number, and K(m) were significantly lower with alpha-d-glucose than with beta-d-glucose in both liver and B-cell glucokinase. As a result of these differences, the reaction velocity was higher with alpha-d-glucose at low hexose concentrations, while the opposite situation prevailed at high hexose concentrations. In the presence of 0.2 mM d-fructose 6-phosphate, the glucokinase regulatory protein caused a concentration-related inhibition of d-glucose phosphorylation, such an effect fading out at high concentrations of either d-glucose or glucokinase relative to that of its regulatory protein. The phosphorylation of alpha-d-glucose by liver glucokinase appeared more resistant than that of beta-d-glucose to the inhibitory action of d-fructose 6-phosphate, as mediated by the glucokinase regulatory protein. Such a phenomenon failed to achieve statistical significance in the case of the B-cell glucokinase. It is proposed that this information, especially the novel findings concerning the anomeric difference in both Hill number and sensitivity to the glucokinase regulatory protein, should be taken into account when considering the respective contributions of alpha- and beta-d-glucose to the overall phosphorylation of equilibrated d-glucose by glucokinase.

Metabolic and secretory response to D-fructose in pancreatic islets from adult rats injected with streptozotocin during the neonatal period

The metabolic and secretory responses to D-glucose and/or D-fructose were measured in pancreatic islets prepared from either control rats or animals that had been injected with streptozotocin during the neonatal period (STZ rats). The STZ rats displayed higher plasma D-glucose concentrations, but lower plasma insulin concentrations, islet insulin content, as well as basal and nutrient-stimulated insulin release. This coincided with lower rates of D-[U-(14)C]hexose oxidation and D-[5-(3)H]hexose utilization. In both control and STZ rats, D-fructose failed to affect significantly the metabolism of d-glucose, while the aldohexose increased the ratio between D-[U-(14)C]fructose oxidation and D-[5-(3)H]fructose conversion to (3)HOH. Such a ratio was higher than that found with radioactive D-glucose in islets exposed to both hexoses, whether in control or STZ rats, indicating a far-from-negligible contribution of fructokinase to the phosphorylation of D-fructose. Despite these analogies between both the respective fate of D-glucose and D-fructose and the reciprocal metabolic effects of the two hexoses in islets from control and STZ rats, the secretory response to the ketohexose in islets from STZ rats was preferentially suppressed, relative to that evoked by the aldohexose. This gives support to the idea that the insulinotropic action of D-fructose may not be entirely accounted for by its nutritional value in islet cells.

Hexose metabolism in pancreatic islets: effect of D-glucose upon D-fructose metabolism

In the light of recent findings on the effect of D-glucose upon D-fructose phosphorylation by human B-cell glucokinase, the influence of the aldohexose upon the metabolism of the ketohexose was investigated in rat pancreatic islets. D-glucose, although slightly decreasing D-[5-(3)H]fructose utilization, augmented the oxidation of the ketohexose, indicating that the aldohexose stimulates preferentially the oxidative, as distinct from anaerobic, modality of glycolysis. Such was not the case in parotid cells, taken as representative of functionally nonglucose-responsive cells. In the islets exposed to D-fructose, D-glucose also decreased the fractional contribution of the pentose shunt to the generation of CO2 and D-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate from the ketohexose, and increased the inflow into the Krebs cycle of dicarboxylic metabolites relative to that of fructose-derived acetyl-CoA. This glucose-induced remodeling of D-fructose metabolism may optimize the insulin secretory response of islet cells to these hexoses, e.g. after food intake.