Identification of core sequences involved in metabolism-dependent nuclear protein binding to the rat insulin-like growth factor I gene

Regulation of insulin-response element binding protein-1 in obesity and diabetes: potential role in impaired insulin-induced gene transcription

One of the major mechanisms by which insulin modulates glucose homeostasis is through regulation of gene expression. Therefore, reduced expression of transcription factors that are required for insulin-regulated gene expression may contribute to insulin resistance. We recently identified insulin response element-binding protein-1 (IRE-BP1) as a transcription factor that binds and transactivates multiple insulin-responsive genes, but the regulation of IRE-BP1 in vivo is largely unknown. In this study, we show that IRE-BP1 interacts with the insulin response sequence of the IGF-I, IGFBP-1, and IGFBP-3 genes using chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Furthermore, activation by IRE-BP1 is sequence specific and mimics that of the insulin effect on gene transcription. Tissue expression of IRE-BP1 is 50- to 200-fold higher in classical insulin target compared with nontarget tissues in lean animals, with a significantly reduced level of expression in the skeletal muscle and adipose tissue in obese and diabetic animals. In the liver, IRE-BP1 is localized to the nucleus in lean rats but is sequestered to the cytoplasm in obese and diabetic animals. Cytoplasmic sequestration appears to be related to inhibition of insulin-mediated phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase signaling. Therefore, in diabetes and obesity, the mechanisms involved in reducing the transactivation of the insulin response sequence by IRE-BP1 include decreased gene transcription and nuclear exclusion to prevent DNA binding. Our study supports the notion that IRE-BP1 may be relevant to the action of insulin in vivo and may play a role in the development of insulin resistance and diabetes.

An insulin-response element-binding protein that ameliorates hyperglycemia in diabetes

Insulin modulates glucose homeostasis, but the role of insulin-responsive transcription factors in such actions is not well understood. Recently, we have identified the insulin-response element-binding protein-1 (IRE-BP1) as a transcription factor that appears to mediate insulin action on multiple target genes. To examine the possibility that IRE-BP1 is an insulin-responsive glucoregulatory factor involved in the metabolic actions of insulin, we investigated the effect of adenoviral overexpression of hepatic IRE-BP1 on the glycemic control of insulin-resistant diabetic rats. Adenoviral IRE-BP1 lowered both fasting and postprandial glucose levels, and microarray of hepatic RNA revealed modulation of the expression of genes involved in gluconeogenesis, lipogenesis, and fatty acid oxidation. The insulin mimetic effects of IRE-BP1 were also confirmed in L6 myocytes; stable constitutive expressions of IRE-BP1 enhanced glucose transporter expression, glucose uptake, and glycogen accumulation in these cells. These findings showed physiologic sufficiency of IRE-BP1 as the transcriptional mediator of the metabolic action of insulin. Understanding IRE-BP1 action should constitute a useful probe into the mechanisms of metabolic regulation and an important target to develop therapeutic agents that mimic or enhance insulin action.

Insulin-response element-binding protein 1: a novel Akt substrate involved in transcriptional action of insulin

Although the cis-acting elements that mediate the actions of insulin on gene transcription have been defined for a significant number of genes, the transcription factors responsible for the transactivation of these target sequences remain unknown. In this report, we identified a novel transcription factor that binds and transactivates the insulin-response elements of the insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 and other insulin responsive genes. This factor is a target of insulin signal transduction downstream of the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway. Akt phosphorylates this factor in vivo and in vitro. Changes in expression level, phosphorylation, and nuclear translocation modulate the transactivation effects of the factor, and its expression is decreased in conditions of diabetes and insulin deficiency. Identification of a novel target of Akt that appears to mediate signals specific for insulin action should provide further insight into the mechanism of insulin action at the genomic level.

Physiological concentrations of insulin promote binding of nuclear proteins to the insulin-like growth factor I gene

Limitations in understanding the mechanism of transcriptional regulation by insulin are due in part to lack of models in which there is insulin-responsive binding of nuclear factors to critical promoter regions. The insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) gene responds to diabetes status via a footprinted sequence, region V, which contains an AT-rich element and a GC-rich site. We tested the hypothesis that insulin regulates nuclear factor binding to the AT-rich site. Gel shift analysis with liver nuclear extracts and a region V probe showed binding of Sp1, Sp3, and B(1), which persisted despite the presence of antibodies against Sp1 and Sp3. B(1) was detected by a probe mutated in the GC-rich site (VmSp1), but not by a probe mutated at the AT-rich site (VmAT). We then asked whether B(1) was responsive to insulin. For both region V and VmSp1 probes, nuclear extracts from normal rat hepatocytes, H4IIE cells, and CHO-IR cells exposed to 10(-6) M insulin exhibited an increase in binding, designated insulin-responsive binding protein (IRBP); IRBP comigrated with B(1) from liver extracts. IRBP binding to region V was competed by VmSp1, but not by VmAT, indicating specific interactions with the AT-rich sequence; insulin response elements from other genes also failed to compete. After addition of insulin, IRBP began to increase by 1 h and rose further at 24 h, suggesting involvement of both posttranslational and transcriptional mechanisms. IRBP responded to as little as 10(-10) M insulin, indicating physiological relevance. Induction of IRBP was blunted by the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase inhibitor LY294002, whereas other signal transduction inhibitors had little effect. IRBP interacts with an important sequence in the IGF-I gene and may participate in the metabolic regulation of IGF-I expression. As most insulin-responsive genes do not exhibit insulin-responsive nuclear factor binding, further studies of IRBP may also contribute to understanding of the mechanism of insulin action on gene transcription.