Dietary weight loss in insulin-resistant non-obese humans: Metabolic benefits and relationship to adipose cell size

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Overweight and obesity increase risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, largely through development of insulin resistance. Benefits of dietary weight loss are documented for obese individuals with insulin resistance. Similar benefits have not been shown in overweight individuals. We sought to quantify whether dietary weight loss improves metabolic risk profile in overweight insulin-resistant individuals, and evaluated potential mediators between weight loss and metabolic response.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Healthy volunteers with BMI 25-29.9 kg/m2 underwent detailed metabolic phenotyping including insulin-mediated-glucose disposal, fasting/daylong glucose, insulin, triglycerides, FFA, and cholesterol. Subcutaneous fat biopsies were performed for measurement of adipose cell size. After 14 weeks of hypocaloric diet and 2 weeks of weight maintenance, cardiometabolic measures and biopsies were repeated. Changes in weight, % body fat, waist circumference, adipose cell size and FFA were evaluated as predictors of change in insulin resistance. Weight loss (4.3 kg) yielded significant improvements in insulin resistance and all cardiovascular risk markers except glucose, HDL-C, and LDL-C. Improvement in insulin sensitivity was greater among those with <2 vs >2 cardiovascular risk factors at baseline. Decrease in adipose cell size and waist circumference, but not weight or body fat, independently predicted improvement in insulin resistance.

CONCLUSIONS

Weight loss yields metabolic health benefits in insulin-resistant overweight adults, even in the absence of classic cardiovascular risk factors. Weight loss-related improvement in insulin sensitivity may be mediated through changes in adipose cell size and/or central distribution of body fat. The insulin-resistant subgroup of overweight individuals should be identified and targeted for dietary weight loss.

CLINICAL TRIALS IDENTIFIER

NCT00186459.

Subcutaneous adipose cell size and distribution: relationship to insulin resistance and body fat

OBJECTIVE

Metabolic heterogeneity among obese individuals may be attributable to differences in adipose cell size. We sought to clarify this by quantifying adipose cell size distribution, body fat, and insulin-mediated glucose uptake in overweight to moderately-obese individuals.

METHODS

A total of 148 healthy nondiabetic subjects with BMI 25-38 kg/m2 underwent subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsies and quantification of insulin-mediated glucose uptake with steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG) concentrations during the modified insulin suppression test. Cell size distributions were obtained with Beckman Coulter Multisizer. Primary endpoints included % small adipose cells and diameter of large adipose cells. Cell-size and metabolic parameters were compared by regression for the whole group, according to insulin-resistant (IR) and insulin-sensitive (IS) subgroups, and by body fat quintile.

RESULTS

Both large and small adipose cells were present in nearly equal proportions. Percent small cells was associated with SSPG (r = 0.26, P = 0.003). Compared to BMI-matched IS individuals, IR counterparts demonstrated fewer, but larger large adipose cells, and a greater proportion of small-to-large adipose cells. Diameter of the large adipose cells was associated with % body fat (r = 0.26, P = 0.014), female sex (r = 0.21, P = 0.036), and SSPG (r = 0.20, P = 0.012). In the highest versus lowest % body fat quintile, adipose cell size increased by only 7%, whereas adipose cell number increased by 74%.

CONCLUSIONS

Recruitment of adipose cells is required for expansion of body fat mass beyond BMI of 25 kg/m2 . Insulin resistance is associated with accumulation of small adipose cells and enlargement of large adipose cells. These data support the notion that impaired adipogenesis may underlie insulin resistance.

Pioglitazone increases the proportion of small cells in human abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue

Rodent and in vitro studies suggest that thiazolidinediones promote adipogenesis but there are few studies in humans to corroborate these findings. The purpose of this study was to determine whether pioglitazone stimulates adipogenesis in vivo and whether this process relates to improved insulin sensitivity. To test this hypothesis, 12 overweight/obese nondiabetic, insulin-resistant individuals underwent biopsy of abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue at baseline and after 12 weeks of pioglitazone treatment. Cell size distribution was determined via the Multisizer technique. Insulin sensitivity was quantified at baseline and postpioglitazone by the modified insulin suppression test. Regional fat depots were quantified by computed tomography (CT). Insulin resistance (steady-state plasma insulin and glucose (SSPG)) decreased following pioglitazone (P < 0.001). There was an increase in the ratio of small-to-large cells (1.16 +/- 0.44 vs. 1.52 +/- 0.66, P = 0.03), as well as a 25% increase in the absolute number of small cells (P = 0.03). The distribution of large cell diameters widened (P = 0.009), but diameter did not increase in the case of small cells. The increase in proportion of small cells was associated with the degree to which insulin resistance improved (r = -0.72, P = 0.012). Visceral abdominal fat decreased (P = 0.04), and subcutaneous abdominal (P = 0.03) and femoral fat (P = 0.004) increased significantly. Changes in fat volume were not associated with SSPG change. These findings demonstrate a clear effect of pioglitazone on human subcutaneous adipose cells, suggestive of adipogenesis in abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue, as well as redistribution of fat from visceral to subcutaneous depots, highlighting a potential mechanism of action for thiazolidinediones. These findings support the hypothesis that defects in subcutaneous fat storage may underlie obesity-associated insulin resistance.

Inflammation in subcutaneous adipose tissue: relationship to adipose cell size

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

Inflammation is associated with increased body mass and purportedly with increased size of adipose cells. We sought to determine whether increased size of adipose cells is associated with localised inflammation in weight-stable, moderately obese humans.

METHODS

We recruited 49 healthy, moderately obese individuals for quantification of insulin resistance (modified insulin suppression test) and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue biopsy. Cell size distribution was analysed with a multisizer device and inflammatory gene expression with real-time PCR. Correlations between inflammatory gene expression and cell size variables, with adjustment for sex and insulin resistance, were calculated.

RESULTS

Adipose cells were bimodally distributed, with 47% in a 'large' cell population and the remainder in a 'small' cell population. The median diameter of the large adipose cells was not associated with expression of inflammatory genes. Rather, the fraction of small adipose cells was consistently associated with inflammatory gene expression, independently of sex, insulin resistance and BMI. This association was more pronounced in insulin-resistant than insulin-sensitive individuals. Insulin resistance also independently predicted expression of inflammatory genes.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

This study demonstrates that among moderately obese, weight-stable individuals an increased proportion of small adipose cells is associated with inflammation in subcutaneous adipose tissue, whereas size of mature adipose cells is not. The observed association between small adipose cells and inflammation may reflect impaired adipogenesis and/or terminal differentiation. However, it is unclear whether this is a cause or consequence of inflammation. This question and whether small vs large adipose cells contribute differently to inflammation in adipose tissue are topics for future research.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00285844.

Insulin resistance is associated with a modest increase in inflammation in subcutaneous adipose tissue of moderately obese women

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

We have previously described differences in adipose cell size distribution and expression of genes related to adipocyte differentiation in subcutaneous abdominal fat obtained from insulin-sensitive (IS) and -resistant (IR) persons, matched for degree of moderate obesity. To determine whether other biological properties also differ between IR and IS obese individuals, we quantified markers of inflammatory activity in adipose tissue from overweight IR and IS individuals.

METHODS

Subcutaneous abdominal tissue was obtained from moderately obese women, divided into IR (n = 14) and IS (n = 19) subgroups by determining their steady-state plasma glucose (SSPG) concentrations during the insulin suppression test. Inflammatory activity was assessed by comparing expression of nine relevant genes and by immunohistochemical quantification of CD45- and CD68-containing cells.

RESULTS

SSPG concentrations were approximately threefold higher in IR than in IS individuals. Expression levels of CD68, EMR1, IL8, IL6 and MCP/CCL2 mRNAs were modestly but significantly increased (p < 0.05) in IR compared with IS participants. Results of immunohistochemical staining were consistent with gene expression data, demonstrating modest differences between IR and IS individuals. Crown-like structures, in which macrophages surround single adipocytes, were rarely seen in tissue from either subgroup.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

A modest increase in inflammatory activity was seen in subcutaneous adipose tissue from IR compared with equally obese IS individuals. Together with previous evidence of impaired adipose cell differentiation in IR vs equally obese individuals, it appears that at least two biological processes in subcutaneous adipose tissue characterize the insulin-resistant state independent of obesity per se.

Enhanced proportion of small adipose cells in insulin-resistant vs insulin-sensitive obese individuals implicates impaired adipogenesis

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

The biological mechanism by which obesity predisposes to insulin resistance is unclear. One hypothesis is that larger adipose cells disturb metabolism via increased lipolysis. While studies have demonstrated that cell size increases in proportion to BMI, it has not been clearly shown that adipose cell size, independent of BMI, is associated with insulin resistance. The aim of this study was to test this widely held assumption by comparing adipose cell size distribution in 28 equally obese, otherwise healthy individuals who represented extreme ends of the spectrum of insulin sensitivity, as defined by the modified insulin suppression test.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Subcutaneous periumbilical adipose tissue biopsy samples were fixed in osmium tetroxide and passed through the Beckman Coulter Multisizer to obtain cell size distributions. Insulin sensitivity was quantified by the modified insulin suppression test. Quantitative real-time PCR for adipose cell differentiation genes was performed for 11 subjects.

RESULTS

All individuals exhibited a bimodal cell size distribution. Contrary to expectations, the mean diameter of the larger cells was not significantly different between the insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant individuals. Moreover, insulin resistance was associated with a higher ratio of small to large cells (1.66 +/- 1.03 vs 0.94 +/- 0.50, p = 0.01). Similar cell size distributions were observed for isolated adipose cells. The real-time PCR results showed two- to threefold lower expression of genes encoding markers of adipose cell differentiation (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma1 [PPARgamma1], PPARgamma2, GLUT4, adiponectin, sterol receptor element binding protein 1c) in insulin-resistant compared with insulin-sensitive individuals.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

These results suggest that after controlling for obesity, insulin resistance is associated with an expanded population of small adipose cells and decreased expression of differentiation markers, suggesting that impairment in adipose cell differentiation may contribute to obesity-associated insulin resistance.

Characterisation of insulin-resistant phenotype of cultured rat primary adipose cells

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

We characterised insulin resistance, metabolic defects and endocrine dysfunction in cultured adipose cells and examined the autocrine or paracrine roles of cytokines/adipokines in the progression of insulin resistance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Rat primary adipose cells were prepared and cultured for 24 and 48 h. Insulin resistance and gene expression were examined by glucose uptake assay, cDNA microarray and real-time RT-PCR.

RESULTS

After 24 h in culture, the fold increase of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in adipose cells was markedly reduced; after 48 h the response of the cells to insulin decreased. cDNA microarray analysis showed that the expression of 514 genes was altered in adipose cells after 24 h in culture. The dysregulated genes included those involved in the citric acid cycle and in fatty acid and pyruvate metabolism. Specifically, the following genes were all downregulated: genes encoding lipolytic and lipogenic enzymes; uncoupling protein 1 and 2 genes; peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, coactivator 1 alpha gene. This indicates that lipolytic and lipogenic activity, as well as mitochondria capacity decline in adipose cells cultured for 24 h. The mRNAs encoding 40 adipokines were also dysregulated in cultured cells. Strikingly, the dysregulated adipokines in cultured cells and in freshly isolated adipose cells from insulin-resistant Zucker fa/fa rats displayed a similar pattern with regard to protein functions. Also striking was the fact that progression of insulin resistance was promoted by the adipokines secreted from insulin-resistant adipose tissue or cells.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

Our data demonstrate that the impairment of metabolism and endocrine dysfunction in cultured adipose cells mimics the insulin resistance occurring in vivo. Cytokines and adipokines appear to play a critical role in the progression of insulin resistance in adipose cells.

Insulin-regulated trafficking of dual-labeled glucose transporter 4 in primary rat adipose cells

In isolated rat adipose cells, physiologically relevant insulin target cells, glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) subcellular trafficking can be assessed by transfection of exofacially HA-tagged GLUT4. To simultaneously visualize the transfected GLUT4, we fused GFP with HA-GLUT4. With the resulting chimeras, GFP-HA-GLUT4 and HA-GLUT4-GFP, we were able to visualize for the first time the cell-surface localization, total expression, and intracellular distribution of GLUT4 in a single cell. Confocal microscopy reveals that the intracellular proportions of both GFP-HA-GLUT4 and HA-GLUT4-GFP are properly targeted to the insulin-responsive aminopeptidase-positive vesicles. Dynamic studies demonstrate close similarities in the trafficking kinetics between the two constructs and with native GLUT4. However, while the basal subcellular distribution of HA-GLUT4-GFP and the response to insulin are indistinguishable from those of HA-GLUT4 and endogenous GLUT4, most of the GFP-HA-GLUT4 is targeted to the plasma membrane with little further insulin response. Thus, HA-GLUT4-GFP will be useful to study GLUT4 trafficking in vivo while GFP on the N-terminus interferes with intracellular retention.

Targeting of GLUT6 (formerly GLUT9) and GLUT8 in rat adipose cells

The subcellular targeting of the two recently cloned novel mammalian glucose transporters, GLUT6 [previously referred to as GLUT9 [Doege, Bocianski, Joost and Schürmann (2000) Biochem. J. 350, 771-776] and GLUT8, was analysed by expression of haemagglutinin (HA)-epitope-tagged GLUTs in transiently transfected primary rat adipose cells. Similar to HA-GLUT4, both transporters, HA-GLUT6 and HA-GLUT8, were retained in intracellular compartments in non-stimulated cells. In contrast, mutation of the N-terminal dileucine motifs in both constructs led to constitutive expression of the proteins on the plasma membrane. Likewise, when endocytosis was blocked by co-expression of a dominant-negative mutant of the dynamin GTPase, wild-type HA-GLUT6 and HA-GLUT8 accumulated on the cell surface. However, in contrast with HA-GLUT4, no translocation of HA-GLUT6 and HA-GLUT8 to the plasma membrane was observed when the cells were stimulated with insulin, phorbol ester or hyperosmolarity. Thus GLUT6 and GLUT8 appear to recycle in a dynamin-dependent manner between internal membranes and the plasma membrane in rat adipose cells, but are unresponsive to stimuli that induce translocation of GLUT4.

GLUT4 overexpression in db/db mice dose-dependently ameliorates diabetes but is not a lifelong cure

We previously reported that overexpression of GLUT4 in lean, nondiabetic C57BL/KsJ-lepr(db/+) (db/+) mice resulted in improved glucose tolerance associated with increased basal and insulin-stimulated glucose transport in isolated skeletal muscle. We used the diabetic (db/db) litter mates of these mice to examine the effects of GLUT4 overexpression on in vivo glucose utilization and on in vitro glucose transport and GLUT4 translocation in diabetic mice. We examined in vivo glucose disposal by oral glucose challenge and hyperinsulinemic-hyperglycemic clamps. We also evaluated the in vitro relationship between glucose transport activity and cell surface GLUT4 levels as assessed by photolabeling with the membrane-impermeant reagent 2-N-(4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)benzoyl)-1,3-bis(D-mannose-4-yloxy)-2-propylamine in extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles. All parameters were examined as functions of animal age and the level of GLUT4 overexpression. In young mice (age 10-12 weeks), both lower (two- to threefold) and higher (four- to fivefold) levels of GLUT4 overexpression were associated with improved glucose tolerance compared to age-matched nontransgenic (NTG) mice. However, glucose tolerance deteriorated with age in db/db mice, although less rapidly in transgenic mice expressing the higher level of GLUT4. Glucose infusion rates during hyperinsulinemic-hyperglycemic clamps were increased with GLUT4 overexpression, compared with NTG mice in both lower and higher levels of GLUT4 overexpression, even in the older mice. Surprisingly, isolated EDL muscles from diabetic db/db mice did not exhibit alterations in either basal or insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity or cell surface GLUT4 compared to nondiabetic db/+ mice. Furthermore, both GLUT4 overexpression levels and animal age are associated with increased basal and insulin-stimulated glucose transport activities and cell surface GLUT4. However, the observed increased glucose transport activity in older db/db mice was not accompanied by an equivalent increase in cell surface GLUT4 compared to younger animals. Thus, although in vivo glucose tolerance is improved with GLUT4 overexpression in young animals, it deteriorates with age; in contrast, insulin responsiveness as assessed by the clamp technique remains improved with GLUT4 overexpression, as does in vitro insulin action. In summary, despite an impairment in whole-body glucose tolerance, skeletal muscle of the old transgenic GLUT4 db/db mice is still insulin responsive in vitro and in vivo.

Expression of auxilin or AP180 inhibits endocytosis by mislocalizing clathrin: evidence for formation of nascent pits containing AP1 or AP2 but not clathrin

Although uncoating of clathrin-coated vesicles is a key event in clathrin-mediated endocytosis it is unclear what prevents uncoating of clathrin-coated pits before they pinch off to become clathrin-coated vesicles. We have shown that the J-domain proteins auxilin and GAK are required for uncoating by Hsc70 in vitro. In the present study, we expressed auxilin in cultured cells to determine if this would block endocytosis by causing premature uncoating of clathrin-coated pits. We found that expression of auxilin indeed inhibited endocytosis. However, expression of auxilin with its J-domain mutated so that it no longer interacted with Hsc70 also inhibited endocytosis as did expression of the clathrin-assembly protein, AP180, or its clathrin-binding domain. Accompanying this inhibition, we observed a marked decrease in clathrin associated with the plasma membrane and the trans-Golgi network, which provided us with an opportunity to determine whether the absence of clathrin from clathrin-coated pits affected the distribution of the clathrin assembly proteins AP1 and AP2. Surprisingly we found almost no change in the association of AP2 and AP1 with the plasma membrane and the trans-Golgi network, respectively. This was particularly obvious when auxilin or GAK was expressed with functional J-domains since, in these cases, almost all of the clathrin was sequestered in granules that also contained Hsc70 and auxilin or GAK. We conclude that expression of clathrin-binding proteins inhibits clathrin-mediated endocytosis by sequestering clathrin so that it is no longer available to bind to nascent pits but that assembly proteins bind to these pits independently of clathrin.

The export of major histocompatibility complex class I molecules from the endoplasmic reticulum of rat brown adipose cells is acutely stimulated by insulin

Major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) molecules have been implicated in several nonimmunological functions including the regulation and intracellular trafficking of the insulin-responsive glucose transporter GLUT4. We have used confocal microscopy to compare the effects of insulin on the intracellular trafficking of MHC-I and GLUT4 in freshly isolated rat brown adipose cells. We also used a recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV) to express influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) as a generic integral membrane glycoprotein to distinguish global versus specific enhancement of protein export from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in response to insulin. In the absence of insulin, MHC-I molecules largely colocalize with the ER-resident protein calnexin and remain distinct from intracellular pools of GLUT4. Surprisingly, insulin induces the rapid export of MHC-I molecules from the ER with a concomitant approximately three-fold increase in their level on the cell surface. This ER export is blocked by brefeldin A and wortmannin but is unaffected by cytochalasin D, indicating that insulin stimulates the rapid transport of MHC-I molecules from the ER to the plasma membrane via the Golgi complex in a phosphatidyl-inositol 3-kinase-dependent and actin-independent manner. We further show that the effect of insulin on MHC-I molecules is selective, because insulin does not affect the intracellular distribution or cell-surface localization of rVV-expressed HA. These results demonstrate that in rat brown adipose cells MHC-I molecule export from the ER is stimulated by insulin and provide the first evidence that the trafficking of MHC-I molecules is acutely regulated by a hormone.

Immunoelectron microscopic evidence that GLUT4 translocation explains the stimulation of glucose transport in isolated rat white adipose cells

We used an improved cryosectioning technique in combination with quantitative immunoelectron microscopy to study GLUT4 compartments in isolated rat white adipose cells. We provide clear evidence that in unstimulated cells most of the GLUT4 localizes intracellularly to tubulovesicular structures clustered near small stacks of Golgi and endosomes, or scattered throughout the cytoplasm. This localization is entirely consistent with that originally described in brown adipose tissue, strongly suggesting that the GLUT4 compartments in white and brown adipose cells are morphologically similar. Furthermore, insulin induces parallel increases (with similar magnitudes) in glucose transport activity, approximately 16-fold, and cell-surface GLUT4, approximately 12-fold. Concomitantly, insulin decreases GLUT4 equally from all intracellular locations, in agreement with the concept that the entire cellular GLUT4 pool contributes to insulin-stimulated exocytosis. In the insulin-stimulated state, GLUT4 molecules are not randomly distributed on the plasma membrane, but neither are they enriched in caveolae. Importantly, the total number of GLUT4 C-terminal epitopes detected by the immuno-gold method is not significantly different between basal and insulin-stimulated cells, thus arguing directly against a reported insulin-induced unmasking effect. These results provide strong morphological evidence (1) that GLUT4 compartments are similar in all insulin-sensitive cells and (2) for the concept that GLUT4 translocation almost fully accounts for the increase in glucose transport in response to insulin.

Demonstration of insulin-responsive trafficking of GLUT4 and vpTR in fibroblasts

Insulin-responsive trafficking of the GLUT4 glucose transporter and the insulin-regulated aminopeptidase (IRAP) in adipose and muscle cells is well established. Insulin regulation of GLUT4 trafficking in these cells underlies the role that adipose tissue and muscle play in the maintenance of whole body glucose homeostasis. GLUT4 is expressed in a very limited number of tissues, most highly in adipose and muscle, while IRAP is expressed in many tissues. IRAP's physiological role in any of the tissues in which it is expressed, however, is unknown. The fact that IRAP, which traffics by the same insulin-regulated pathway as GLUT4, is expressed in ‘non-insulin responsive’ tissues raises the question of whether these other cell types also have a specialized insulin-regulated trafficking pathway. The existence of an insulin-responsive pathway in other cell types would allow regulation of IRAP activity at the plasma membrane as a potentially important physiological function of insulin. To address this question we use reporter molecules for both GLUT4 and IRAP trafficking to measure insulin-stimulated translocation in undifferentiated cells by quantitative fluorescence microscopy. One reporter (vpTR), a chimera between the intracellular domain of IRAP and the extracellular and transmembrane domains of the transferrin receptor, has been previously characterized. The other is a GLUT4 construct with an exofacial HA epitope and a C-terminal GFP. By comparing these reporters to the transferrin receptor, a marker for general endocytic trafficking, we demonstrate the existence of a specialized, insulin-regulated trafficking pathway in two undifferentiated cell types, neither of which normally express GLUT4. The magnitude of translocation in these undifferentiated cells (approximately threefold) is similar to that reported for the translocation of GLUT4 in muscle cells. Thus, undifferentiated cells have the necessary retention and translocation machinery for an insulin response that is large enough to be physiologically important.

Transient enhancement of GLUT-4 levels in rat epitrochlearis muscle after exercise training

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of detraining on the glucose transport system after short-term swim training (5 days), long-term swim training (5 wk), and treadmill run training (5 wk). Skeletal muscles were isolated from female Wistar rats at 24 or 48 h posttraining. SST produces a 48% increase in GLUT-4 mRNA, a 30% increase in GLUT-4 protein, and a 60% increase in insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity at 24 h posttraining but not at 48 h posttraining. Similar to SST, long-term swim training produces a 60% increase in GLUT-4 mRNA and a 30% increase in GLUT-4 protein content at 24 h posttraining but not at 48 h posttraining. Finally, treadmill run training produces a transient 35% increase in GLUT-4 protein content that is completely reversed at 48 h after the last bout of exercise. These results demonstrate that the increase in GLUT-4 mRNA and GLUT-4 protein occurs during the first week of exercise training and is rapidly lost after training cessation. We believe that the transient enhancement in GLUT-4 protein after exercise training is due to a short GLUT-4 half-life, a process that is primarily regulated by pretranslational mechanisms.

GLUT4 trafficking in insulin-stimulated rat adipose cells: evidence that heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins regulate the fusion of docked GLUT4-containing vesicles

Agents that activate the G-protein G(i) (e.g. adenosine) increase, and agents that activate G(s) [e.g. isoprenaline (isoproterenol)] decrease, steady-state insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity and cell-surface GLUT4 in isolated rat adipose cells without changing plasma membrane GLUT4 content. Here we have further examined the effects of R(s)G(s) and R(i)G(i) ligands (in which R(s) and R(i) are G(s)- and G(i)-coupled receptors respectively) on insulin-stimulated cell-surface GLUT4 and the kinetics of GLUT4 trafficking in these same cells. Rat adipose cells were preincubated for 2 min with or without isoprenaline (200 nM) and adenosine deaminase (1 unit/ml), to stimulate G(s) and decrease the stimulation of G(i) respectively, followed by 0-20 min with insulin (670 nM). Treatment with isoprenaline and adenosine deaminase decreased insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity by 58%. Treatment with isoprenaline and adenosine deaminase also resulted in similar decreases in insulin-stimulated cell-surface GLUT4 as assessed by both bis-mannose photolabelling of the substrate-binding site and biotinylation of the extracellular carbohydrate moiety when evaluated under similar experimental conditions. After stimulation with insulin in the absence of G(s) and the presence of G(i) agents, a distinct sequence of plasma membrane events took place, starting with an increase in immunodetectable GLUT4, then an increase in the accessibility of GLUT4 to bis-mannose photolabel, and finally an increase in glucose transport activity. Pretreatment with isoprenaline and adenosine deaminase before stimulation with insulin did not affect the time course of the increase in immunodetectable GLUT4 in the plasma membrane, but did delay both the increase in accessibility of GLUT4 to photolabel and the increase in glucose transport activity. These results suggest that R(s)G(s) and R(i)G(i) modulate insulin-stimulated glucose transport by influencing the extent to which GLUT4 is associated with occluded vesicles attached to the plasma membrane during exocytosis, perhaps by regulating the fusion process through which the GLUT4 in docked vesicles becomes exposed on the cell surface.

Overexpression of the glucose transporter GLUT4 in adipose cells interferes with insulin-stimulated translocation

In adipose cells, insulin induces the translocation of GLUT4 by stimulating their exocytosis from a basal intracellular compartment to the plasma membrane. Increasing overexpression of a hemagglutinin (HA) epitope-tagged GLUT4 in rat adipose cells results in a roughly proportional increase in cell surface HA-GLUT4 levels in the basal state, accompanied by a marked reduction of the fold HA-GLUT4 translocation in response to insulin. Using biochemical methods and cotransfection experiments with differently epitope-tagged GLUT4, we show that overexpression of GLUT4 does not affect the intracellular sequestration of GLUT4 in the absence of insulin, but rather reduces the relative insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation to the plasma membrane. In contrast, overexpression of GLUT1 does not interfere with the targeting of GLUT4 and vice versa. These results suggest that the mechanism involved in the intracellular sequestration of GLUT4 has a high capacity whereas the mechanism for GLUT4 translocation is readily saturated by overexpression of GLUT4, implicating an active translocation machinery in the exocytosis of GLUT4.

1-[N, O-bis-(5-isoquinolinesulphonyl)-N-methyl-L-tyrosyl]-4- phenylpiperazine (KN-62), an inhibitor of calcium-dependent camodulin protein kinase II, inhibits both insulin- and hypoxia-stimulated glucose transport in skeletal muscle

Previous studies have indicated a role for calmodulin in hypoxia-and insulin-stimulated glucose transport. However, since calmodulin interacts with multiple protein targets, it is unknown which of these targets is involved in the regulation of glucose transport. In the present study, we have used the calcium-dependent calmodulin protein kinase II (CAMKII) inhibitor 1-[N, O-bis-(5-isoquinolinesulphonyl) -N-methyl-L-tyrosyl]-4-phenylpiperazine (KN-62) to investigate the possible role of this enzyme in the regulation of glucose transport in isolated rat soleus and epitrochlearis muscles. KN-62 did not affect basal 2-deoxyglucose transport, but it did inhibit both insulin- and hypoxia-stimulated glucose transport activity by 46 and 40% respectively. 1-[N,O-Bis-(1, 5-isoquinolinesulphonyl)-N-methyl-l-tyrosyl]-4-phenylpiperazine (KN-04), a structural analogue of KN-62 that does not inhibit CAMKII, had no effect on hypoxia-or insulin-stimulated glucose transport. Accordingly, KN-62 decreased the stimulated cell-surface GLUT4 labelling by a similar extent as the inhibition of glucose transport (insulin, 49% and hypoxia, 54%). Additional experiments showed that KN-62 also inhibited insulin- and hypoxia-stimulated transport by 37 and 40% respectively in isolated rat epitrochlearis (a fast-twitch muscle), indicating that the effect of KN-62 was not limited to the slow-twitch fibres of the soleus. The inhibitory effect of KN-62 on hypoxia-stimulated glucose transport appears to be specific to CAMKII, since KN-62 did not inhibit hypoxia-stimulated 45Ca efflux from muscles pre-loaded with 45Ca, or hypoxia-stimulated glycogen breakdown. Additionally, KN-62 affected neither insulin-stimulated phosphoinositide 3-kinase nor Akt activity, suggesting that the effects of KN-62 are not due to non-specific effects of this inhibitor on these regions of the insulin-signalling cascade. The results of the present study suggest that CAMKII might have a distinct role in insulin- and hypoxia-stimulated glucose transport, possibly in the vesicular trafficking of GLUT4.

Role of SNARE's in the GLUT4 translocation response to insulin in adipose cells and muscle

Insulin stimulates glucose transport in skeletal muscle, heart, and adipose tissue by promoting the appearance of GLUT4, the major glucose transporter isoform present in these tissues, on the cell surface. This is achieved by differentially modulating GLUT4 exocytosis and endocytosis, between a specialized intracellular compartment and the plasma membrane. Ligands which activate the heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins Gs and Gi appear to modulate insulin-stimulated glucose transport through effects on the fusion of docked GLUT4-containing vesicles with the plasma membrane. In insulin resistance states, reduced cellular GLUT4 levels in adipose cells fully account for the decreased glucose transport response to insulin in these cells. In contrast, although insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation is also impaired in muscle, total cellular levels of GLUT4 are not altered. The defect in muscle has been attributed to a GLUT4 trafficking problem and thus studies of this mechanism could provide clues as to the nature of the impairment. The movement of GLUT4-containing vesicles from an intracellular storage site to the plasma membrane and the fusion of docked GLUT4-containing vesicles with the plasma membrane are conceptually similar to some secretory processes. A general hypothesis called the SNARE hypothesis (soluble NSF attachment protein receptors where NSF stands for N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein) postulates that the specificity of secretory vesicle targeting is generated by complexes that form between membrane proteins on the transport vesicle (v-SNARE's) and membrane proteins located on the target membrane (t-SNARE's). Several v- and t-SNARE's have been identified in adipose cells and muscle. VAMP2 and VAMP3/cellubrevin (v-SNARE's) have been shown to interact with the t-SNARE's syntaxin 4 and SNAP-23. The cytosolic protein NSF has the characteristic of binding to the v-/t-SNARE complex through its interaction with alpha-SNAP, another soluble factor. Furthermore, recent studies have demonstrated that VAMP2/3, syntaxin 4, SNAP-23, and NSF are functionally involved in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation in adipose cells and thus are likely to be involved in the Gs- and Gi-mediated modulation of the glucose transport response to insulin as well. This review summarizes recent advances on the normal mechanism of GLUT4 translocation and discusses how this process could be affected in insulin resistant states such as type II diabetes.

SNAP-23 participates in SNARE complex assembly in rat adipose cells

SNARE proteins are required for vesicle docking and fusion in eukaryotic cells in processes as diverse as homotypic membrane fusion and synaptic vesicle exocytosis [SNARE stands for SNAP receptor, where SNAP is soluble NSF attachment protein]. The SNARE proteins syntaxin 4 and vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP) 2/3 also participate in the insulin-stimulated translocation of GLUT4 from intracellular vesicles to the plasma membrane in adipose cells. We now report the molecular cloning and characterization of rat SNAP-23, a ubiquitously expressed homologue of the essential neuronal SNARE protein SNAP-25 (synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa). Rat SNAP-23 is 86% and 98% identical respectively to human and mouse SNAP-23. Southern blot analysis reveals that the rat, mouse and human SNAP-23 genes encode species-specific isoforms of the same protein. Co-immunoprecipitation of syntaxin 4 and SNAP-23 shows association of these two proteins in rat adipose cell plasma membranes, and insulin stimulation does not alter the SNAP-23/syntaxin 4 complex. In addition, we demonstrate for the first time the participation of SNAP-23, along with syntaxin 4 and VAMP2/3, in the formation of 20S SNARE complexes prepared using rat adipose cell membranes and recombinant alpha-SNAP and NSF proteins. The stoichiometry of the SNARE complexes formed is essentially identical using membranes from either unstimulated or insulin-stimulated adipose cells. These data demonstrate that rat SNAP-23 associates with syntaxin 4 before insulin stimulation and is present in the SNARE complexes known to mediate the translocation of GLUT4 from intracellular vesicles to the plasma membrane of rat adipose cells.

Calorie restriction increases cell surface GLUT-4 in insulin-stimulated skeletal muscle

Reduced calorie intake [calorie restriction (CR); 60% of ad libitum (AL)] leads to enhanced glucose transport without altering total GLUT-4 glucose transporter abundance in skeletal muscle. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that CR (20 days) alters the subcellular distribution of GLUT-4. Cell surface GLUT-4 content was higher in insulin-stimulated epitrochlearis muscles from CR vs. AL rats. The magnitude of this increase was similar to the CR-induced increase in glucose transport, and GLUT-4 activity (glucose transport rate divided by cell surface GLUT-4) was unaffected by diet. The CR effect was specific to the insulin-mediated pathway, as evidenced by the observations that basal glucose transport and cell surface GLUT-4 content, as well as hypoxia-stimulated glucose transport, were unchanged by diet. CR did not alter insulin's stimulation of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1-associated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity. Muscle abundance of IRS-2 and p85 subunit of PI3K were unaltered by diet, but IRS-1 content was lower in CR vs. AL. These data demonstrate that, despite IRS-1-PI3K activity similar to AL, CR specifically increases insulin's activation of glucose transport by enhancing the steady-state proportion of GLUT-4 residing on the cell surface.

Short-term exercise enhances insulin-stimulated GLUT-4 translocation and glucose transport in adipose cells

This investigation examined the effects of short-term exercise training on insulin-stimulated GLUT-4 glucose transporter translocation and glucose transport activity in rat adipose cells. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to a sedentary (Sed) or swim training group (Sw, 4 days; final 3 days: 2 x 3 h/day). Adipose cell size decreased significantly but minimally (approximately 20%), whereas total GLUT-4 increased by 30% in Sw vs. Sed rats. Basal 3-O-methyl-D-[14C]glucose transport was reduced by 62%, whereas maximally insulin-stimulated (MIS) glucose transport was increased by 36% in Sw vs. Sed rats. MIS cell surface GLUT-4 photolabeling was 44% higher in the Sw vs. Sed animals, similar to the increases observed in MIS glucose transport activity and total GLUT-4. These results suggest that increases in total GLUT-4 and GLUT-4 translocation to the cell surface contribute to the increase in MIS glucose transport with short-term exercise training. In addition, the results suggest that the exercise training-induced adaptations in glucose transport occur more rapidly than previously thought and with minimal changes in adipose cell size.

Molecular mechanisms involved in GLUT4 translocation in muscle during insulin and contraction stimulation

Studies in mammalian cells have established the existence of numerous intracellular signaling cascades that are critical intermediates in the regulation of various biological functions. Over the past few years considerable research has shown that many of these signaling proteins are expressed in skeletal muscle. However, the detailed mechanisms involved in the regulation of glucose transporter (GLUT4) translocation from intracellular compartments to the cell surface membrane in response to insulin and contractions in skeletal muscle are not well understood. In the present essay we report three different approaches to unravel the GLUT4 translocation mechanism: 1. specific pertubation of the insulin and/or contraction signaling pathways; 2. characterization of the protein composition of GLUT4-containing vesicles with the expectation that knowledge of the constituent proteins of the vesicles may help in understanding their trafficking; 3. degree of co-immunolocalization of the GLUT4 glucose transporters with other membrane marker proteins assessed by immunofluorescense and electron microscopy.

Analysis of GLUT4 distribution in whole skeletal muscle fibers: identification of distinct storage compartments that are recruited by insulin and muscle contractions

The effects of insulin stimulation and muscle contractions on the subcellular distribution of GLUT4 in skeletal muscle have been studied on a preparation of single whole fibers from the rat soleus. The fibers were labeled for GLUT4 by a preembedding technique and observed as whole mounts by immunofluorescence microscopy, or after sectioning, by immunogold electron microscopy. The advantage of this preparation for cells of the size of muscle fibers is that it provides global views of the staining from one end of a fiber to the other and from one side to the other through the core of the fiber. In addition, the labeling efficiency is much higher than can be obtained with ultracryosections. In nonstimulated fibers, GLUT4 is excluded from the plasma membrane and T tubules. It is distributed throughout the muscle fibers with approximately 23% associated with large structures including multivesicular endosomes located in the TGN region, and 77% with small tubulovesicular structures. The two stimuli cause translocation of GLUT4 to both plasma membrane and T tubules. Quantitation of the immunogold electron microscopy shows that the effects of insulin and contraction are additive and that each stimulus recruits GLUT4 from both large and small depots. Immunofluorescence double labeling for GLUT4 and transferrin receptor (TfR) shows that the small depots can be further subdivided into TfR-positive and TfR-negative elements. Interestingly, we observe that colocalization of TfR and GLUT4 is increased by insulin and decreased by contractions. These results, supported by subcellular fractionation experiments, suggest that TfR-positive depots are only recruited by contractions. We do not find evidence for stimulation-induced unmasking of resident surface membrane GLUT4 transporters or for dilation of the T tubule system (Wang, W., P.A. Hansen, B.A. Marshall, J.O. Holloszy, and M. Mueckler. 1996. J. Cell Biol. 135:415-430).

Endocytosis of the glucose transporter GLUT4 is mediated by the GTPase dynamin

To study the role of the GTPase dynamin in GLUT4 intracellular recycling, we have overexpressed dynamin-1 wild type and a GTPase-negative mutant (K44A) in primary rat adipose cells. Transfection was accomplished by electroporation using an hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged GLUT4 as a reporter protein. In cells expressing HA-GLUT4 alone, insulin results in an approximately 7-fold increase in cell surface anti-HA antibody binding. Studies with wortmannin indicate that the kinetics of HA-GLUT4-trafficking parallel those of the native GLUT4 and in addition, that newly synthesized HA-GLUT4 goes to the plasma membrane before being sorted into the insulin-responsive compartments. Short term (4 h) coexpression of dynamin-K44A and HA-GLUT4 increases the amount of cell surface HA-GLUT4 in both the basal and insulin-stimulated states. Under conditions of maximal expression of dynamin-K44A (24 h), most or all of the intracellular HA-GLUT4 appears to be present on the cell surface in the basal state, and insulin has no further effect. Measurements of the kinetics of HA-GLUT4 endocytosis show that dynamin-K44A blocks internalization of the glucose transporters. In contrast, expression of dynamin wild type decreases the amount of cell surface HA-GLUT4 in both the basal and insulin-stimulated states. These data demonstrate that the endocytosis of GLUT4 is largely mediated by processes which require dynamin.

Mechanism of hypoxia-stimulated glucose transport in rat skeletal muscle: potential role of glycogen

We have previously reported that exercise training is associated with enhanced insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity and inhibited hypoxia-stimulated glucose transport activity in rat epitrochlearis muscle. Here we examine the potential role of muscle glycogen in the inhibited glucose transport response to hypoxia. Three days of swim training (2 x 3 h/day) produce a 100% increase in glycogen and a 70% increase in GLUT-4 in epitrochlearis muscle. Glucose transport after 1 h of hypoxia in muscles from fed exercise-trained (ET) rats is not significantly elevated above basal and is 40% lower than that in muscles from fed sedentary (SED) rats. Glycogen levels after 1 h of hypoxia are reduced by 27 and 64% in muscles from fed ET and fed SED rats, respectively. After 2 h of hypoxia, glucose transport is significantly increased above basal in muscles from fed ET rats, but this response is still 55% lower than that in muscles from fed SED rats. After 2 h of hypoxia, glycogen is reduced by 50 and 83% in muscles from fed ET and fed SED rats, respectively. After a modified overnight fast (approximately 4.5 g of chow), the glucose transport and glycogen responses to 1 h of hypoxia are not significantly different between muscles from ET and SED rats. These findings demonstrate a strong inverse relationship between glycogen and hypoxia-stimulated glucose transport activity and that high levels of glycogen contribute to the inhibited glucose transport response to hypoxia. Furthermore, failure of the overexpression of GLUT-4 after exercise training to enhance the glucose transport response to contraction/hypoxia suggests selective targeting of the additional GLUT-4 to the insulin-responsive pool.

Effects of noradrenaline on the cell-surface glucose transporters in cultured brown adipocytes: novel mechanism for selective activation of GLUT1 glucose transporters

Glucose transport into rat brown adipocytes has been shown to be stimulated directly by the sympathetic neurotransmitter, noradrenaline, without a significant increase in the protein content of either GLUT1 or GLUT4 glucose transporter in the plasma membrane [Shimizu, Kielar, Minokoshi and Shimazu (1996) Biochem. J. 314, 485-490]. In the present study, we labelled the exofacial glucose-binding sites of GLUT1 and GLUT4 with a membrane-impermeant photoaffinity reagent, 2-N-[4-(1-azitrifluoroethyl)benzoyl]-[2-3H]1,3-bis- (D-mannos-4-yloxy)-2-propylamine (ATB-[3H]BMPA), to determine which isoform is responsible for the noradrenaline-induced increase in glucose transport into intact brown adipocytes in culture. Insulin stimulated the rate of hexose transport by increasing ATB-[3H]BMPA-labelled cell-surface GLUT4. In contrast, the noradrenaline-induced increase in glucose transport was not accompanied by an increased ATB-[3H]BMPA labelling of GLUT4, nor with an increased amount of GLUT4 in the plasma membrane fraction as assessed by Western blotting, indicating that noradrenaline does not promote the translocation of GLUT4. However, noradrenaline induced an increase in photoaffinity labelling of cell-surface GLUT1 without an apparent increase in the immunoreactive GLUT1 protein in the plasma membrane. This is suggestive of an increased affinity of GLUT1 for the ligand. In fact, the Ki value of non-radioactive ATB-BMPA for 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake was significantly decreased after treatment of the cells with noradrenaline. The increased photoaffinity labelling of GLUT1 and increased glucose transport caused by noradrenaline were inhibited by a cAMP antagonist, cAMP-S Rp-isomer. These results demonstrate that noradrenaline stimulates glucose transport in brown adipocytes by enhancing the functional activity of GLUT1 through a cAMP-dependent mechanism.

Dexamethasone inhibits insulin-stimulated recruitment of GLUT4 to the cell surface in rat skeletal muscle

To test the hypothesis that glucocorticoids reduce insulin-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose transport by inhibiting the recruitment of GLUT4 glucose transporters to the cell surface, we determined the effect of glucocorticoid treatment on cell-surface GLUT4 using the impermeant glucose transporter photolabel, 2-N-4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)benzoyl-[2-3H]1,3-bis-(D-mann os-4-yloxy)-2-propylamine (ATB-[2-3H]BMPA), and GLUT4 immunoprecipitation. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with dexamethasone ([Dex] 0.9 mg/kg for 2 days) and compared against pair-fed controls. 2-[3H]deoxyglucose (2-[3H]DG) uptake in isolated soleus muscles was measured under conditions in which uptake reflects glucose transport activity. In control muscles, 2-[3H]DG uptake was stimulated eightfold by insulin (20 nmol/L). Dex treatment reduced maximal insulin-stimulated 2-[3H]DG uptake by 48% +/- 4% (mean +/- SEM) and decreased cell-surface (ATB-[2-3H]BMPA-photolabeled) GLUT4 by 48% +/- 3%, despite an increase in total muscle GLUT4 content of 26% +/- 7%. These findings indicate that glucocorticoid-induced inhibition of insulin-stimulated glucose transport in muscle is due to impaired recruitment of GLUT4 to the cell surface.

Morphological effects of wortmannin on the endosomal system and GLUT4-containing compartments in rat adipose cells

Studies using functional and pharmacological approaches have implicated PI 3-kinase as a key intermediate in the glucose transport and GLUT4 translocation responses to insulin. Confocal microscopy was used to investigate the effects of the PI 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin in isolated rat adipose cells. Independent of insulin, wortmannin induces the appearance of phase-lucent vacuoles containing the endosomal markers TfR, Rab4, M6PR, and cellubrevin. When added before or with insulin, wortmannin blocks insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation, but does not influence the basal VAMP2-containing GLUT4 compartment. These results substantiate the concept of a specialized basal GLUT4 compartment mostly distinct from that of the recycling receptors. However, when added after insulin, wortmannin induces a rapid redistribution of GLUT4 from the cell surface into those endosomal-derived vacuoles where the GLUT4 co-localize with TfR, Rab4, cellubrevin, and VAMP2, but not with clathrin, M6PR, Golgi complex markers TGN38-mannosidase II and gamma-adaptin, and lysosomal marker lgp-120. Therefore, wortmannin also disrupts insulin-stimulated GLUT4 traffic in the recycling endosomal pathway, at a step distal to the sorting of recycling proteins from late endosomal and TGN markers; wortmannin does not appear to affect internalization from the plasma membrane, and delivery from early to late endosomes or from late endosomes to the TGN. In combination with previous kinetic biochemical studies, these results suggest that: (i) insulin stimulates the exocytosis of GLUT4 through a direct pathway from a specialized basal compartment to the plasma membrane, (ii) during endocytosis in the presence of insulin, GLUT4 is sorted out of the TfR compartment into a separate recycling pathway back to the plasma membrane, and (iii) both of these pathways involve wortmannin sensitive enzymes.

Role of insulin receptor substrate-1 and pp60 in the regulation of insulin-induced glucose transport and GLUT4 translocation in primary adipocytes

In muscle and fat, glucose transport occurs through the translocation of GLUT4 from an intracellular pool to the cell surface. Phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase has been shown to be required in this process. Insulin is thought to activate this enzyme by stimulating its association with tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins such as insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1, IRS-2, Grb2-associated binder-1, and pp60. To study the role of these endogenous substrates in glucose transport, we analyzed adipocytes from IRS-1 null mice that we previously generated (Tamemoto, H., Kadowaki, T., Tobe, K., Yagi, T., Sakura, H., Hayakawa, T., Terauchi, Y., Ueki, K., Kaburagi, Y., Satoh, S., Sekihara, H., Yoshioka, S., Horikoshi, H., Furuta, Y. , Ikawa, Y., Kasuga, M., Yazaki Y., and Aizawa S. (1994) Nature 372, 182-186). In adipocytes from these mice, we showed that: 1) insulin-induced PI 3-kinase activity in the antiphosphotyrosine immunoprecipitates was 54% of wild-type; 2) pp60 was the major tyrosine-phosphorylated protein that associated with PI 3-kinase, whereas tyrosine phosphorylaion of IRS-2 as well as its association with this enzyme was almost undetectable; and 3) glucose transport and GLUT4 translocation at maximal insulin stimulation were decreased to 52 and 68% of those from wild-type. These data suggest that both IRS-1 and pp60 play a major role in insulin-induced glucose transport in adipocytes, and that pp60 is predominantly involved in regulating this process in the absence of IRS-1.

Insulin stimulates both leptin secretion and production by rat white adipose tissue

Leptin, the peptide encoded by the obese gene, is secreted by adipose cells and plays a role in regulating food intake, energy expenditure, and adiposity. Because earlier studies suggested that insulin increases the expression of leptin, we investigated the effect of insulin on leptin secretion by adipose tissue. Epididymal fat pads were incubated in vitro in the presence or absence of insulin over a 4-h time course. Insulin increased leptin secretion by about 80% at all time points studied. After 10 min of insulin treatment, the amount of tissue-associated leptin was lower in insulin-stimulated tissue, presumably due to the increased secretion. At later times, both tissue-associated leptin and total leptin production were higher in insulin-treated tissue. In untreated, isolated adipose cells, immunostaining of leptin was detected in the endoplasmic reticulum by confocal microscopy. After insulin treatment, there were two populations of cells. In many cells, leptin staining became fainter and was restricted to a narrow band near the plasma membrane. However, in other cells the leptin-staining pattern was unchanged. Leptin did not colocalize with GLUT4, the glucose transporter isoform found primarily in insulin-responsive cells, in either basal or insulin-stimulated adipose cells. In this study, insulin increased both secretion and production of leptin by adipose tissue fragments. Interestingly, insulin appeared to stimulate the transport of leptin from the endoplasmic reticulum rather than acting on a pool of regulated secretory vesicles. (Endocrinology 138: 4463-4472, 1997)

Immunocytochemical evidence that GLUT4 resides in a specialized translocation post-endosomal VAMP2-positive compartment in rat adipose cells in the absence of insulin

Insulin stimulates glucose transport in rat adipose cells through the translocation of GLUT4 from a poorly defined intracellular compartment to the cell surface. We employed confocal microscopy to determine the in situ localization of GLUT4 relative to vesicle, Golgi, and endosomal proteins in these physiological insulin target cells. Three-dimensional analyses of GLUT4 immunostaining in basal cells revealed an intracellular punctate, patchy distribution both in the perinuclear region and scattered throughout the cytoplasm. VAMP2 closely associates with GLUT4 in many punctate vesicle-like structures. A small fraction of GLUT4 overlaps with TGN38-mannosidase II, gamma-adaptin, and mannose-6-phosphate receptors in the perinuclear region, presumably corresponding to late endosome and trans-Golgi network structures. GLUT4 does not co-localize with transferrin receptors, clathrin, and Igp-120. After insulin treatment, GLUT4 partially redistributes to the cell surface and decreases in the perinuclear area. However, GLUT4 remains co-localized with TGN38-mannosidase II and gamma-adaptin. Therefore, the basal compartment from which GLUT4 is translocated in response to insulin comprises specialized post-endosomal VAMP2-positive vesicles, distinct from the constitutively recycling endosomes. These results are consistent with a kinetic model in which GLUT4 is sequestered through two or more intracellular pools in series.

Vp165 and GLUT4 share similar vesicle pools along their trafficking pathways in rat adipose cells

vp165 (or gp160) is an aminopeptidase that has been identified as one of the major proteins of the GLUT4-containing vesicles. In the present study we have determined the degree of co-localization between vp165 and GLUT4 in rat adipose cells and used perturbation by wortmannin to assess the exocytic and endocytic steps along the translocation and recycling pathways of GLUT4 in the absence and presence of insulin. Western blots of subcellular membrane fractions demonstrate very similar distributions of vp165 and GLUT4. Confocal microscopy of whole cells provides direct evidence that these proteins share the same vesicle populations moving both towards and from the plasma membrane. These data are consistent with the presence of a distinct insulin-sensitive compartment that sequesters both GLUT4 and vp165 and suggest similar trafficking routes through the recycling compartments.

Exercise training reverses insulin resistance in muscle by enhanced recruitment of GLUT-4 to the cell surface

The effects of exercise training on cell surface GLUT-4 in skeletal muscle of the obese (fa/fa) Zucker rat were investigated using the impermeant glucose transporter photoaffinity reagent 2-N-4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-benzoyl-1,3-bis- (D-mannos-4-yloxy)-2-propylamine (ATB-BMPA). In the absence of insulin, 3-O-methyl-D-glucose transport activity was no different in either fast-twitch (epitrochlearis) or slow-twitch (soleus) muscles of trained and sedentary obese rats. Likewise, basal ATB-BMPA-labeled GLUT-4 was not altered in these muscles with training. In contrast, the trained group exhibited significantly greater insulin-stimulated (2 mU/ml) glucose transport activity in epitrochlearis muscles than the sedentary group (0.53 +/- 0.03 vs. 0.18 +/- 0.03 mumol.g-1 x 10 min-1 for trained and sedentary, respectively), which was paralleled by a significant enhancement of insulin-stimulated cell surface GLUT-4 (5.33 +/- 0.20 vs. 1.57 +/- 0.14 disintegrations.min-1.mg-1 for trained and sedentary, respectively). Exercise training, however, did not alter insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity or cell surface GLUT-4 in soleus muscles. Finally, exercise training did not alter the ability of muscle contraction to elevate glucose transport activity or cell surface GLUT-4 in either epitrochlearis or soleus muscles of the obese rat. These results indicate that training improves insulin-stimulated glucose transport in muscle of the obese Zucker rat by increasing GLUT-4 content and by altering the normal intracellular distribution of these transporters such that they are now capable of migrating to the cell surface in response to the insulin stimulus.

Effects of exercise training on glucose transport and cell surface GLUT-4 in isolated rat epitrochlearis muscle

The effects of exercise training on maximal glucose transport activity and cell surface GLUT-4 were examined in rat epitrochlearis muscle. Five days of swim training (2 x 3 h/day) produce a significant increase in citrate synthase activity (24.5 +/- 0.6 vs. 20.1 +/- 0.7 micromol x min(-1) x g(-1)), GLUT-4 content (22.9 +/- 0.8 vs. 17.4 +/- 0.4% GLUT-4 standard), and glycogen levels (54.3 +/- 9.4 vs. 28.6 +/- 9.4 micromol/g). Maximally, insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity and cell surface GLUT-4 are increased by 55 (1.50 +/- 0.11 vs. 0.97 +/- 0.10 micromol x ml(-1) x 20 min(-1)) and 48% [12.0 +/- 0.8 vs. 8.1 +/- 0.9 disintegrations x min(-1) (dpm) x mg(-1)], respectively, in exercise-trained epitrochlearis muscles. In contrast, hypoxia-stimulated glucose transport activity and cell surface GLUT-4 are reduced by 38 (0.78 +/- 0.08 vs.1.25 +/- 0.14 micromol x ml(-1) x 20 min(-1)) and 40% (5.7 +/- 0.9 vs. 9.4 +/- 1.2 dpm/mg), respectively, in exercise-trained epitrochlearis muscles. These results demonstrate that changes in insulin- and hypoxia-stimulated glucose transport activity after exercise training are fully accounted for by the appearance of cell surface GLUT-4 and support the concept of two intracellular pools of GLUT-4. Finally, we propose that high levels of muscle glycogen with exercise training may contribute to the decrease in hypoxia-stimulated glucose transport activity.

Rab 3D in rat adipose cells and its overexpression in genetic obesity (Zucker fatty rat)

Members of the Rab 3 subfamily of low-molecular-mass GTP-binding proteins have been functionally implicated in regulated exocytosis. The aim of the present study was to examine the subcellular distribution of a member of this family, Rab 3D, in rat adipose cells, given the hypothesis that this protein might be involved in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 exocytosis. We show that Rab 3D immunoreactivity is associated predominantly with the high-density microsomal fraction, where the signal intensity is 3- and 7-fold greater than that in plasma membranes and low-density microsomes respectively. Rab 3D does not co-localize with GLUT4 on immuno-isolated intracellular vesicles and, unlike GLUT4, it is not redistributed in response to insulin. Thus, if Rab 3D plays a role in GLUT4 trafficking, it relies on mechanisms independent of relocation. We observed that Rab 3D is overexpressed in adipose cells of obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats, in a tissue- and isoform-specific manner. The pathophysiological significance of this defect remains elusive. This could form the molecular basis for altered adipose secretory function in obesity.

Regulation of cell surface GLUT4 in skeletal muscle of transgenic mice

Marked overexpression of the glucose transporter GLUT4 in skeletal muscle membrane fractions of GLUT4 transgenic (TG) mice is accompanied by disproportionately small increases in basal and insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity. Thus we have assessed cell surface GLUT4 by photolabelling with the membrane-impermeant reagent 2-N-[4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)benzoyl]-1, 3-bis(D-mannos-4-yloxy)-2-propylamine (ATB-BMPA) and measured the corresponding glucose transport activity using 2-deoxyglucose in isolated extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles from non-transgenic (NTG) and GLUT4 TG mice in the absence and presence of 13.3 nM (2000 mu units/ml) insulin, without or with hypoxia as a model of muscle contraction. TG mice displayed elevated rates of glucose transport activity under basal and insulin-stimulated conditions, and in the presence of insulin plus hypoxia, compared with NTG mice. Photoaffinity labelling of cell surface GLUT4 indicated corresponding elevations in plasma membrane GLUT4 in the basal and insulin-stimulated states, and with insulin plus hypoxia, but no difference in cell surface GLUT4 during hypoxia stimulation. Subcellular fractionation of hindlimb muscles confirmed the previously observed 3-fold overexpression of GLUT4 in the TG compared with the NTG mice. These results suggest that: (1) alterations in glucose transport activity which occur with GLUT4 overexpression in EDL muscles are directly related to cell surface GLUT4 content, regardless of the levels observed in the corresponding subcellular membrane fractions, (2) while overexpression of GLUT4 influences both basal and insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity, the response to hypoxia/ contraction-stimulated glucose transport is unchanged, and (3) subcellular fractionation provides little insight into the subcellular trafficking of GLUT4, and whatever relationship is demonstrated in EDL muscles from NTG mice is disrupted on GLUT4 overexpression.

Immunohistochemical localization of facilitated-diffusion glucose transporters in rat pancreatic islets

The subcellular localization of five isoforms of facilitated-diffusion glucose transporters (GLUTs), from GLUT1 to GLUT5, in rat pancreatic islets was studied by immunohistochemistry using rabbit polyclonal antisera against mouse or rat GLUT peptides. Animals were perfusion-fixed with phosphate-buffered 4% paraformaldehyde and the pancreases were removed. Some specimens were embedded in paraffin, serially sectioned, and immunostained for glucagon, insulin, somatostatin, and the GLUTs for light microscopic observation. Others were prepared for immunoelectron microscopy by the post-embedding method. By these methods, GLUT2 immunostaining was observed on the lateral membranes of pancreatic beta-cells, whereas GLUT3 immunoreaction was predominantly localized in the cytoplasm of beta-cells and was not found in alpha-cells. In contrast, GLUT5 immunostaining was preferentially localized in the cytoplasm of alpha-cells compared to that of beta-cells. However, GLUT1 and GLUT4 were either barely or not at all detectable in any cells. These results suggest that rat islets take up glucose by at least three different processes and that blood glucose levels could be modulated differentially by: a high Km glucose transporter, GLUT2, in beta-cells; by a low Km glucose transporter, GLUT3, in beta-cells; and by a low Km glucose transporter, GLUT5, in alpha-cells.

Identification of SNAP receptors in rat adipose cell membrane fractions and in SNARE complexes co-immunoprecipitated with epitope-tagged N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein

The vesicle-associated membrane proteins [VAMPs; vesicle SNAP receptors (v-SNAREs)] present on GLUT4-enriched vesicles prepared from rat adipose cells [Cain, Trimble and Lienhard (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 11681-11684] have been identified as synaptobrevin 2 (VAMP 2) and cellubrevin (VAMP 3) by using isoform-specific antisera. Additional antisera identify syntaxins 2 and 4 as the predominant target membrane SNAP receptors (t-SNAREs) in the plasma membranes (PM), with syntaxin 3 at one-twentieth the level. Syntaxins 2 and 4 are enriched 5-10-fold in PM compared with low-density microsomes (LDM). Insulin treatment results in an 11-fold increase in immunodetectable GLUT4 in PM and smaller (approx. 2-fold) increases in VAMP 2 and VAMP 3, whereas the subcellular distributions of the syntaxins are not altered by insulin treatment. To determine which of the SNAP receptors (SNAREs) in PM might participate in SNARE complexes with proteins from GLUT4 vesicles, complexes were immunoprecipitated with anti-myc antibody from solubilized membranes after the addition of myc-epitope-tagged N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein (NSF) and recombinant alpha-soluble NSF attachment protein (alpha-SNAP). These complexes contain VAMPs 2 and 3 and syntaxin 4, but not syntaxins 2 or 3. Complex formation requires ATP and is disrupted by ATP hydrolysis. When all membrane fractions are prepared from basal cells, few or no VAMPs and no syntaxin 4 are immunoprecipitated in SNARE complexes obtained from LDM alone (or from immunoisolated GLUT4 vesicles). The content of syntaxin 4 depends on the presence of PM, and participation of VAMPs 2 and 3 is enhanced 4-6-fold by the addition of solubilized GLUT4 vesicles to PM. The latter increase is greater than can be explained by the 2-fold higher levels of VAMPs added to the reaction mixture. When all membrane fractions are prepared from insulin-stimulated cells, SNARE complexes formed from PM alone contain similar levels of syntaxin 4 but 5-6-fold higher levels of VAMPs 2 and 3 compared with PM alone from basal cells. Addition of GLUT4 vesicle proteins to PM from insulin-treated cells results in a further 2-fold increase in VAMP 2 recovered in SNARE complexes. Therefore the VAMPs in PM of insulin-treated but not basal cells, and in GLUT4-vesicles from cells in either condition, are in a form that readily forms a SNARE complex with PM t-SNAREs and NSF. Insulin seems to activate PM and/or GLUT4 vesicles so as to increase the efficiency of SNARE complex formation.

Effects of overexpressing wild-type and mutant PDGF receptors on translocation of GLUT4 in transfected rat adipose cells

Activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) by insulin is necessary for the effect of insulin to recruit GLUT4 to the cell surface in insulin target cells. In adipose cells, stimulation of endogenous PDGF receptors (PDGF-R) results in increased PI3K activity without causing recruitment of GLUT4. We overexpressed wild-type or mutant forms of the PDGF-R in rat adipose cells and examined their effects on PDGF- and insulin-stimulated recruitment of co-transfected epitope-tagged GLUT4. Control cells expressing only tagged GLUT4 had a 3-fold increase in cell surface GLUT4 upon insulin stimulation but no response to PDGF. Cells overexpressing wild-type PDGF-R maintained insulin responsiveness and, in addition, acquired the ability to recruit GLUT4 in response to PDGF. Surprisingly, overexpression of F740/ F751 (mutant PDGF-R unable to directly activate PI3K) led to similar results. Nevertheless, wortmannin (an inhibitor of PI3K) blocked effects of both PDGF and insulin to recruit GLUT4. Our data suggest that overexpression of PDGF-R mediates positive effects on GLUT4 translocation by a wortmannin sensitive pathway not dependent on direct interaction of the PDGF-R with PI3K.

Unique subcellular distribution of five annexins in resting and insulin-stimulated rat adipose cells

Several lines of evidence suggest that annexins, a family of phospholipid-binding proteins, play a role in cellular trafficking. Five annexins (I, II, V, VI, VII) were detected in rat adipose cells. They were primarily associated with the plasma membrane in a calcium-dependent manner. None of them redistributed with insulin treatment of the cells, in contrast to the glucose transporter GLUT4, which moved from intracellular membranes to the plasma membrane. Although the actual function of annexins in adipose cells remains to be determined, our data indicate that insulin-stimulated GLUT4 trafficking does not rely on a change in subcellular location of any of the five annexins detected so far in these cells.

Glucose transport and cell surface GLUT-4 protein in skeletal muscle of the obese Zucker rat

The relationship between 3-O-methyl-D-glucose transport and 2-N-4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-benzoyl-1, 3-bis-(D-mannos-4-yloxy)-2-propylamine (ATB-BMPA)-labeled cell surface GLUT-4 protein was assessed in fast-twitch (epitrochlearis) and slow-twitch (soleus) muscles of lean and obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats. In the absence of insulin, glucose transport as well as cell surface GLUT-4 protein was similar in both epitrochlearis and soleus muscles of lean and obese rats. In contrast, insulin-stimulated glucose transport rates were significantly higher for lean than obese rats in both soleus (0.74 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.40 +/- 0.02 mumol.g-1.10 min-1) and epitrochlearis (0.51 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.17 +/- 0.02 mumol.g-1.10 min-1) muscles. The ability of insulin to enhance glucose transport in fast- and slow-twitch muscles from both lean and obese rats corresponded directly with changes in cell surface GLUT-4 protein. Muscle contraction elicited similar increases in glucose transport in lean and obese rats, with the effect being more pronounced in fast-twitch (0.70 +/- 0.07 and 0.77 +/- 0.04 mumol.g-1.10 min-1 for obese and lean, respectively) than in slow-twitch muscle (0.36 +/- 0.03 and 0.40 +/- 0.02 mumol.g-1.10 min-1 for obese and lean, respectively). The contraction-induced changes in glucose transport directly corresponded with the observed changes in cell surface GLUT-4 protein. Thus the reduced glucose transport response to insulin in skeletal muscle of the obese Zucker rat appears to result directly from an inability to effectively enhance cell surface GLUT-4 protein.

Hormonal regulation of glucose transport in a brown adipose cell preparation isolated from rats that shows a large response to insulin

Isolated brown adipose cells from rats are prepared whose viability is indicated by the expected stimulation of oxygen consumption by noradrenaline and counter-regulation of this oxygen consumption response by insulin. Insulin stimulates 3-O-methyl-D-glucose transport by approx. 15-fold in the absence of adenosine, and adenosine augments this response at least 2-fold. The insulin-stimulated translocation of the glucose transporter GLUT4 from an intracellular compartment to the plasma membrane is readily detected by subcellular fractionation and Western blotting, and the appearance of GLUT4 on the cell surface in response to insulin is demonstrated by bis-mannose photolabelling. Isoprenaline also stimulates glucose transport activity but only by approx. 3-fold; this effect is not altered by adenosine. Isoprenaline increases insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity in the absence of adenosine but decreases it in the presence of adenosine. These results demonstrate that although the regulation of glucose transport by insulin in brown adipose cells is qualitatively similar to that in white adipose cells, counter-regulation by adenosine and isoprenaline is at least quantitatively and may be qualitatively different. Isolated brown adipose cells from rats thus represent an excellent model for further examination of the mechanism by which multiple hormone signalling pathways interact to control glucose transport and GLUT4 subcellular trafficking.

Glucose transport and GLUT4 protein distribution in skeletal muscle of GLUT4 transgenic mice

The aim of the present investigation was to determine whether the subcellular distribution and insulin-stimulated translocation of the GLUT4 isoform of the glucose transporter are affected when GLUT4 is overexpressed in mouse skeletal muscle, and if the overexpression of GLUT4 alters maximal insulin-stimulated glucose transport and metabolism. Rates of glucose transport and metabolism were assessed by hind-limb perfusion in GLUT4 transgenic (TG) mice and non-transgenic (NTG) controls. Glucose-transport activity was determined under basal (no insulin), submaximal (0.2 m-unit/ml) and maximal (10 m-units/ml) insulin conditions using a perfusate containing 8 mM 3-O-methyl-D-glucose. Glucose metabolism was quantified by perfusing the hind limbs for 25 min with a perfusate containing 8 mM glucose and 10 m-units/ml insulin. Under basal conditions, there was no difference in muscle glucose transport between TG (1.10 +/- 0.10 mumol/h per g; mean +/- S.E.M.) and NTG (0.93 +/- 0.16 mumol/h per g) mice. However, TG mice displayed significantly greater glucose-transport activity during submaximal (4.42 +/- 0.49 compared with 2.69 +/- 0.33 mumol/h per g) and maximal (11.68 +/- 1.13 compared with 7.53 +/- 0.80 mumol/h per g) insulin stimulation. Nevertheless, overexpression of the GLUT4 protein did not alter maximal rates of glucose metabolism. Membrane purification revealed that, under basal conditions, plasma-membrane (approximately 12-fold) and intracellular-membrane (approximately 4-fold) GLUT4 protein concentrations were greater in TG than NTG mice. Submaximal insulin stimulation did not increase plasma-membrane GLUT4 protein concentration whereas maximal insulin stimulation increased this protein in both NTG (4.1-fold) and TG (2.6-fold) mice. These results suggest that the increase in insulin-stimulated glucose transport following overexpression of the GLUT4 protein is limited by factors other than the plasma-membrane GLUT4 protein concentration. Furthermore, GLUT4 overexpression is not coupled to glucose-metabolic capacity.

Insulin stimulates hormone-sensitive cyclic GMP-inhibited cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in rat brown adipose cells

The presence and regulation of a hormone-sensitive cyclic GMP-inhibited cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (cGI PDE) in rat brown adipose cells was investigated. cDNA clones for two cGI PDE isoforms, cGIP1 and cGIP2, have been isolated. Using a rat cGIP1 (RcGIP1) cDNA probe, RcGIP1 mRNA (approximately 5.3 kb) was detected in Northern blots of both brown and white adipose RNA. cGI PDE was detected in both microsomal and plasma membrane fractions of brown and white adipose cells by Western blotting using anti-RcGIP1 peptide antibody. When cells were incubated with insulin before membrane preparation, cGI PDE activity in the microsomal fraction was increased by 2- to 2.5-fold within 10 min. Isoproterenol also stimulated the activity of cGI PDE in the microsomal fraction by 1.5-fold. In cells incubated with both insulin and isoproterenol, microsomal cGI PDE activity was similar to that in microsomal fractions isolated from cells incubated with insulin alone. These results suggest that the hormonal regulation of cGI PDE, presumably a cGIP1 isoform, in rat brown adipose cells is similar to that in white adipose cells.

Roles of 1-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and ras in regulating translocation of GLUT4 in transfected rat adipose cells

Insulin stimulates glucose transport in insulin target tissues by recruiting glucose transporters (primarily GLUT4) from an intracellular compartment to the cell surface. Previous studies have demonstrated that insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity and subsequent phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) contribute to mediating the effect of insulin on glucose transport. We have now investigated the roles of 1-phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) and ras, two signaling proteins located downstream from tyrosine phosphorylation. Rat adipose cells were cotransfected with expression vectors that allowed transient expression of epitope-tagged GLUT4 and the other genes of interest. Overexpression of a mutant p85 regulatory subunit of PI 3-kinase lacking the ability to bind and activate the p110 catalytic subunit exerted a dominant negative effect to inhibit insulin-stimulated translocation of epitope-tagged GLUT4 to the cell surface. In addition, treatment of control cells with wortmannin (an inhibitor of PI 3-kinase) abolished the ability of insulin to recruit epitope-tagged GLUT4 to the cell surface. Thus, our data suggest that PI 3-kinase plays an essential role in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 recruitment in insulin target tissues. In contrast, over-expression of a constitutively active mutant of ras (L61-ras) resulted in high levels of cell surface GLUT4 in the absence of insulin that were comparable to levels seen in control cells treated with a maximally stimulating dose of insulin. However, wortmannin treatment of cells overexpressing L61-ras resulted in only a small decrease in the amount of cell surface GLUT4 compared with that of the same cells in the absence of wortmannin. Therefore, while activated ras is sufficient to recruit GLUT4 to the cell surface, it does so by a different mechanism that is probably not involved in the mechanism by which insulin stimulates GLUT4 translocation in physiological target tissues.

Thyroid hormone increases the partitioning of glucose transporters to the plasma membrane in ARL 15 cells

The stimulation of glucose transport by 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) in the liver-derived ARL 15 cell line is only partly attributable to increased GLUT-1 glucose transporter gene expression. To test the hypothesis that T3 increases the partitioning of GLUT-1 to the cell surface, we quantitated surface GLUT-1 using the photolabel ATB-[3H]BMPA. In control cells only approximately 20% of total cellular GLUT-1 was present at the cell surface. T3 treatment (100 nM) for 6 h increased the rate of 2-deoxy-[3H]glucose (2-DG) uptake by 30, 92, and 95% in three experiments and increased surface GLUT-1 photolabeling by 17, 81, and 72%, respectively, with no increase in total cellular GLUT-1. T3 treatment for 48 h increased 2-DG uptake by 143, 172, and 216% in three experiments and increased cell surface GLUT-1 photolabeling by 88, 161, and 184%, respectively, with smaller increases in total cellular GLUT-1. T3 treatment for 48 h thus increased the fraction of cellular GLUT-1 at the plasma membrane from 21 +/- 2 to 35 +/- 3% (SE). We conclude that most of the early (6-h) stimulation of glucose transport by T3 in ARL 15 cells is mediated by an increase in the partitioning of GLUT-1 to the plasma membrane. With more chronic T3 treatment (48 h), the enhanced surface partitioning of GLUT-1 is persistent and is superimposed on an increase in total cellular GLUT-1, accounting for a further increase in glucose transport.

The effects of insulin on the level and activity of the GLUT4 present in human adipose cells

Human adipose cells are much less responsive to insulin stimulation of glucose transport activity than are rat adipocytes. To assess and characterize this difference, we have determined the rates of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose transport in human adipose cells and have compared these with the levels of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) assessed by using the bis-mannose photolabel, 2-N-4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)benzoyl-1,3-bis-(D-mannos- 4-yloxy)-2-propyl-amine, ATB-BMPA. The rates of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose transport and the cell-surface level of GLUT4 are very similar in the human and rat adipocyte in the basal state. The Vmax for 3-O-methyl-D-glucose transport in fully insulin-stimulated human adipose cells is 15-fold lower than in rat adipose cells. Photolabelling of GLUT4 suggests that this low transport activity is associated with a low GLUT4 abundance (39 x 10(4) sites/cell; 19.9 x 10(4) sites at the cell surface). The turnover number for human adipose cell GLUT4 (5.8 x 10(4) min-1) is similar to that observed for GLUT4 in rat adipose cells and the mouse cell line, 3T3L1. Since 50% of the GLUT4 is at the cell surface of both human and rat adipose cells in the fully insulin-stimulated state, an inefficient GLUT4 exocytosis process cannot account for the low transport activity. The intracellular retention process appears to have adapted to release, in the basal state, a greater proportion of the total-cellular pool of GLUT4 to the cell surface of the larger human adipocytes. These cell-surface transporters are presumably necessary to provide the basal metabolic needs of the adipocyte.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)