The role of ATP and free ADP in metabolic coupling during fuel-stimulated insulin release from islet beta-cells in the isolated perfused rat pancreas.

The isolated perfused rat pancreas was used to test the hypothesis that total cellular ATP or the ratio of ATP/free ADP plays the primary role in coupling intermediary metabolism to the biophysical events that are the basis of glucose-stimulated insulin release. The pancreas was preperfused for 20 min with 4.0 mM of a physiological mixture of 20 amino acids plus 4.2 mM glucose, and insulin release was then stimulated for 150 s by suddenly increasing the glucose to 8.3 mM. The pancreas was sampled at 24, 48, 72, and 150 s after the switch. The content of total ATP, ADP, AMP, Pi, phosphocreatine, and creatine were measured in beta-cell enriched cores of pancreatic islets microdissected from freeze-dried pancreas cryostat sections. Metabolites were measured by quantitative histochemical enzymatic cycling techniques. Modeling studies were carried out to assess the impact of biochemical analytical results on the membrane potential of the beta-cells. The level of free ADP was calculated using the creatine kinase equilibrium reaction and an intracellular pH of 7.2. First phase insulin release was stimulated at least 10-fold with the maximum reached 45 s after adding high glucose. The biochemical analytical data demonstrate that the total cellular level of the putative coupling factor ATP and of the ratios ATP/free ADP and ATP/free ADP x Pi are not significantly influenced by a glucose level change that causes a more than 10-fold surge of insulin release. The strength and limitations of the present experimental strategy and the implications of the results for our understanding of metabolic coupling in glucose-stimulated insulin release are discussed.     

Sialylation processes in mitochondria: evidence for two distinct sialyltransferases located in the outer membrane.

Previous studies have shown that purified mitochondrial outer membrane is able to catalyze the transfer of sialic acid from CMP-Neu5Ac to an exogenous asialoglycoprotein acceptor, asialofetuin. Considering the heterogeneity of the glycan chains borne by this glycoprotein, an investigation of mitochondrial sialyltransferase activities was undertaken. Our data provide evidence for the existence of two distinct sialyltransferases in purified mitochondrial outer membranes. The use of different acceptor substrates, the temperature dependence of these enzymes, and their different sensitivity towards a sulfhydryl reagent, p-CMB, allowed us to discriminate between a galactoside alpha(2-3) sialyltransferase and a galactoside alpha(2-6) sialyltransferase presumably involved in the sialylation of O- and N-glycan chains of glycoprotein, respectively. These results are discussed in terms of mitochondrial autonomy for post-translational events.     

ATP crossing the cell plasma membrane generates an ionic current in xenopus oocytes

The presence of ATP within cells is well established. However, ATP also operates as an intercellular signal via specific purinoceptors. Furthermore, nonsecretory cells can release ATP under certain experimental conditions. To measure ATP release and membrane currents from a single cell simultaneously, we used Xenopus oocytes. We simultaneously recorded membrane currents and luminescence. Here, we show that ATP release can be triggered in Xenopus oocytes by hyperpolarizing pulses. ATP release (3.2 +/- 0.3 pmol/oocyte) generated a slow inward current (2.3 +/- 0.1 microA). During hyperpolarizing pulses, the permeability for ATP(4-) was more than 4000 times higher than that for Cl(-). The sensitivity to GdCl(3) (0. 2 mm) of hyperpolarization-induced ionic current, ATP release and E-ATPase activity suggests their dependence on stretch-activated ion channels. The pharmacological profile of the current inhibition coincides with the inhibition of ecto-ATPase activity. This enzyme is highly conserved among species, and in humans, it has been cloned and characterized as CD39. The translation, in Xenopus oocytes, of human CD39 mRNA encoding enhances the ATP-supported current, indicating that CD39 is directly or indirectly responsible for the electrodiffusion of ATP.     

Glucose and tolbutamide trigger transients of Ca2+ in single pancreatic beta-cells exposed to tetraethylammonium.

Isolated pancreatic beta-cells respond to glucose stimulation with increase of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in terms of membrane-derived slow oscillations (0.2-0.5/min) with superimposed transient of intracellular origin. To evaluate under which conditions transients may result also from entry of extracellular Ca2+, the cytoplasmic concentration of the ion was measured with dual wavelength fluorometry and fura-2 in individual mouse beta-cells exposed to the K+ channel blocker tetraethylammonium (TEA). In the presence of 20 mM TEA, the beta-cells responded to closure of the KATP channels (increase of the glucose concentration to 11 mM or addition of 1 mM tolbutamide) with pronounced transients of [Ca2+]i. However, there were no transients when the beta-cells were depolarized by raising extracellular K+ to 30 mM in the presence of 20 mM TEA. The glucose-induced [Ca2+]i transients became more pronounced after thapsigargin inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase. The tolbutamide-induced transients were amplified when promoting the entry of Ca2+ (rise of extracellular Ca2+ to 10 mM or addition of BAY K 8644), unaffected in the presence of thapsigargin and the Na+ channel blocker tetrodotoxin and slightly reduced by glucagon. Blockage of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels with methoxyverapamil resulted in a prompt disappearance of the transients induced by glucose or tolbutamide. The observations indicate that closure of the KATP channels can precipitate pronounced transients of [Ca2+]i when other K+ conductances are suppressed.     

Dynamics of glucose-induced membrane recruitment of protein kinase C beta II in living pancreatic islet beta-cells

The mechanisms by which glucose may affect protein kinase C (PKC) activity in the pancreatic islet beta-cell are presently unclear. By developing adenovirally expressed chimeras encoding fusion proteins between green fluorescent protein and conventional (betaII), novel (delta), or atypical (zeta) PKCs, we show that glucose selectively alters the subcellular localization of these enzymes dynamically in primary islet and MIN6 beta-cells. Examined by laser scanning confocal or total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, elevated glucose concentrations induced oscillatory translocations of PKCbetaII to spatially confined regions of the plasma membrane. Suggesting that increases in free cytosolic Ca(2+) concentrations ([Ca(2+)](c)) were primarily responsible, prevention of [Ca(2+)](c) increases with EGTA or diazoxide completely eliminated membrane recruitment, whereas elevation of cytosolic [Ca(2+)](c) with KCl or tolbutamide was highly effective in redistributing PKCbetaII both to the plasma membrane and to the surface of dense core secretory vesicles. By contrast, the distribution of PKCdelta.EGFP, which binds diacylglycerol but not Ca(2+), was unaffected by glucose. Measurement of [Ca(2+)](c) immediately beneath the plasma membrane with a ratiometric "pericam," fused to synaptic vesicle-associated protein-25, revealed that depolarization induced significantly larger increases in [Ca(2+)](c) in this domain. These data demonstrate that nutrient stimulation of beta-cells causes spatially and temporally complex changes in the subcellular localization of PKCbetaII, possibly resulting from the generation of Ca(2+) microdomains. Localized changes in PKCbetaII activity may thus have a role in the spatial control of insulin exocytosis.     

Spontaneous changes in mitochondrial membrane potential in single isolated brain mitochondria

In this study we measured DeltaPsim in single isolated brain mitochondria using rhodamine 123. Mitochondria were attached to coverslips and superfused with K(+)-based HEPES-buffer medium supplemented with malate and glutamate. In approximately 70% of energized mitochondria we observed large amplitude spontaneous fluctuations in DeltaPsim with a time course comparable to that observed previously in mitochondria of intact cells. The other 30% of mitochondria maintained a stable DeltaPsim. Some of the "stable" mitochondria began to fluctuate spontaneously during the recording period. However, none of the initially fluctuating mitochondria became stable. Upon the removal of substrates from the medium or application of small amounts of Ca(2+), rhodamine 123 fluorescence rapidly dropped to background values in fluctuating mitochondria, while nonfluctuating mitochondria depolarized with a delay and often began to fluctuate before complete depolarization. The changes in DeltaPsim were not connected to oxidant production since reducing illumination or the addition of antioxidants had no effect on DeltaPsim. Fluctuating mitochondria did not lose calcein, nor was there any effect of cyclosporin A on DeltaPsim, which ruled out a contribution of permeability transition. We conclude that the fluctuations in DeltaPsim reflect an intermediate, unstable state of mitochondria that may lead to or reflect mitochondrial dysfunction.     

Fluorescamine-induced membrane permeability in mitochondria.

1. Addition of fluorescamine (75 microM) to mitochondria induced an increase in membrane permeability. 2. The leakiness of the inner mitochondrial membrane is characterized by extensive release of accumulated Ca2+, collapse of the transmembrane potential, mitochondrial swelling and efflux of matrix proteins, among them, malate dehydrogenase. 3. These effects were diminished by supplementing the media with 1 mM phosphate, and partially prevented by Mg2+. 4. These results indicate that the primary amino groups of membrane components contribute, partially, to the maintenance of the permeability barrier in mitochondria.     

Stability of membrane potential in heart mitochondria: single mitochondrion imaging

Mitochondrial membrane potential (delta psi(m)) plays an important role in cellular activity. Although delta psi(m) of intracellular mitochondria are relatively stable, the recent experiments with isolated mitochondria demonstrate that individual mitochondria show frequent fluctuations of delta psi(m). The current study is performed to investigate the factors that stabilize delta psi(m) in cells by observing delta psi(m) of individual isolated mitochondria with fluorescence microscopy. Here, we report that (1) the transient depolarizations are also induced for mitochondria in plasma membrane permeabilized cells, (2) almost all mitochondria isolated from porcine hearts show the transient depolarizations that is enhanced with the net efflux of protons from the matrix to the intermembrane space, and (3) ATP and ADP significantly inhibit the transient depolarizations by plural mechanisms. These results suggest that the suppression of acute alkalinization of the matrix together with the presence of ATP and ADP contributes to the stabilization of delta psi(m) in cells.     

Polarized sorting of GPI-linked proteins in epithelia and membrane microdomains.

Taken together, our results with endogenous and transfected GPI-anchored proteins (summarized in Table 6) suggest that covalent attachment to GPI functions as an apical transport signal in polarized epithelial cells. This is the first example of a well-defined targeting signal for the post-Golgi sorting of plasma membrane proteins in polarized epithelia; the only other known post-Golgi targeting signal is mannose-6-phosphate, which functions in the recognition of lysosomal hydrolases and directs them to lysosomes.     

Optical techniques for imaging membrane lipid microdomains in living cells

Lateral organisation of cellular membranes, particularly the plasma membrane, is of benefit to the cell as it allows complicated cellular processes to be regulated and efficient. For example, trafficking and secretion of molecules can be targeted and directed, cells polarised and signalling events modulated and propagated. The fluid mosaic model allows for significant heterogeneity on the part of the lipids themselves and of membrane associated proteins. By exploiting the tendency of complex lipid bilayers to undergo spontaneous or induced phase-separation into non-miscible domains, the cell could achieve this desired spatial organisation. While phase-separation is readily observed in simple, artificial bilayers, its occurrence in physiological membranes remains controversial. This stems mainly from our inability to image lipid microdomains directly - possibly due to their small size, short lifespan and/or morphological similarity to the bulk membrane. In this review, we seek to examine the techniques used to try to image membrane lipid microdomains, concentrating mainly on optical microscopy techniques that are applicable to live cells. We also look at novel emerging instruments and methods that promise to overcome our current technological limitations and shed new light on these important structures.     

Glucose induces temperature-dependent oscillations of cytoplasmic Ca2+ in single pancreatic beta-cells related to their electrical activity

Glucose induces large amplitude oscillations of the cytoplasmic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in pancreatic beta-cells. The effects of temperature on these oscillations were examined by monitoring [Ca2+]i continuously in single beta-cells from ob/ob-mice using dual wavelength microfluorometry. The oscillations of [Ca2+]i disappeared when the temperature was increased above 42 degrees C and were reversibly inhibited below 30 degrees C. However, cooling did not prevent a glucose response in terms of the average rise of [Ca2+]i. Since patch clamp studies of single beta-cells have indicated a random occurrence of glucose-induced action potentials at room temperature, it was important to explore how the sugar affected the electrical activity at 37 degrees C. Using the cell-attached configuration of the patch clamp technique for such analyses, the action potentials were found to occur in bursts with durations similar to the large amplitude oscillations of [Ca2+]i.     

Regulation of ATP hydrolysis in hepatoma 22a mitochondria.

A decrease in the rate of ATP hydrolysis was observed after preincubation of intact mitochondria from hepatoma 22a with an uncoupler. This effect is due both to a decrease in the rate of ATP transport and to an inactivation of the F0F1-ATPase. The former effect is shown to result from an uncoupler-induced ADP efflux. In de-energized mitochondria from hepatoma (but not from mice liver), the concentration of adenine nucleotides in the matrix equilibrates with the medium concentration via a carboxyatractyloside (CATR)-insensitive transport system. CATR-insensitive accumulation of medium ADP and stoichiometric exchange of added ATP are observed in energized hepatoma mitochondria. The dependence of the uncoupler-induced inactivation of ATPase activity on delta mu H+, pH, and ATP is consistent with the effect being caused by the natural protein inhibitor (IF1) of F0F1. ATP- and pH-dependent inactivation of the enzyme is also observed after disruption of mitochondria with the detergent Lubrol-WX. Almost all F0F1 in hepatoma mitochondria have IF1 bound in a noninhibitory manner. In the presence of uncoupler, this complex converts, via a reversible pH-dependent and an irreversible ATP-dependent process, to an inhibitory complex. The pH-dependent step can be blocked by Zn2+ and Cd2+ ions which probably bind to negatively charged residues on IF1, thereby preventing their protonation and conversion of the protein to an inhibitory conformation.     

Glucose regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase in hepatoma and islet cells.

The regulation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) by glucose and other fuel molecules has been examined in Fao Reuber hepatoma cells and Syrian hamster insulin tumor (HIT) cells in order to determine whether lipogenic substrates acutely alter ACC activity and to examine the mechanism of such regulation. In Fao cells, preincubated in simple medium without substrates, glucose addition results in a rapid activation of ACC. This effect, mimicked by other fuels such as lactate, is characterized by an increase in enzyme Vmax and a decrease in the activation constant for citrate. Several lines of evidence indicate that this activation of ACC is due to enzyme dephosphorylation, including the kinetic changes observed, the persistence of enzyme activation through ACC isolation, the necessity of inclusion of sodium fluoride/EDTA in the cell lysis buffer for preservation of the glucose-induced change, and the direct demonstration of diminished 32P-labeling of ACC after glucose exposure. Identical effects of glucose are also observed in HIT cells, although the ACC activation is smaller in magnitude and less sensitive than that observed in Fao cells. Other insulin secretagogues such as glutamine, lactate, and isobutylmethylxanthine are also found to activate HIT ACC. Others have suggested that glucose-induced changes in malonyl-CoA in beta-cells may be linked to glucose-induced insulin secretion. However, studies conducted in late passage HIT cells, which fail to secrete insulin in response to glucose stimulation, reveal the same glucose-induced activation seen in early passages, secretion-competent HIT cells, suggesting that glucose-induced ACC activation is not by itself sufficient to provoke insulin secretion. Taken together, these findings indicate that glucose and other fuel molecules can play a major role in the rapid regulation of the fatty acid synthesis pathway. The activation of fatty acid synthesis by substrate-induced ACC dephosphorylation insures ultimate fuel storage of glucose-derived carbon as fatty acid, while substrate-induced increases in the ACC product, malonyl CoA, would serve to simultaneously limit the rate of fatty acid oxidation through its allosteric regulation of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I.     

Compensatory responses to pyruvate carboxylase suppression in islet beta-cells. Preservation of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion

We have previously reported that glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) is tightly correlated with pyruvate carboxylase (PC)-catalyzed anaplerotic flux into the tricarboxylic acid cycle and stimulation of pyruvate cycling activity. To further evaluate the role of PC in beta-cell function, we constructed a recombinant adenovirus containing a small interfering RNA (siRNA) specific to PC (Ad-siPC). Ad-siPC reduced PC mRNA levels by 83 and 64% and PC protein by 56 and 35% in INS-1-derived 832/13 cells and primary rat islets, respectively. Surprisingly, this manipulation did not impair GSIS in rat islets. In Ad-siPC-treated 832/13 cells, GSIS was slightly increased, whereas glycolytic rate and glucose oxidation were unaffected. Flux through PC at high glucose was decreased by only 20%, suggesting an increase in PC-specific activity. Acetyl carnitine, a surrogate for acetyl-CoA, an allosteric activator of PC, was increased by 36% in Ad-siPC-treated cells, suggesting a mechanism by which PC enzymatic activity is maintained with suppressed PC protein levels. In addition, the NADPH:NADP ratio, a proposed coupling factor for GSIS, was unaffected in Ad-siPC-treated cells. We conclude that beta-cells activate compensatory mechanisms in response to suppression of PC expression that prevent impairment of anaplerosis, pyruvate cycling, NAPDH production, and GSIS.     

Protein import into plant mitochondria: precursor proteins differ in ATP and membrane potential requirements

The import pathways of the alternative oxidase and the F_Ad subunit of the ATP synthase from soybean were characterised. The F_Ad precursor does not require extramitochondrial ATP for import and this was shown to be a characteristic of the mature protein. The alternative oxidase and F_Ad precursors were shown to differ in their requirement for a membrane potential. The membrane potential was modified using malonate, a competitive inhibitor to complex II. The alternative oxidase could be imported at higher malonate concentrations compared to the F_Ad. This difference could not be ascribed to the number of positive charges in each presequence as would be predicted from similar studies in fungi.     

Cholesterol is not crucial for the existence of microdomains in kidney brush-border membrane models.

The external membrane leaflet plays a key role in the organization of the cell plasma membrane as a mosaic of ordered microdomains enriched in sphingolipids and cholesterol and of fluid domains. In this study, the thermotropic behavior and the topology of bilayers made of a phosphatidylcholine/sphingomyelin mixture, which mimicks the lipid composition of the external leaflet of renal brush-border membranes, were examined by differential scanning calorimetry and atomic force microscopy. In the absence of cholesterol, a broad phase separation process occurred where ordered gel phase domains of size varying from the mesoscopic to the microscopic scale, enriched in sphingomyelin, occupied half of the bilayer surface at room temperature. Increasing amounts of cholesterol progressively decreased the enthalpy of the transition and modified the topology of membranes domains up to a concentration of 33 mol % for which no membrane domains were detected. These results strongly suggest that, in membranes highly enriched in sphingolipids like renal and intestinal brush borders, there is a threshold close to the physiological concentration above which cholesterol acts as a suppressor rather than as a promoter of membrane domains. They also suggest that cholesterol depletion does not abolish the lateral heterogenity in brush-border membranes.