Okadaic acid inhibits insulin-induced glucose transport in fetal brown adipocytes in an Akt-independent and protein kinase C zeta-dependent manner

In the present study we have investigated the effect of increased serine/threonine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrates-1 and -2 (IRS-1 and IRS-2) by okadaic acid pretreatment on brown adipocyte insulin signalling leading to glucose transport, an important metabolic effect of insulin in brown adipose tissue. Okadaic acid pretreatment before insulin stimulation decreased IRS-1 and IRS-2 tyrosine phosphorylation in parallel to a decrease in their sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis mobility. IRS-1/IRS-2-associated p85alpha and phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase enzymatic activity were partly reduced in brown adipocytes pretreated with okadaic acid upon stimulation with insulin. Furthermore, insulin-induced glucose uptake was totally abolished by the inhibitor in parallel with a total inhibition of insulin-induced protein kinase C (PKC) zeta activity. However, activation of Akt/PKB or p70 S6 kinase (p70(s6k)) by insulin remained unaltered. Our results suggest that downstream of PI 3-kinase, insulin signalling diverges into at least two independent pathways through Akt/PKB and PKC zeta, the PKC zeta pathway contributing to glucose transport induced by insulin in fetal brown adipocytes.     

Insulin stimulation of a MEK-dependent but ERK-independent SOS protein kinase.

The Ras guanylnucleotide exchange protein SOS undergoes feedback phosphorylation and dissociation from Grb2 following insulin receptor kinase activation of Ras. To determine the serine/threonine kinase(s) responsible for SOS phosphorylation in vivo, we assessed the role of mitogen-activated, extracellular-signal-regulated protein kinase kinase (MEK), extracellular-signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), and the c-JUN protein kinase (JNK) in this phosphorylation event. Expression of a dominant-interfering MEK mutant, in which lysine 97 was replaced with arginine (MEK/K97R), resulted in an inhibition of insulin-stimulated SOS and ERK phosphorylation, whereas expression of a constitutively active MEK mutant, in which serines 218 and 222 were replaced with glutamic acid (MEK/EE), induced basal phosphorylation of both SOS and ERK. Although expression of the mitogen-activated protein kinase-specific phosphatase (MKP-1) completely inhibited the insulin stimulation of ERK activity both in vitro and in vivo, SOS phosphorylation and the dissociation of the Grb2-SOS complex were unaffected. In addition, insulin did not activate the related protein kinase JNK, demonstrating the specificity of insulin for the ERK pathway. The insulin-stimulated and MKP-1-insensitive SOS-phosphorylating activity was reconstituted in whole-cell extracts and did not bind to a MonoQ anion-exchange column. In contrast, ERK1/2 protein was retained by the MonoQ column, eluted with approximately 200 mM NaCl, and was MKP-1 sensitive. Although MEK also does not bind to MonoQ, immunodepletion analysis demonstrated that MEK is not the insulin-stimulated SOS-phosphorylating activity. Together, these data demonstrate that at least one of the kinases responsible for SOS phosphorylation and functional dissociation of the Grb2-SOS complex is an ERK-independent but MEK-dependent insulin-stimulated protein kinase.     

Stimulation of protein synthesis, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E phosphorylation, and PHAS-I phosphorylation by insulin requires insulin receptor substrate 1 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase.

Insulin rapidly stimulates protein synthesis in a wide variety of tissues. This stimulation is associated with phosphorylation of several translational initiation and elongation factors, but little is known about the signaling pathways to these events. To study these pathways, we have used a myeloid progenitor cell line (32D) which is dependent on interleukin 3 but insensitive to insulin because of the very low levels of insulin receptor (IR) and the complete lack of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-signaling proteins (IRS-1 and IRS-2). Expression of more IR permits partial stimulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase by insulin, and expression of IRS-1 alone mediates insulin stimulation of the 70-kDa S6 kinase (pp70S6K) by the endogenous IR. However, expression of both IR and IRS-1 is required for stimulation of protein synthesis. Moreover, this effect requires activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), as determined by wortmannin inhibition and the use of an IRS-1 variant lacking all Tyr residues except those which activate PI3K. Stimulation of general protein synthesis does not involve activation by IRS-1 of GRB-2-SOS-p21ras or SH-PTP2, since IRS-1 variants lacking the SH2-binding Tyr residues for these proteins are fully active. Nor does it involve pp70S6K, since rapamycin, while strongly inhibiting the synthesis of a small subset of growth-regulated proteins, only slightly inhibits total protein synthesis. Recruitment of mRNAs to the ribosome is enhanced by phosphorylation of eIF4E, the cap-binding protein, and PHAS-I, a protein that specifically binds eIF4E. The behavior of cell lines containing IRS-1 variants and inhibition by wortmannin and rapamycin indicate that the phosphorylation of both proteins requires IRS-1-mediated stimulation of PI3K and pp70S6K but not mitogen-activated protein kinase or SH-PTP2.     

Insulin receptor substrate-2 phosphorylation is necessary for protein kinase C zeta activation by insulin in L6hIR cells

We have investigated glycogen synthase (GS) activation in L6hIR cells expressing a peptide corresponding to the kinase regulatory loop binding domain of insulin receptor substrate-2 (IRS-2) (KRLB). In several clones of these cells (B2, F4), insulin-dependent binding of the KRLB to insulin receptors was accompanied by a block of IRS-2, but not IRS-1, phosphorylation, and insulin receptor binding. GS activation by insulin was also inhibited by >70% in these cells (p < 0.001). The impairment of GS activation was paralleled by a similarly sized inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3 alpha (GSK3 alpha) and GSK3 beta inactivation by insulin with no change in protein phosphatase 1 activity. PDK1 (a phosphatidylinositol trisphosphate-dependent kinase) and Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) activation by insulin showed no difference in B2, F4, and in control L6hIR cells. At variance, insulin did not activate PKC zeta in B2 and F4 cells. In L6hIR, inhibition of PKC zeta activity by either a PKC zeta antisense or a dominant negative mutant also reduced by 75% insulin inactivation of GSK3 alpha and -beta (p < 0.001) and insulin stimulation of GS (p < 0.002), similar to Akt/PKB inhibition. In L6hIR, insulin induced protein kinase C zeta (PKC zeta) co-precipitation with GSK3 alpha and beta. PKC zeta also phosphorylated GSK3 alpha and -beta. Alone, these events did not significantly affect GSK3 alpha and -beta activities. Inhibition of PKC zeta activity, however, reduced Akt/PKB phosphorylation of the key serine sites on GSK3 alpha and -beta by >80% (p < 0.001) and prevented full GSK3 inactivation by insulin. Thus, IRS-2, not IRS-1, signals insulin activation of GS in the L6hIR skeletal muscle cells. In these cells, insulin inhibition of GSK3 alpha and -beta requires dual phosphorylation by both Akt/PKB and PKC zeta.     

Essential role of protein kinase C zeta in the impairment of insulin-induced glucose transport in IRS-2-deficient brown adipocytes

Insulin receptor substrate-2-deficient (IRS-2(-/-)) mice develop type 2 diabetes. We have investigated the molecular mechanisms by which IRS-2(-/-) immortalized brown adipocytes showed an impaired response to insulin in inducing GLUT4 translocation and glucose uptake. IRS-2-associated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) activity was blunted in IRS-2(-/-) cells, total PI 3-kinase activity being reduced by 30%. Downstream, activation of protein kinase C (PKC) zeta was abolished in IRS-2(-/-) cells. Reconstitution with retroviral IRS-2 restores IRS-2/PI 3-kinase/PKC zeta signalling, as well as glucose uptake. Wild-type cells expressing a kinase-inactive mutant of PKC zeta lack GLUT4 translocation and glucose uptake. Our results support the essential role played by PKC zeta in the insulin resistance and impaired glucose uptake observed in IRS-2-deficient brown adipocytes.     

Role of IRS-1-GRB-2 complexes in insulin signaling.

GRB-2 is a small SH2- and SH3 domain-containing adapter protein that associates with the mammalian SOS homolog to regulate p21ras during growth factor signaling. During insulin stimulation, GRB-2 binds to the phosphorylated Y895VNI motif of IRS-1. Substitution of Tyr-895 with phenylalanine (IRS-1F-895) prevented the IRS-1-GRB-2 association in vivo and in vitro. The myeloid progenitor cell line, 32-D, is insensitive to insulin because it contains few insulin receptors and no IRS-1. Coexpression of IRS-1 or IRS-1F-895 with the insulin receptor was required for insulin-stimulated mitogenesis in 32-D cells, while expression of the insulin receptor alone was sufficient to mediate insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc and activation of p21ras and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. The Shc-GRB-2 complex formed during insulin stimulation is a possible mediator of p21ras and MAP kinase activation in IRS-1-deficient 32-D cells. Interestingly, IRS-1, but not IRS-1F-895, enhanced the stimulation of MAP kinase by insulin in 32-D cells expressing insulin receptors. Thus, IRS-1 contributes to the stimulation of MAP kinase by insulin, probably through formation of the IRS-1-GRB-2 complex at Tyr-895. Our results suggest that the Shc-GRB-2 complex and the activation of p21ras-dependent signaling pathways, including MAP kinase, are insufficient for insulin-stimulated mitogenesis and that the essential function(s) of IRS-1 in proliferative signaling is largely unrelated to IRS-1-GRB-2 complex formation.     

Insulin-activated protein kinase Cbeta bypasses Ras and stimulates mitogen-activated protein kinase activity and cell proliferation in muscle cells

In L6 muscle cells expressing wild-type human insulin receptors (L6hIR), insulin induced protein kinase Calpha (PKCalpha) and beta activities. The expression of kinase-deficient IR mutants abolished insulin stimulation of these PKC isoforms, indicating that receptor kinase is necessary for PKC activation by insulin. In L6hIR cells, inhibition of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) expression caused a 90% decrease in insulin-induced PKCalpha and -beta activation and blocked insulin stimulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and DNA synthesis. Blocking PKCbeta with either antisense oligonucleotide or the specific inhibitor LY379196 decreased the effects of insulin on MAPK activity and DNA synthesis by >80% but did not affect epidermal growth factor (EGF)- and serum-stimulated mitogenesis. In contrast, blocking c-Ras with lovastatin or the use of the L61,S186 dominant negative Ras mutant inhibited insulin-stimulated MAPK activity and DNA synthesis by only about 30% but completely blocked the effect of EGF. PKCbeta block did not affect Ras activity but almost completely inhibited insulin-induced Raf kinase activation and coprecipitation with PKCbeta. Finally, blocking PKCalpha expression by antisense oligonucleotide constitutively increased MAPK activity and DNA synthesis, with little effect on their insulin sensitivity. We make the following conclusions. (i) The tyrosine kinase activity of the IR is necessary for insulin activation of PKCalpha and -beta. (ii) IRS-1 phosphorylation is necessary for insulin activation of these PKCs in the L6 cells. (iii) In these cells, PKCbeta plays a unique Ras-independent role in mediating insulin but not EGF or other growth factor mitogenic signals.     

Human glycated albumin affects glucose metabolism in L6 skeletal muscle cells by impairing insulin-induced insulin receptor substrate (IRS) signaling through a protein kinase C alpha-mediated mechanism

Nonenzymatic glycation is increased in diabetes and leads to increased levels of glycated proteins. Most studies have focused on the role of glycation products in vascular complications. Here, we have investigated the action of human glycated albumin (HGA) on insulin signaling in L6 skeletal muscle cells. Exposure of these cells to HGA inhibited insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthase activity by 95 and 80%, respectively. These effects were time- and dose-dependent, reaching a maximum after 12 h incubation with 0.1 mg/ml HGA. In contrast, exposure of the cells to HGA had no effect on thymidine incorporation. Further, HGA reduced insulin-stimulated serine phosphorylation of PKB and GSK3, but did not alter ERK1/2 activation. HGA did not affect either insulin receptor kinase activity or insulin-induced Shc phosphorylation on tyrosine. In contrast, insulin-dependent IRS-1 and IRS-2 tyrosine phosphorylation was severely reduced in cells preincubated with HGA for 24 h. Insulin-stimulated association of PI3K with IRS-1 and IRS-2, and PI3K activity were reduced by HGA in parallel with the changes in IRS tyrosine phosphorylation, while Grb2-IRS association was unchanged. In L6 myotubes, exposure to HGA increased PKC activity by 2-fold resulting in a similar increase in Ser/Thr phosphorylation of IRS-1 and IRS-2. These phosphorylations were blocked by the PKC inhibitor bisindolylmaleimide (BDM). BDM also blocked the action of HGA on insulin-stimulated PKB and GSK3 alpha. Simultaneously, BDM rescued insulin-stimulation of glucose uptake and glycogen synthase activity in cells exposed to HGA. The use of antibodies specific to PKC isoforms shows that this effect appears to be mediated by activated PKC alpha, independent of reactive oxygen species production. In summary, in L6 skeletal muscle cells, exposure to HGA leads to insulin resistance selectively in glucose metabolism with no effect on growth-related pathways regulated by the hormone.     

Adenovirus-mediated overexpression of IRS-1 interacting domains abolishes insulin-stimulated mitogenesis without affecting glucose transport in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Activated insulin receptor (IR) interacts with its substrates, IRS-1, IRS-2, and Shc via the NPXY motif centered at Y960. This interaction is important for IRS-1 phosphorylation. Studies using the yeast two-hybrid system and sequence identity analysis between IRS-1 and IRS-2 have identified two putative elements, the PTB and SAIN domains, between amino acids 108 and 516 of IRS-1 that are sufficient for receptor interaction. However, their precise function in mediating insulin's bioeffects is not understood. We expressed the PTB and SAIN domains of IRS-1 in HIRcB fibroblasts and 3T3-L1 adipocytes utilizing replication-defective adenoviral infection to investigate their role in insulin signalling. In both cell types, overexpression of either the PTB or the SAIN protein caused a significant decrease in insulin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1 and Shc proteins, IRS-1-associated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-K) enzymatic activity, p70s6k activation, and p44 and p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation. However, epidermal growth factor-induced Shc and MAPK phosphorylation was unaffected by the overexpressed proteins. These findings were associated with a complete inhibition of insulin-stimulated cell cycle progression. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, PTB or SAIN expression extinguished IRS-1 phosphorylation with a corresponding 90% decrease in IRS-1-associated PI 3-K activity. p70s6k is a downstream target of PI 3-K, and insulin-stimulated p70s6k was inhibited by PTB or SAIN expression. Interestingly, overexpression of either PTB or SAIN protein did not affect insulin-induced AKT activation or insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose transport, even though both of these bioeffects are inhibited by wortmannin. Thus, interference with the IRS-1-IR interaction inhibits insulin-stimulated IRS-1 and Shc phosphorylation, PI 3-K enzymatic activity, p70s6k activation, MAPK phosphorylation and cell cycle progression. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, interference with the IR-IRS-1 interaction did not cause inhibition of insulin-stimulated AKT activation or glucose transport. These results indicate a bifurcation or subcompartmentalization of the insulin signalling pathway whereby some targets of PI 3-K (i.e., p70s6k) are dependent on IRS-1-associated PI 3-K and other targets (i.e., AKT and glucose transport) are not. IR-IRS-1 interaction is not essential for insulin's effect on glucose transport, and alternate, or redundant, pathways exist in these cells.     

Insulin activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and Akt is phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent in rat adipocytes

To explore the mechanism of MAP kinase activation in adipocytes, we examined the possible involvement of several candidate signaling proteins. MAP kinase activity was markedly increased 2-4 min after treatment with insulin and declined to basal levels after 20 min. The insulin-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1 in the internal membrane and its association with phosphatidylinositol 3 (PI3) kinase preceded MAP kinase activation. There was little or no tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc or association of Grb2 with Shc or IRS-1. Specific PI3 kinase inhibitors blocked the insulin-mediated activation of MAP kinase. They also decreased the activation of MAP kinase by PMA and EGF but to a much lesser extent. Insulin induced phosphorylation of AKT on serine/threonine residues, and its effect could be blocked by PI3 kinase inhibitors. These results suggest that the insulin-dependent activation of MAP kinase in adipocytes is mediated by the IRS-1/PI3 kinase pathway but not by the Shc/Grb2/SOS pathway.     

Insulin substrates 1 and 2 are corequired for activation of atypical protein kinase C and Cbl-dependent phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase during insulin action in immortalized brown adipocytes

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent activation of atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) is required for insulin-stimulated glucose transport. Although insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) and IRS-2, among other factors, activate PI3K, there is little information on the relative roles of IRS-1and IRS-2 during aPKC activation by insulin action in specific cell types. Presently, we have used immortalized brown adipocytes in which either IRS-1 or IRS-2 has been knocked out by recombinant methods to examine IRS-1 and IRS-2 requirements for activation of aPKC. We have also used these adipocytes to see if IRS-1 and IRS-2 are required for activation of Cbl, which is required for insulin-stimulated glucose transport and has been found to function upstream of both PI3K/aPKC and Crk during thiazolidinedione action in 3T3/L1 adipocytes [Miura et al. (2003) Biochemistry 42, 14335]. In brown adipocytes in which either IRS-1 or IRS-2 was knocked out, insulin-induced increases in aPKC activity and glucose transport were markedly diminished. These effects of insulin on aPKC and glucose transport were fully restored by retroviral-mediated expression of IRS-1 or IRS-2 in their respective knockout cells. Knockout of IRS-1 or IRS-2 also inhibited insulin-induced increases in Cbl binding to the p85 subunit of PI3K, which, along with IRS-1/2, may be required for activation of PI3K, aPKC, and glucose transport during insulin action in 3T3/L1 adipocytes. These findings provide evidence that directly links both IRS-1 and IRS-2 to aPKC activation in immortalized brown adipocytes, and further suggest that IRS-1 and IRS-2 are required for the activation of Cbl/PI3K during insulin action in these cells.     

Knockout of PKC alpha enhances insulin signaling through PI3K

Insulin stimulates glucose transport and certain other metabolic processes by activating atypical PKC isoforms (lambda, zeta, iota) and protein kinase B (PKB) through increases in D3-polyphosphoinositides derived from the action of PI3K. The role of diacylglycerol-sensitive PKC isoforms is less clear as they have been suggested to be both activated by insulin and yet inhibit insulin signaling to PI3K. Presently, we found that insulin signaling to insulin receptor substrate 1-dependent PI3K, PKB, and PKC lambda, and downstream processes, glucose transport and activation of ERK, were enhanced in skeletal muscles and adipocytes of mice in which the ubiquitous conventional diacylglycerol-sensitive PKC isoform, PKC alpha, was knocked out by homologous recombination. On the other hand, insulin provoked wortmannin-insensitive increases in immunoprecipitable PKC alpha activity in adipocytes and skeletal muscles of wild-type mice and rats. We conclude that 1) PKC alpha is not required for insulin-stimulated glucose transport, and 2) PKC alpha is activated by insulin at least partly independently of PI3K, and largely serves as a physiological feedback inhibitor of insulin signaling to the insulin receptor substrate 1/PI3K/PKB/PKC lambda/zeta/iota complex and dependent metabolic processes.     

Pertussis toxin-sensitive and insensitive intracellular signalling pathways in undifferentiated 3T3-L1 cells stimulated by insulin converge with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase upstream of the Ras mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade.

We have previously reported that pertussis toxin (PTX)-sensitive GTP binding protein (G-protein) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-K) are involved in adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells induced by insulin/dexamethasone/methylisobutyl xanthine. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of PTX on the tyrosine kinase cascade stimulated by insulin acting through insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) receptors in undifferentiated 3T3-L1 cells. A high level of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation was sustained for up to 4 h after insulin treatment, and mobility shifted and tyrosine phosphorylated MAPK was also detected. MAPK kinase activity measured by the incorporation of 32P into kinase-negative recombinant MAPK was enhanced by insulin treatment. We previously discovered that insulin activates Ras and that this is mediated by wortmannin-sensitive PI 3-K. Tyrosine-phosphorylation of IRS-1 and Shc also occurred in response to insulin. Subsequently, we investigated the effects of PTX on the activation of these proteins by insulin. Interestingly, treating 3T3-L1 cells with PTX attenuates the activation by insulin of both the Ras-MAPK cascade and PI 3-K. In contrast, neither tyrosine-phosphorylation of IRS-1 and Shc nor the interaction between IRS-1 and PI 3-K is sensitive to PTX. However, activation of the Ras-MAPK cascade and tyrosine-phosphorylation of Shc by epidermal growth factor are insensitive to PTX. These results indicate that there is another pathway which regulates PI 3-K and Ras-MAPK, independent of the pathway mediated by IGF-I receptor kinase. These findings suggest that in 3T3-L1 fibroblasts, PTX-sensitive G-proteins cross-talk with the Ras-MAPK pathway via PI 3-K by insulin acting via IGF-I receptors.     

Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase is required for insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

The interactions between the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) and Ras/MAPK kinase pathways have been the subject of considerable interest. In the current studies, we find that epidermal growth factor (EGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) lead to rapid phosphorylation of Shc (maximum at 1-2 min), whereas insulin-mediated Shc phosphorylation is relatively delayed (maximum at 5-10 min), suggesting that an intermediary step may be necessary for insulin stimulation of Shc phosphorylation. The Src homology-2 (SH2) domain of Shc is necessary for PDGF- and EGF-mediated Shc phosphorylation, whereas the phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domain is critical for the actions of insulin. Because the Shc PTB domain can interact with phospholipids, we postulated that PI 3-kinase might be a necessary intermediary step facilitating insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of Shc. In support of this, we found that the PI 3-kinase inhibitors, wortmannin and LY294002, blocked insulin-stimulated but not EGF- or PDGF-stimulated Shc phosphorylation. Furthermore, overexpression of a dominant negative PI 3-kinase construct (p85N-SH2) blocked insulin, but not EGF- or PDGF-induced Shc phosphorylation. All three growth factors cause localization of Shc to the plasma membrane, but only the effect of insulin was inhibited by wortmannin, supporting the view that PI 3-kinase-generated phospholipids mediate insulin-stimulated Shc phosphorylation. Consistent with this, expression of a constitutively active PI 3-kinase (p110(C)(AAX)) increased membrane localization of Shc, and this was completely blocked by wortmannin. A mutant Shc with a disrupted PTB domain (Shc S154) did not localize to the membrane in p110(C)(AAX)-expressing cells or after insulin stimulation and was not phosphorylated by insulin. In summary, 1) PI 3-kinase is a necessary early step in insulin-stimulated Shc phosphorylation, whereas the effects of EGF and PDGF on Shc phosphorylation are independent of PI 3-kinase. 2) PI 3-kinase-stimulated generation of membrane phospholipids can localize Shc to the plasma membrane through the Shc PTB domain facilitating phosphorylation by the insulin receptor.     

In vivo insulin signaling through PI3-kinase is impaired in skeletal muscle of adult rat offspring exposed to ethanol in utero.

It is now known that prenatal ethanol (EtOH) exposure is associated with impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance in rat offspring, but the underlying mechanism(s) is not known. To test the hypothesis that in vivo insulin signaling through phosphatidylinositol 3 (PI3)-kinase is reduced in skeletal muscle of adult rat offspring exposed to EtOH in utero, we gave insulin intravenously to these rats and probed steps in the PI3-kinase insulin signaling pathway. After insulin treatment, EtOH-exposed rats had decreased tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor beta-subunit and of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1), as well as reduced IRS-1-associated PI3-kinase in the gastrocnemius muscle compared with control rats. There was no significant difference in basal or insulin-stimulated Akt activity between EtOH-exposed rats and controls. Insulin-stimulated PKC isoform zeta phosphorylation and membrane association were reduced in EtOH-exposed rats compared with controls. Muscle insulin binding and peptide contents of insulin receptor, IRS-1, p85 subunit of PI3-kinase, Akt/PKB, and atypical PKC isoform zeta were not different between EtOH-exposed rats and controls. Thus insulin resistance in rat offspring exposed to EtOH in utero may be explained, at least in part, by impaired insulin signaling through the PI3-kinase pathway in skeletal muscle.     

IRS-4 mediates protein kinase B signaling during insulin stimulation without promoting antiapoptosis

Insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins are tyrosine phosphorylated and mediate multiple signals during activation of the receptors for insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and various cytokines. In order to distinguish common and unique functions of IRS-1, IRS-2, and IRS-4, we expressed them individually in 32D myeloid progenitor cells containing the human insulin receptor (32D(IR)). Insulin promoted the association of Grb-2 with IRS-1 and IRS-4, whereas IRS-2 weakly bound Grb-2; consequently, IRS-1 and IRS-4 enhanced insulin-stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase activity. During insulin stimulation, IRS-1 and IRS-2 strongly bound p85alpha/beta, which activated phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase, protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt, and p70(s6k), and promoted the phosphorylation of BAD. IRS-4 also promoted the activation of PKB/Akt and BAD phosphorylation during insulin stimulation; however, it weakly bound or activated p85-associated PI 3-kinase and failed to mediate the activation of p70(s6k). Insulin strongly inhibited apoptosis of interleukin-3 (IL-3)-deprived 32D(IR) cells expressing IRS-1 or IRS-2 but failed to inhibit apoptosis of cells expressing IRS-4. Consequently, 32D(IR) cells expressing IRS-4 proliferated slowly during insulin stimulation. Thus, the activation of PKB/Akt and BAD phosphorylation might not be sufficient to inhibit the apoptosis of IL-3-deprived 32D(IR) cells unless p85-associated PI 3-kinase or p70(s6k) are strongly activated.     

Effect of tumor necrosis factor-alpha on insulin signal transduction in rat adipocytes: relation to PKCbeta and zeta translocation

Although much evidence has been accumulated suggesting that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) is an important mediator of insulin resistance, the precise mechanism involved is still unclear. Recently, it has been reported that insulin-induced glucose uptake is mediated by activation of second messengers such as insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and diacylglycerol (DG)-protein kinase C (PKC). We have examined the effect of TNF-alpha on insulin-induced glucose uptake and activations of tyrosine kinase, IRS-1, PI3K and PKC in rat adipocytes. Pretreatment with 0.1-100 nM TNF-alpha for 60 min resulted in a significant decrease in 10 nM insulin- or 1 microM 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced [3H]2-deoxyglucose uptake without affecting basal glucose uptake. 10 nM insulin-stimulated activation of tyrosine kinase, IRS-1 and PI3K was suppressed by preincubation with 0.1-10 nM TNF-alpha for 60 min. 10 nM TNF-alpha pretreatment also suppressed 10 nM insulin- and 1 microM TPA-induced increases in membrane-associated PKCbeta and PKCzeta. Furthermore, 10 nM TNF-alpha, by itself, altered PKCbeta translocation from the membrane to cytosol. These results suggest that TNF-alpha inhibits insulin-stimulated activation of both the tyrosine kinase-IRS-1-PI3K-PKCzeta pathway and DG-PKC pathway. Finally, TNF-alpha contributes to insulin resistance in rat adipocytes.     

The Drosophila insulin receptor activates multiple signaling pathways but requires insulin receptor substrate proteins for DNA synthesis.

The Drosophila insulin receptor (DIR) contains a 368-amino-acid COOH-terminal extension that contains several tyrosine phosphorylation sites in YXXM motifs. This extension is absent from the human insulin receptor but resembles a region in insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins which binds to the phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase and mediates mitogenesis. The function of a chimeric DIR containing the human insulin receptor binding domain (hDIR) was investigated in 32D cells, which contain few insulin receptors and no IRS proteins. Insulin stimulated tyrosine autophosphorylation of the human insulin receptor and hDIR, and both receptors mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc and activated mitogen-activated protein kinase. IRS-1 was required by the human insulin receptor to activate PI 3-kinase and p70s6k, whereas hDIR associated with PI 3-kinase and activated p70s6k without IRS-1. However, both receptors required IRS-1 to mediate insulin-stimulated mitogenesis. These data demonstrate that the DIR possesses additional signaling capabilities compared with its mammalian counterpart but still requires IRS-1 for the complete insulin response in mammalian cells.     

Insulin-sensitive protein kinases (atypical protein kinase C and protein kinase B/Akt): actions and defects in obesity and type II diabetes

Glucose transport into muscle is the initial process in glucose clearance and is uniformly defective in insulin-resistant conditions of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and Type II diabetes mellitus. Insulin regulates glucose transport by activating insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1)-dependent phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) which, via increases in PI-3,4,5-triphosphate (PIP(3)), activates atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) and protein kinase B (PKB/Akt). Here, we review (i) the evidence that both aPKC and PKB are required for insulin-stimulated glucose transport, (ii) abnormalities in muscle aPKC/PKB activation seen in obesity and diabetes, and (iii) mechanisms for impaired aPKC activation in insulin-resistant conditions. In most cases, defective muscle aPKC/PKB activation reflects both impaired activation of IRS-1/PI3K, the upstream activator of aPKC and PKB in muscle and, in the case of aPKC, poor responsiveness to PIP(3), the lipid product of PI3K. Interestingly, insulin-sensitizing agents (e.g., thiazolidinediones, metformin) improve aPKC activation by insulin in vivo and PIP3 in vitro, most likely by activating 5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, which favorably alters intracellular lipid metabolism.Differently from muscle, aPKC activation in the liver is dependent on IRS-2/PI3K rather than IRS-1/PI3K and, surprisingly, the activation of IRS-2/PI3K and aPKC is conserved in high-fat feeding, obesity, and diabetes. This conservation has important implications, as continued activation of hepatic aPKC in hyperinsulinemic states may increase the expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c, which controls genes that increase hepatic lipid synthesis. On the other hand, the defective activation of IRS-1/PI3K and PKB, as seen in diabetic liver, undoubtedly and importantly contributes to increases in hepatic glucose output. Thus, the divergent activation of aPKC and PKB in the liver may explain why some hepatic actions of insulin (e.g., aPKC-dependent lipid synthesis) are increased while other actions (e.g., PKB-dependent glucose metabolism) are diminished. This may explain the paradox that the liver secretes excessive amounts of both very low density lipoprotein triglycerides and glucose in Type II diabetes.Previous reviews from our laboratory that have appeared in the Proceedings have provided essentials on phospholipid-signaling mechanisms used by insulin to activate several protein kinases that seem to be important in mediating the metabolic effects of insulin. During recent years, there have been many new advances in our understanding of how these lipid-dependent protein kinases function during insulin action and why they fail to function in states of insulin resistance. The present review will attempt to summarize what we believe are some of the more important advances.     

Insulin receptor substrate 1 rescues insulin action in CHO cells expressing mutant insulin receptors that lack a juxtamembrane NPXY motif.

Insulin signals are mediated through tyrosine phosphorylation of specific proteins such as insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) and Shc by the activated insulin receptor (IR). Phosphorylation of both proteins is nearly abolished by an alanine substitution at Tyr-960 (A960) in the beta-subunit of the receptor. However, overexpression of IRS-1 in CHO cells expressing the mutant receptor (A960 cells) restored sufficient tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1 to rescue IRS-1/Grb-2 binding and phosphatidylinositol 3' kinase activation during insulin stimulation. Shc tyrosine phosphorylation and its binding to Grb-2 were impaired in the A960 cells and were unaffected by overexpression of IRS-1. Although overexpression of IRS-1 increased IRS-1 binding to Grb-2, ERK-1/ERK-2 activation was not rescued. These data suggest that signaling molecules other than IRS-1, perhaps including Shc, are critical for insulin stimulation of p21ras. Interestingly, overexpression of IRS-1 in the A960 cells restored insulin-stimulated mitogenesis and partially restored insulin stimulation of glycogen synthesis. Thus, IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation is sufficient to increase the mitogenic response to insulin, whereas insulin stimulation of glycogen synthesis appears to involve other factors. Moreover, IRS-1 phosphorylation is either not sufficient or not involved in insulin stimulation of ERK.