Stimulation of cardiac glucose transport by thioctic acid and insulin.

Thioctic acid (alpha-lipoic acid) has been shown to improve insulin-regulated glucose disposal in animal models of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetic patients. In the present study, we have used isolated adult ventricular cardiomyocytes in order to analyze 1) direct effects of this compound on glucose uptake in a primary muscle cell, and 2) the interaction with the insulin signalling cascade. Both insulin and thioctic acid (2.5 mM) induced a rapid increase in 3-O-methylglucose transport to 322+/-43 and 385+/-58 (n = 5) percent of basal control, respectively. Combined stimulation did not result in an additional significant increase in the transport rate. Preincubation of cardiomyocytes with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin completely abolished the effects of insulin and thioctic acid, whereas gamma-linolenic acid selectively blocked the effect of this compound. These data show that thioctic acid mimics insulin action by activating the signalling cascade at or before the level of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase.     

Stimulation of glucose transport and glucose transporter phosphorylation by okadaic acid in rat adipocytes

Okadaic acid, an inhibitor of Type I and IIa protein phosphatases, was recently found to stimulate 2-deoxyglucose uptake in rat adipocytes (Haystead, T. A. J., Sim, A. T. R., Carling, D., Honnor, R. C., Tsukitani, Y., Cohen, P., and Hardie, D. G. (1989) Nature 337, 78-81). In the present experiments the effect of okadaic acid on the phosphorylation and subcellular distribution of the insulin-regulatable glucose transporter (IRGT) was investigated. At maximally effective concentrations, insulin and okadaic acid increased the amount of IRGT in the plasma membrane by 10- and 4-fold, respectively. Thus, the stimulation of glucose transport by okadaic acid was apparently due to an increase in the surface concentration of the IRGT. However, despite its stimulatory actions, okadaic acid partially inhibited the ability of insulin to enhance glucose transport and translocation of the transporter. When cells were incubated with okadaic acid alone or in combination with insulin, phosphorylation of the IRGT in the plasma membrane was increased by approximately 3-fold relative to the intracellular pool of transporters in control cells. Phosphorylation of the IRGT was confined to the presumed cytoplasmic domain at the COOH terminus of the protein. Glucose transporters were dephosphorylated in vitro by Type I or Type IIa protein phosphatases, indicating that inhibition of one or both of these phosphatases could account for the increased phosphorylation produced by okadaic acid. The observation that okadaic acid stimulated translocation of the IRGT implicated a serine/threonine phosphorylation event in triggering movement of the intracellular IRGT-containing vesicles (GTV) to the cell surface. Immunoadsorption of GTV from 32P-labeled adipocytes revealed that the IRGT was the major phosphoprotein in these vesicles. The phosphorylation of at least three other GTV proteins was increased by okadaic acid, and these species would appear to be candidates for regulators of GTV movement to the plasma membrane. It is unlikely that phosphorylation of the IRGT is the signal for translocation because insulin did not increase phosphorylation of the protein. Rather, the inhibitory effect of okadaic acid on insulin-stimulated translocation is consistent with the hypothesis that phosphorylation of the IRGT promotes its internalization.     

Modulation of glucose transporters in rat diaphragm by sodium tungstate

The somatic isoform of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) consists of two homologous domains (N- and C-domains), each bearing a catalytic site. We have used the two-domain ACE form and its individual domains to compare characteristics of different domains and to probe mutual functioning of the two active sites within a bovine ACE molecule. The substrate Cbz-Phe-His-Leu (N-carbobenzoxy-L-phenylalanyl-L-histidyl-L-leucine; from the panel of seven) was hydrolyzed faster by the N-domain, the substrates FA-Phe-Gly-Gly (N-(3-[2-furyl]acryloyl)-L-phenylalanyl-glycyl-glycine) and Hip-His-Leu (N-benzoyl-glycyl-L-histidyl-L-leucine) were hydrolyzed by both domains with equal rates, while other substrates were preferentially hydrolyzed by the C-domain. The inhibitor captopril ((2S)-1-(3-mercapto-2-methylpropionyl)-L-proline) bound to the N-domain more effectively than to the C-domain, whereas lisinopril ((S)-N(alpha)-(1-carboxy-3-phenylpropyl)-L-lysyl-L-proline) bound to equal extent with all ACE forms. However, active site titration with lisinopril assayed by hydrolysis of FA-Phe-Gly-Gly revealed that 1 mol of inhibitor/mol of enzyme abolished the activity of either two-domain or single-domain ACE forms, indicating that a single active site functions in bovine somatic ACE. Neither of the k(cat) values obtained for somatic enzyme was the sum of k(cat) values for individual domains, but in every case the value of the catalytic constant of the hydrolysis of the substrate by the two-domain ACE represented the mean quantity of the values of the corresponding catalytic constants obtained for single-domain forms. The results indicate that the two active sites within bovine somatic ACE exhibit strong negative cooperativity.     

Effect of alanine on in vitro glucose utilization by rat interscapular brown adipose tissue

The rates of either glucose or alanine incorporation into tissue and oxidation to CO2 were studied in rat interscapular brown adipose tissue in order to evaluate the mutual influence of both substrates on their uptake and utilization. Tissue fragments were incubated in vitro in the presence of 1-10 mM glucose and 0.3-1.5 mM alanine. The highest glucose oxidation rate was obtained with the lowest alanine concentrations tested. This suggests that alanine inhibits glucose utilization by this tissue at concentrations that are within the physiological plasmatic range. Glucose levels had little effect upon alanine oxidation, but glucose had a permissive effect on the utilization of alanine. On the basis of these results, it is postulated that this glucose conservation effect of alanine on brown adipose tissue can help to prevent glucose wastage in postprandrial situations.     

Stimulation of glucose phosphorylation by fructose in isolated rat hepatocytes

The phosphorylation of glucose was measured by the formation of [3H]H2O from [2-3H]glucose in suspensions of freshly isolated rat hepatocytes. Fructose (0.2 mM) stimulated 2-4-fold the rate of phosphorylation of 5 mM glucose although not of 40 mM glucose, thus increasing the apparent affinity of the glucose phosphorylating system. A half-maximal stimulatory effect was observed at about 50 microM fructose. Stimulation was maximal 5 min after addition of the ketose and was stable for at least 40 min, during which period 60% of the fructose was consumed. The effect of fructose was reversible upon removal of the ketose. Sorbitol and tagatose were as potent as fructose in stimulating the phosphorylation of 5 mM glucose. D-Glyceraldehyde also had a stimulatory effect but at tenfold higher concentrations. In contrast, dihydroxyacetone had no significant effect and glycerol inhibited the detritiation of glucose. Oleate did not affect the phosphorylation of glucose, even in the presence of fructose, although it stimulated the formation of ketone bodies severalfold, indicating that it was converted to its acyl-CoA derivative. These results allow the conclusion that fructose stimulates glucokinase in the intact hepatocyte. They also suggest that this effect is mediated through the formation of fructose 1-phosphate, which presumably interacts with a competitive inhibitor of glucokinase other than long-chain acyl-CoAs.     

Comparison of some metabolic parameters in the perfused and the incubated rat diaphragm muscle with diaphragm muscle in vivo

1. A method is described for perfusing the rat diaphragm muscle. 2. The following parameters were compared in both perfused and non-perfused incubated preparations: water content, sorbitol space, rate of lactate production, and the concentrations of tissue glucose, pyruvate, lactate, hexose phosphate intermediates, ATP and AMP. No significant differences were found. 3. Significant differences, however, were found on comparison of the tissue kept in vitro with the tissue in vivo. Immediately after removal of the tissue from the animal, the concentrations of the hexose phosphates and ATP were found to be much higher than after incubation or perfusion, and the concentrations of free glucose and of AMP were much lower, possibly indicating that the capacity for oxidative phosphorylation of glucose is impaired in vitro because of hypoxia.