Influence of serum and insulin on the accumulation of aminoisobutyrate by rat hepatoma cells.

1. Cultured rat hepatoma cells accumulate 2-aminoisobutyrate to high concentrations by a transport mechanism probably of the A type mediation. 2. Transport is enhanced by the presence of serum. When cells are deprived of serum the rate of transport declines over a period of hours; conversely addition of serum leads over a period of hours to increase in transport activity. In the presence of serum the apparent Km for aminoisobutyrate uptake is about 8 mM. In cells deprived of serum the Km is much higher. 3. Addition of insulin produces both an immediate increase in the rate of aminoisobutyrate uptake and a time-dependent rise. 4. The presence of alanine diminished aminoisobutyrate uptake in a concentration-dependent fashion. Competition is seen both in the presence and absence of serum but not when cells are incubated at 4 degrees C. 5. Preincubation with alanine for 1 h also diminishes aminoisobutyrate uptake when the alanine is removed. Cells take a period of several hours to recover from the depression of transport induced by alanine. 6. Transport of aminoisobutyrate rapidly declines in the presence of cycloheximide. Actinomycin had no effect for at least 8 h.     

Contrasting interactions between phorbol ester and insulin on the regulation of glycogen synthase activity and p33 mRNA accumulation in rat hepatoma cells

We have compared the effect of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) with that of insulin on three targets of insulin action in H4IIEC3 (H4) rat hepatoma cells. These parameters are the phosphorylation state and tyrosine kinase activity of the insulin receptor, the activation state of glycogen synthase, and the accumulation of p33 mRNA. Under conditions where insulin treatment of H4 cells clearly activated receptor serine and tyrosine phosphorylation on the insulin receptor beta-subunit in situ, activated receptor tyrosine kinase activity in vitro, and activated glycogen synthase and p33 mRNA accumulation in situ, PMA alone did not influence the insulin receptor phosphorylation state or tyrosine kinase activity and did not affect glycogen synthase activity, but markedly increased p33 mRNA accumulation. When PMA was added in the presence of insulin, particularly if PMA was preincubated, the receptor phosphorylation state and the tyrosine kinase activity again were not affected, but insulin-activated glycogen synthase was significantly diminished or abolished. In contrast, increased p33 mRNA accumulation by PMA was additive with that of insulin. Thus, under conditions where no effect was observed on the insulin receptor phosphorylation state or the tyrosine kinase activity, PMA acted in an insulin-antagonistic manner on glycogen synthase and in an insulin-like manner on p33 mRNA accumulation, indicating that these actions of PMA are unrelated to early events in the pathway of the insulin action. Effects on glycogen synthase are most readily explained by an effect of protein kinase C-activated phosphorylation of glycogen synthase.     

Regulation of insulin responsiveness in rat hepatoma cells

Insulin causes a 5 to 10-fold increase in the velocity of α-aminoisobutyric acid transport and a 2 to 3-fold increase in tyrosine aminotransferase activity in dexamethasone-treated hepatoma tissue culture cells. Maximal responses occur 2–4 hours after insulin addition but then decrease to control levels by 24 hours incubation. Medium conditioned by cells incubated with insulin for 24 hours retains sufficient biologically active insulin to produce an insulin response in fresh dexamethasone-treated cells. Readdition of insulin to insulin-treated cells, however, elicits no response, indicating that the cells are insensitive to the hormone. Incubation of such unresponsive cells in the absence of insulin results in recovery of responsiveness within 2 hours. These data suggest that exposure of rat hepatoma cells to insulin causes a complete but reversible loss of sensitivity to this hormone.     

Arylacetamide deacetylase attenuates fatty-acid-induced triacylglycerol accumulation in rat hepatoma cells

Mobilization of hepatic triacylglycerol stores provides substrates for mitochondrial β-oxidation and assembly of VLDLs; however, the identity of lipolytic enzymes involved in the regulation of this process remains largely unknown. Arylacetamide deacetylase (AADA) shares homology with hormone-sensitive lipase and therefore could potentially participate in hepatic lipid metabolism, including the regulation of hepatic triacylglycerol levels. We have established McArdle-RH7777 (rat hepatoma) cell lines stably expressing mouse AADA cDNA and performed metabolic labeling as well as lipid mass analyses. Expression of AADA cDNA in McArdle-RH7777 cells significantly reduced intracellular triacylglycerol levels and apolipoprotein B secretion and increased fatty acid oxidation.     

Intranuclear localization of insulin in rat hepatoma cells: insulin/matrix association

Previous studies have documented nuclear insulin accumulation in a variety of cell types. The present investigation extends these observations by demonstrating that insulin associates with the matrix fraction of H35 rat hepatoma cell nuclei. Nuclei were isolated from [125I]insulin-loaded cells and extracted with DNase I, RNase A and high salt. The resulting matrix fraction was found to contain greater than 75% of the radiolabel initially present. Ultrastructural studies to confirm these findings were carried out using an agarose-encapsulated nuclear matrix preparation. Electron microscopic immunocytochemistry specifically detected insulin in matrices prepared from insulin-treated cells. No reaction was observed in matrices obtained from non-insulin-treated (control) cells. Further biochemical analysis revealed that matrix-associated insulin could be solubilized with 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or in the presence of high urea concentrations. Gel filtration analysis of urea-solubilized matrix material revealed the presence of apparently intact [125I]insulin and a higher molecular weight peak. It is hypothesized that the latter may represent a tightly associated complex of insulin with some matrix protein(s).     

Effects of dexamethasone and insulin on the acute phase response of Morris hepatoma cells and of rat hepatocytes in culture

Dexamethasone and insulin stimulate production of several plasma proteins in primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes but inhibit their production in primary cultures of Morris hepatoma cell line 7777W. The acute phase response elicited in cultured cells by crude cytokines from activated rat peritoneal macrophages is considerably higher in hepatocytes in the presence of hormones, and especially of dexamethasone. In hepatoma cells the hormones enhance the cytokine-induced formation of fibrinogen and cysteine proteinase inhibitor but are without significant effect on suppression of albumin and alpha-fetoprotein synthesis by macrophage supernatants.     

Tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor during insulin-stimulated internalization in rat hepatoma cells

We have studied the phosphorylation state of the insulin receptor during receptor-mediated endocytosis in the well-differentiated rat hepatoma cell line Fao. Insulin induced the rapid internalization of surface-iodinated insulin receptors into a trypsin-resistant compartment, with a 3-fold increase in the internalization rate over that seen in the absence of insulin. Within 20 min of insulin stimulation, 30-35% of surface receptors were located inside the cell. This redistribution was half-maximal by 10.5 min. Similar results were obtained when the loss of surface receptors was measured by 125I-insulin binding. Tyrosyl phosphorylation of internalized insulin receptors was measured by immunoprecipitation with antiphosphotyrosine antibody. Immediately after insulin stimulation, 70-80% of internalized receptors were tyrosine phosphorylated. Internalized receptors persisted in a phosphorylated state after the dissociation of insulin but were dephosphorylated prior to their return to the plasma membrane. After 45-60 min of insulin stimulation, the tyrosine phosphorylation of the internal receptor pool decreased by 45%, whereas the phosphorylation of surface receptors was unchanged. These data suggest that insulin induces the internalization of phosphorylated insulin receptors into the cell and that the phosphorylation state of the internal receptor pool may be regulated by insulin.     

Interaction of insulin and phorbol esters on the regulation of DNA synthesis in rat hepatoma cells

Insulin and phorbol esters stimulated DNA synthesis in rat H4 hepatoma cells. Insulin and phorbol ester induction of thymidine incorporation was dose-dependent, with a maximal 4.2- and 3.0-fold increases at concentrations of 1 x 10(-9)M and 1 microM, respectively. Phorbol esters in combination with increasing concentrations of insulin resulted in additive effects, but only at submaximal insulin concentrations. The combination failed to increase thymidine incorporation above the maximal effects produced by insulin alone. When cells were pretreated with phorbol esters for 24h to produce protein kinase-C (PKC) deficiency, basal DNA synthesis was depressed. Pretreatment with phorbol esters abolished the effects of phorbol esters to induce DNA synthesis but did not impair the magnitude of insulin-induced DNA synthesis. Thus, although phorbol ester-activatable PKC-activity was necessary for basal DNA synthesis, it was not necessary for insulin-induction of DNA synthesis in H4 cells.     

Increased levels of UMP synthase protein and mRNA in pyrazofurin-resistant rat hepatoma cells

Rat hepatoma cells that have undergone stepwise selection in increasing concentrations of pyrazofurin have coordinately increased levels of both orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.10) and orotidine-5'-phosphate decarboxylase (EC 4.1.1.23) activity. These two activities catalyze the conversion of orotic acid to UMP in de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis. Cells selected in 50 microM pyrazofurin have over 40 times the wild type level for both activities. A single polypeptide of approximately 55,000 daltons is increased in the resistant cells in amounts corresponding to the increase in the two activities. Resistant cell lines that are grown for extended periods in the absence of pyrazofurin are unstable, losing their elevated levels of both enzyme activities and the increased specific protein. Antibody prepared against a purified protein containing both enzyme activities binds specifically to this increased protein. These results corroborate other evidence indicating the two enzyme activities are contained within a single polypeptide called UMP synthase. Poly(A+) mRNA isolated from wild type and resistant lines was analyzed by in vitro translation for production of UMP synthase protein. Immunoprecipitation of the translation products shows the resistant cells have a 17-fold increase in translatable mRNA activity coding for UMP synthase. The synthase accounts for 0.24% of the total in vitro translation products synthesized with poly(A+) mRNA from the pyrazofurin-resistant cells as opposed to 0.014% with wild type mRNA. A cloned UMP synthase cDNA sequence hybridizes strongly to a 1.8-kilobase mRNA in the resistant cells. This mRNA is only barely detectable in equivalent preparations from wild type cells. Quantitation of the mRNA by dot hybridization techniques indicates a 16-fold increase in UMP synthase mRNA in the resistant cells. Although this increase in mRNA for UMP synthase could explain most of the increased protein, it is not sufficient to totally account for the 40-fold increase in UMP synthase.     

Effect of two different glucose concentrations on insulin receptor mRNA levels in human hepatoma HepG2 cells

Glucose is known to affect mRNA levels of several genes. In order to investigate possible effects of glucose on insulin receptor mRNA levels, we cultured human hepatoma cells (HepG2) in two different culture media: DMEM containing 100 mg/dl glucose and DMEM containing 450 mg/dl glucose. Insulin receptor mRNA levels and insulin binding activity were reduced in HepG2 cultured at lower glucose concentrations. These data suggest that glucose affects insulin receptor gene expression.     

The influence of insulin on various enzyme activities in human and rat hepatoma cells.

1. Incubation of human and rat hepatoma cells with insulin (1 mU/10(6) cells) decreases their content of adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate by more than half after 1 h and by about a quarter after 4 h. 2. The activities of the ATP-metabolising enzymes, adenylate kinase and Mg2+-adenosine triphosphatase are significantly increased by insulin within 1 h and after 4 h. Activity of succinate dehydrogenase and lactic dehydrogenase showed no change at either time interval. 3. Insulin markedly stimulated glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity within 1 h but by 4 h the increase was less apparent. Glutamate dehydrogenase activity by contrast was not increased by 1 h but was elevated at 4 h.     

Identification of the insulin receptor tyrosine residues undergoing insulin-stimulated phosphorylation in intact rat hepatoma cells

Tyr(P)-containing proteins were purified from extracts of insulin-treated rat hepatoma cells (H4-II-E-C3) by antiphosphotyrosine immunoaffinity chromatography. Two major insulin-stimulated, Tyr(P) proteins were recovered: an Mr 95,000 protein (identified as the insulin receptor beta subunit by its immunoprecipitation by a patient-derived anti-insulin receptor serum and several anti-insulin receptor (peptide) antisera) and an Mr 180,000 protein (which was unreactive with all anti-insulin receptor antibodies). After purification and tryptic digestion of the Mr 95,000 protein, tryptic peptides containing Tyr(P) were purified by sequential antiphosphotyrosine immunoaffinity, reversed-phase, anion-exchange chromatography. The partial amino acid sequence obtained by gas- and solid-phase Edman degradation was compared to the amino acid sequence of the intracellular extension of the rat insulin receptor deduced from the genomic sequence. Approximately 80% of all beta subunit [32P]Tyr(P) resides on two tryptic peptides: 50-60% of [32P]Tyr(P) is found on the tryptic peptide Asp-Ile-Tyr-Glu-Thr-Asp-Tyr-Tyr-Arg from the tyrosine kinase domain, which is recovered mainly as the double phosphorylated species (predominantly in the form with Tyr(P) at residues 3 and 7 from the amino terminus; the remainder with Tyr(P) at residues 3 and 8), with 10-15% as the triple phosphorylated species. A second tryptic peptide is located near the carboxyl terminus, contains 2 tyrosines, and has the sequence, Thr-Tyr-Asp-Glu-His-Ile-Pro-Tyr-Thr-; this contains 20-30% of beta subunit [32P]Tyr(P) and is identified primarily in a double phosphorylated form. Approximately 10% of beta subunit [32P]Tyr(P) resides on an unidentified tryptic peptide of Mr 4,000-5,000. The insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor in intact rat hepatoma cells thus involves at least 6 of the 13 tyrosine residues located on the beta subunit intracellular extension. These tyrosines are clustered in several domains in a distribution virtually identical to that previously found for partially purified human insulin receptor autophosphorylated in vitro in the presence of insulin. This multisite regulatory tyrosine phosphorylation is the initial intracellular event in insulin action.