Vanadate counteracts glucagon effects in isolated rat hepatocytes

The incubation of isolated rat hepatocytes with vanadate increased the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate without modifying 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase activity. Vanadate also reverted and prevented the decrease of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels, of the "active" form of the 6-phosphofructo 2-kinase and of the pyruvate kinase activity ratio produced by glucagon, by probably counteracting the increase in cyclic AMP concentration.     

The permissive effects of glucocorticoid on hepatic gluconeogenesis. Glucagon stimulation of glucose-suppressed gluconeogenesis and inhibition of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase in hepatocytes from fasted rats

Production of [14C]glucose from [14C]lactate in the perfused livers of 24-h fasted adrenalectomized rats was not stimulated by 1 nM glucagon but was significantly increased by 10 nM hormone. Crossover analysis of glycolytic intermediates in these livers revealed a significant reduction in glucagon action at site(s) between fructose 6-phosphate and fructose 1,6-bisphosphate as a result of adrenalectomy. Site(s) between pyruvate and P-enolpyruvate was not affected. In isolated hepatocytes, adrenalectomy reduced glucagon response in gluconeogenesis while not affecting glucagon inactivation of pyruvate kinase. A distinct lack of glucagon action on 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase activity was noted in these cells. When hepatocytes were incubated with 30 mM glucose, lactate gluconeogenesis was greatly stimulated by glucagon. A reduction in both sensitivity and responsiveness to the hormone in gluconeogenesis was seen in the adrenalectomized rat. These changes were well correlated with similar impairment in glucagon action on 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase activity and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate content in hepatocytes from adrenalectomized rats incubated with 30 mM glucose. These results suggest that adrenalectomy impaired the gluconeogenic action of glucagon in livers of fasted rats at the level of regulation of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase and/or fructose 2,6-bisphosphate content.     

Role of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in the regulation of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis in chicken liver

Glucagon and dibutyryl cyclic AMP inhibited glucose utilization and lowered fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels of hepatocytes prepared from fed chickens. Partially purified preparations of chicken liver 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase and fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase were activated and inhibited by fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, respectively. The sensitivities of these enzymes and the changes observed in fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels are consistent with an important role for this allosteric effector in hormonal regulation of carbohydrate metabolism in chicken liver. In contrast, oleate inhibition of glucose utilization by chicken hepatocytes occurred without change in fructose, 2,6-bisphosphate levels. Likewise, pyruvate inhibition of lactate gluconeogenesis in chicken hepatocytes cannot be explained by changes in fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels. Exogenous glucose caused a marked increase in fructose 2,6-bisphosphate content of hepatocytes from fasted but not fed birds. Both glucagon and lactate prevented this glucose effect. Fasted chicken hepatocytes responded to lower glucose concentrations than fasted rat hepatocytes, perhaps reflecting the species difference in hexokinase isozymes.     

Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in isolated foetal hepatocytes

Fru 2,6-P2 was present in isolated foetal hepatocytes at a concentration of 1.6 nmol per g cells. When foetal hepatocytes were exposed to glucagon no changes were observed either in the concentration of Fru 2,6-P2 and lactate release or in the activities of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and pyruvate kinase. Incubation of purified 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase with the catalytic subunit of protein kinase did not change the enzyme activity. The inhibition by sn-glycerol 3-phosphate was much lower for the foetal than for adult enzyme. These results suggest that an isoenzyme of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase in foetal hepatocytes different from that of adult hepatocytes may be present.     

Effects of glucose and glucagon on the fructose 2,6-bisphosphate content of pancreatic islets and purified pancreatic B-cells. A comparison with isolated hepatocytes.

Glucose caused a sustained and dose-related increase in the fructose 2,6-bisphosphate content of isolated pancreatic islets, as well as of purified pancreatic B-cells. With isolated B-cells, the glucose saturation curve was sigmoidal and superimposable on that obtained with hepatocytes isolated from unfed rats. However, the response to glucose was notably faster in purified B-cells than in isolated hepatocytes. In contrast again with the situation prevailing in the liver, glucagon failed to decrease significantly the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in either islets or purified B-cells. It is proposed that, in the process of glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, an early increase in fructose 2,6-bisphosphate formation may, by causing activation of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase, allow glycolysis to keep pace with the rate of glucose phosphorylation.     

Hormonal control of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration in isolated rat hepatocytes.

The ability of glucagon and of adrenaline to affect the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in isolated hepatocytes was re-investigated because of important discrepancies existing in the literature. We were unable to detect a significant difference in the sensitivity of the hepatocytes with regard to the effect of glucagon to initiate the interconversion of phosphorylase, pyruvate kinase, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase, and also to cause the disappearance of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. In contrast, we have observed differences in the time-course of these various changes, since the interconversions of phosphorylase and of pyruvate kinase were at least twice as fast as those of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and of fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase. When measured in a cell-free system in the presence of MgATP, the cyclic AMP-dependent interconversion of pyruvate kinase was 5-10-fold more rapid than those of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and of fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase. These data indicate that 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and fructose 2,6-bisphosphatase are relatively poor substrates for cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase; they also support the hypothesis that the two catalytic activities belong to a single protein. Adrenaline had only a slight effect on the several parameters under investigation, except for the activation of phosphorylase. In the absence of Ca2+ ions from the incubation medium, however, adrenaline had an effect similar to that of glucagon.     

Analysis of progress curves for enzyme-catalysed reactions. Automatic construction of computer programs for fitting integrated rate equations.

In epithelial cells isolated from rat small intestine, we have studied the influence of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), a neurotransmitter which markedly increases enterocyte cyclic AMP, and of two cyclic AMP analogues (8-bromo cyclic AMP and N6,2'-O-dibutyryl cyclic AMP) on the rate of glycolysis, fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration and 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase activity, as well as on the rate of 3-O-methyl-D-[14C]glucose uptake. Our results show that, without affecting the rate of 3-O-methyl-D-[14C]glucose accumulation, VIP and cyclic AMP analogues were able to inhibit glucose consumption and L-lactate formation by isolated rat enterocytes. These effects occurred parallel to a significant decrease in the cellular concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and to a partial inactivation of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase. These findings support the hypothesis that VIP inhibits glycolysis in rat enterocytes through a cyclic AMP-dependent mechanism.     

Phorbol esters, bombesin and insulin elicit differential responses on the 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase system in primary cultures of foetal and adult rat hepatocytes.

The effects of 4 beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), bombesin and insulin on 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase (PFK-2) activity, on fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration and on the phosphorylation state of PFK-2 were investigated in primary cultures of hepatocytes from foetal and adult rats. Bombesin stimulated PFK-2 activity and increased hexose phosphate (glucose 6-phosphate and fructose 6-phosphate) and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate content in hepatocytes both in the foetal and adult state. However, PMA-treated foetal cells exhibited a marked stimulation in fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration and in PFK-2 activity as well as in the content of hexose phosphates, while no response was found in the case of adult hepatocytes. Moreover, the effect of PMA on foetal hepatocytes was suppressed when cells were incubated with cycloheximide, but not when this effect was elicited by bombesin or insulin. These results, and those obtained on the phosphorylation state of PFK-2, suggest that there are different pathways that modulate fructose 2,6-bisphosphate content and, therefore, the control mechanisms of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis at this regulatory step, both in adult and foetal rat liver.     

Effect of benzoate on the metabolism of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in yeast

When benzoate (2 mM, pH 3.5) was added together with glucose (0.1 M) to a suspension of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the stationary phase, it caused a relative increase in the concentration of glucose 6-phosphate and fructose 6-phosphate and a decrease in the concentration of fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. These effects are in confirmation of similar observations made by Krebs et al. [Biochem. J. 214, 657-663 (1983)] and are indicative of an inhibition of 6-phosphofructo-1-kinase. Benzoate also caused an about fourfold relative decrease in the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, an increase in that of cyclic AMP with no change in that of ATP. It also greatly decreased the activation of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase, but not that of trehalase, both of which normally occur upon addition of glucose to a yeast suspension. When added 10 min after glucose, benzoate caused a rapid (within 2-3 min) decrease in fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration and in 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase activity. In the presence of benzoate, there was also a parallel decrease in the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and in the rate of ethanol production when the external pH was dropped from 5.0 to 2.5, with minimal change in the concentration of ATP. Purified 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase was inhibited by benzoate and also by an acid pH. Experiments with cell-free extracts did not provide an explanation for the rapid disappearance of fructose-2,6-bisphosphate or the inactivation of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase in yeast upon addition of benzoate.     

The mechanism by which glucose increases fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A cyclic-AMP-dependent activation of phosphofructokinase 2

When glucose was added to a suspension of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in stationary phase, it caused a transient increase in the concentration of cyclic AMP and a more persistent increase in the concentration of hexose 6-phosphate and of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate. These effects of glucose on cyclic AMP and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate but not that on hexose 6-phosphate were greatly decreased in the presence of 0.15 mM acridine orange or when a temperature-sensitive mutant deficient in adenylate cyclase was used at the restrictive temperature. Incubation of the cells in the presence of dinitrophenol and in the absence of glucose increased the concentration of both cyclic AMP and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, but with a minimal change in that of hexose 6-phosphate. Glucose induced also in less than 3 min a severalfold increase in the activity of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and this effect was counteracted by the presence of acridine orange. When a cell-free extract of yeast in the stationary phase was incubated with ATP-Mg and cyclic AMP, there was a 10-fold activation of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase. Finally, the latter enzyme was purified 150-fold and its activity could then be increased about 10-fold upon incubation with ATP-Mg and the catalytic subunit of cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase. This activation resulted from a 4.3-fold increase in V and a 2-fold decrease in Km. Both forms of the enzyme were inhibited by sn-glycerol 3-phosphate. From these results it is concluded that the effect of glucose in increasing the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate in S. cerevisiae is mediated by the successive activation of adenylate cyclase and of cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase and by the phosphorylation of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase by the latter enzyme. In deep contrast with what is known of the liver enzyme, yeast 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase is activated by phosphorylation instead of being inactivated.     

Inhibition of glucokinase translocation by AMP-activated protein kinase is associated with phosphorylation of both GKRP and 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase

The rate of glucose phosphorylation in hepatocytes is determined by the subcellular location of glucokinase and by its association with its regulatory protein (GKRP) in the nucleus. Elevated glucose concentrations and precursors of fructose 1-phosphate (e.g., sorbitol) cause dissociation of glucokinase from GKRP and translocation to the cytoplasm. In this study, we investigated the counter-regulation of substrate-induced translocation by AICAR (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribofuranoside), which is metabolized by hepatocytes to an AMP analog, and causes activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and depletion of ATP. During incubation of hepatocytes with 25 mM glucose, AICAR concentrations below 200 microM activated AMPK without depleting ATP and inhibited glucose phosphorylation and glucokinase translocation with half-maximal effect at 100-140 microM. Glucose phosphorylation and glucokinase translocation correlated inversely with AMPK activity. AICAR also counteracted translocation induced by a glucokinase activator and partially counteracted translocation by sorbitol. However, AICAR did not block the reversal of translocation (from cytoplasm to nucleus) after substrate withdrawal. Inhibition of glucose-induced translocation by AICAR was greater than inhibition by glucagon and was associated with phosphorylation of both GKRP and the cytoplasmic glucokinase binding protein, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (PFK2) on ser-32. Expression of a kinase-active PFK2 variant lacking ser-32 partially reversed the inhibition of translocation by AICAR. Phosphorylation of GKRP by AMPK partially counteracted its inhibitory effect on glucokinase activity, suggesting altered interaction of glucokinase and GKRP. In summary, mechanisms downstream of AMPK activation, involving phosphorylation of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase and GKRP are involved in the ATP-independent inhibition of glucose-induced glucokinase translocation by AICAR in hepatocytes.     

Effects of vanadate on glucose production in cultured hepatocytes isolated from rats on high saturated fat diet

Insulin resistance is a common phenomenon in obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Common factor important for development of diabetes and insulin resistance is intake of saturated fat. Vanadate treatment improves glucose homeostasis in vivo. The aim of this study was to find out changing of hepatic glucose output in dependence of saturated fat diet and possible direct action of vanadate in cultured hepatocytes. Hepatocytes were isolated by a collagenase perfusion technique and cultured for 24 h in M 199 serum-free medium. The glucose production in hepatocytes isolated from rats on high saturated fat diet was significantly 139% higher comparable to standard controls. Glucagon 100% increased glucose production in hepatocytes from rats on standard diet and 200% in hepatocytes on saturated high fat diet. The addition vanadate significantly decreased basic glucose production and did not influence glucagon stimulated glucose production. Presence of insulin did not influence either glucagon or vanadate effect. High saturated fat diet not only increases insulin resistance but also decreases chances of successful therapy of diabetes.     

Glucagon-induced changes in fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase in cultured rat foetal hepatocytes.

The sensitivity of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase to glucagon and cyclic AMP was studied during the perinatal period. In liver homogenates from foetal and neonatal rats, incubation with cyclic AMP produced inactivation of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase 3 h after birth. The maximal effect was obtained 12 h after birth. In primary cultures of hepatocytes from 22-day-old foetuses, glucogon induced an inhibition of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase that required 45 min to reach the half-maximal effect. Cycloheximide prevented the glucagon-induced changes in this activity from cultured foetal hepatocytes. These results suggest that the adult form of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase is rapidly induced after birth, probably by the hormonal changes that occur in this period.     

Effects of various metabolic conditions and of the trivalent arsenical melarsen oxide on the intracellular levels of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and of glycolytic intermediates in Trypanosoma brucei

Upon differential centrifugation of cell-free extracts of Trypanosoma brucei, 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase behaved as cytosolic enzymes. The two activities could be separated from each other by chromatography on both blue Sepharose and anion exchangers. 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase had a Km for both its substrates in the millimolar range. Its activity was dependent on the presence of inorganic phosphate and was inhibited by phosphoenolpyruvate but not by citrate or glycerol 3-phosphate. The Km of fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase was 7 microM; this enzyme was inhibited by fructose 1,6-bisphosphate (Ki = 10 microM) and, less potently, by fructose 6-phosphate, phosphoenolpyruvate and glycerol 3-phosphate. Melarsen oxide inhibited 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase (Ki less than 1 microM) and fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase (Ki = 2 microM) much more potently than pyruvate kinase (Ki greater than 100 microM). The intracellular concentrations of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate and hexose 6-phosphate were highest with glucose, intermediate with fructose and lowest with glycerol and dihydroxyacetone as glycolytic substrates. When added with glucose, salicylhydroxamic acid caused a decrease in the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate, ATP, hexose 6-phosphate and fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. These studies indicate that the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate is mainly controlled by the concentration of the substrates of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase. The changes in the concentration of phosphoenolpyruvate were in agreement with the stimulatory effect of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate on pyruvate kinase. At micromolar concentrations, melarsen oxide blocked almost completely the formation of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate induced by glucose, without changing the intracellular concentrations of ATP and of hexose 6-phosphates. At higher concentrations (3-10 microM), this drug caused cell lysis, a proportional decrease in the glycolytic flux, as well as an increase in the phosphoenolypyruvate concentrations which was restricted to the extracellular compartment. Similar changes were induced by digitonin. It is concluded that the lytic effect of melarsen oxide on the bloodstream form of T. brucei is not the result of an inhibition of pyruvate kinase.     

Difference in glucose sensitivity of liver glycolysis and glycogen synthesis. Relationship between lactate production and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration.

Incubation of isolated rat hepatocytes from fasted rats with 0-6 mM-glucose caused an increase in [fructose 2,6-bisphosphate] (0.2 to about 5 nmol/g) without net lactate production. A release of 3H2O from [3-3H]glucose was, however, detectable, indicating that phosphofructokinase was active and that cycling occurred between fructose 6-phosphate and fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. A relationship between [fructose 2,6-bisphosphate] and lactate production was observed when hepatocytes were incubated with [glucose] greater than 6 mM. Incubation with glucose caused a dose-dependent increase in [hexose 6-phosphates]. The maximal capacity of liver cytosolic proteins to bind fructose 2,6-bisphosphate was 15 nmol/g, with affinity constants of 5 X 10(6) and 0.5 X 10(6) M-1. One can calculate that, at 5 microM, more than 90% of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate is bound to cytosolic proteins. In livers of non-anaesthetized fasted mice, the activation of glycogen synthase was more sensitive to glucose injection than was the increase in [fructose 2,6-bisphosphate], whereas the opposite situation was observed in livers of fed mice. Glucose injection caused no change in the activity of liver phosphofructokinase-2 and decreased the [hexose 6-phosphates] in livers of fed mice.     

Glucose: a more powerful modulator of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels than insulin in human hepatocytes

This study provides the first experimental evidence of the short-term control of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (Fru(2,6)P2) levels in adult human hepatocytes. (1) In hepatocytes whose metabolic status resembles the fed state (glycogen-rich), exposure to glucagon (10(-8) M) caused a drastic decrease in the levels of this effector and a significant fall in lactate production rate. Adrenaline, isoprenaline (a beta-adrenergic agonist) and lactate exerted a similar action decreasing Fru(2,6)P2 concentration. (2) In glucagon pre-treated, glycogen- and Fru(2,6)P2-depleted cells (a situation that mimics the fasted state), Fru(2,6)P2 re-synthesis was strictly dependent on glucose availability. (3) Insulin did not seem to exert a direct action on the control of Fru(2,6)P2 in human hepatocytes. The hormone--which failed to enhance Fru(2,6)P2 in glucose-starved cells--did not further increase Fru(2,6)P2 content nor its time-course evolution as compared to hepatocytes incubated with glucose alone. (4) Lactate caused a significant delay in the glucose-induced increase in Fru(2,6)P2 content that could not be prevented by insulin. (5) Data indicate that in human hepatocytes glucose is a more powerful modulator of Fru(2,6)P2 than insulin, and that variations in blood lactate concentration may also play a role in the control of hepatic Fru(2,6)P2 levels during the fasted-to-fed transition in humans.     

Active hepatic glycogen synthesis from gluconeogenic precursors despite high tissue levels of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate

When fasted rats ate regular lab chow there was a lag time of about 2 h before the concentration of fructose 2,6-bisphosphate (Fru-2,6-P2) in liver began to rise from its low basal level. By contrast, in animals refed on a sucrose-based diet hepatic [Fru-2,6-P2] increased 20-fold (to a value of approximately 12 nmol/g wet weight) during the first hour. These responses correlated with differences in the ability of the two diets to increase the circulating [insulin]/[glucagon] ratio and thus to elevate the ratio of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase to fructose-2, 6-bisphosphatase. Liver glycogen was deposited briskly in both groups of rats. To assess its mechanism of synthesis (directly from glucose versus indirectly via the gluconeogenic pathway), animals eating the chow or sucrose diets received intravenous infusions of [14C]bicarbonate, [1-14C] fructose, and 3H2O. After isolation, the glycogen was subjected to positional isotopic analysis of its glucose residues. The results established that regardless of the diet the bulk of liver glycogen was gluconeogenic in origin. The fact that with sucrose feeding carbon flow through hepatic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase remained active despite high levels of Fru-2,6-P2 (a potent inhibitor of this enzyme in vitro) presents a metabolic paradox. Conceivably, the suppressive effect of Fru-2, 6-P2 on hepatic fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase is overridden in vivo by some unknown factor or factors generated in response to sucrose feeding. Alternatively, metabolic zonation in liver might result in the coexistence of hepatocytes rich in Fru-2,6-P2 (high glycolytic, low gluconeogenic, low glycogenic capacitites) with cells depleted of Fru-2,6-P2 (low glycolytic, high gluconeogenic, high glycogenic capacities).     

Insulin-like effects of vanadate on glucokinase activity and fructose 2,6-bisphosphate levels in the liver of diabetic rats

Streptozotocin diabetic rats showed more than a 4-fold increase in blood glucose levels, whereas hepatic glycogen, fructose 2,6-bisphosphate concentration, and 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase activity were decreased. The "total" 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase and the "active" (nonphosphorylated) form of the enzyme were decreased to a different extent, resulting in a fall of the "active"/"total" activity ratio. Vanadate administration for a 2-week period restored the altered values in the diabetic rats without modifying significantly in the control animals any of the parameters studied. Glucokinase activity was essentially lacking in the diabetic animals, and vanadate treatment restored the activity to about 65% of its control value, a good correlation between the recovery of the enzyme and the blood glucose level being observed. These results show an insulin-like effect of vanadate in the whole animal and suggest that insulin and vanadate possess similar actions on hepatic intracellular events.     

A study of the mechanism of glucagon-induced protein phosphorylation in isolated rat hepatocytes using (Sp)-cAMPS and (Rp)-cAMPS, the stimulatory and inhibitory diastereomers of adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphorothioate

Maximal doses of glucagon increase the phosphorylation state of 12 cytosolic proteins in isolated hepatocytes from fasted rats (Garrison, J. C., and Wagner, J. D. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 13135-13143). Incubation of hepatocytes with lower concentrations of glucagon indicates that a hierarchy of substrates exists with the concentration of glucagon required for half-maximal increases in phosphorylation varying 5-15-fold. The proteins whose phosphorylation state is most sensitive to low concentrations of glucagon are pyruvate kinase and 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase, both of which play key roles in the regulation of gluconeogenesis. Treatment of hepatocytes with (Sp)-cAMPS, the stimulatory diastereomer of adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphorothioate, mimics the response seen with glucagon. When hepatocytes are pretreated with the cAMP antagonist, (Rp)-cAMPS, the phosphorylation response is abolished at low concentrations of glucagon, and the dose of glucagon required for half-maximal stimulation of phosphorylation is increased 5-10-fold. The (Sp)-cAMPS-stimulated increases in phosphorylation state are also blunted by (Rp)-cAMPS. These results provide direct pharmacological evidence for the activation of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase in response to glucagon in the intact cell. Although low doses of glucagon appear to stimulate protein phosphorylation via the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, high doses of glucagon also cause a small increase in the concentration of free intracellular Ca2+ in hepatocytes. The glucagon-stimulated increases in the level of Ca2+ can be mimicked by (Sp)-cAMPS and inhibited by pretreatment with (Rp)-cAMPS. These results suggest that glucagon can elevate intracellular Ca2+ via cAMP and the cAMP-dependent protein kinase.     

Contributions of glucokinase and phosphofructokinase-2/fructose bisphosphatase-2 to the elevated glycolysis in hepatocytes from Zucker fa/fa rats

The insulin-resistant Zucker fa/fa rat has elevated hepatic glycolysis and activities of glucokinase and phosphofructokinase-2/fructose bisphosphatase-2 (PFK2). The latter catalyzes the formation and degradation of fructose-2,6-bisphosphate (fructose-2,6-P(2)) and is a glucokinase-binding protein. The contributions of glucokinase and PFK2 to the elevated glycolysis in fa/fa hepatocytes were determined by overexpressing these enzymes individually or in combination. Metabolic control analysis was used to determine enzyme coefficients on glycolysis and metabolite concentrations. Glucokinase had a high control coefficient on glycolysis in all hormonal conditions tested, whereas PFK2 had significant control only in the presence of glucagon, which phosphorylates PFK2 and suppresses glycolysis. Despite the high control strength of glucokinase, the elevated glycolysis in fa/fa hepatocytes could not be explained by the elevated glucokinase activity alone. In hepatocytes from fa/fa rats, glucokinase translocation between the nucleus and the cytoplasm was refractory to glucose but responsive to glucagon. Expression of a kinase-active PFK2 variant reversed the glucagon effect on glucokinase translocation and glucose phosphorylation, confirming the role for PFK2 in sequestering glucokinase in the cytoplasm. Glucokinase had a high control on glucose-6-phosphate content; however, like PFK2, it had a relative modest effect on the fructose-2,6-P(2) content. However, combined overexpression of glucokinase and PFK2 had a synergistic effect on fructose-2,6-P(2) levels, suggesting that interaction of these enzymes may be a prerequisite for formation of fructose-2,6-P(2). Cumulatively, this study provides support for coordinate roles for glucokinase and PFK2 in the elevated hepatic glycolysis in fa/fa rats.