Control of glycogen deposition

Traditionally, glycogen synthase (GS) has been considered to catalyze the key step of glycogen synthesis and to exercise most of the control over this metabolic pathway. However, recent advances have shown that other factors must be considered. Moreover, the control of glycogen deposition does not follow identical mechanisms in muscle and liver. Glucose must be phosphorylated to promote activation of GS. Glucose-6-phosphate (Glc-6-P) binds to GS, causing the allosteric activation of the enzyme probably through a conformational rearrangement that simultaneously converts it into a better substrate for protein phosphatases, which can then lead to the covalent activation of GS. The potency of Glc-6-P for activation of liver GS is determined by its source, since Glc-6-P arising from the catalytic action of glucokinase (GK) is much more effective in mediating the activation of the enzyme than the same metabolite produced by hexokinase I (HK I). As a result, hepatic glycogen deposition from glucose is subject to a system of control in which the 'controller', GS, is in turn controlled by GK. In contrast, in skeletal muscle, the control of glycogen synthesis is shared between glucose transport and GS. The characteristics of the two pairs of isoenzymes, liver GS/GK and muscle GS/HK I, and the relationships that they establish are tailored to suit specific metabolic roles of the tissues in which they are expressed. The key enzymes in glycogen metabolism change their intracellular localization in response to glucose. The changes in the intracellular distribution of liver GS and GK triggered by glucose correlate with stimulation of glycogen synthesis. The translocation of GS, which constitutes an additional mechanism of control, causes the orderly deposition of hepatic glycogen and probably represents a functional advantage in the metabolism of the polysaccharide.     

Processivity and subcellular localization of glycogen synthase depend on a non-catalytic high affinity glycogen-binding site

Glycogen synthase, a central enzyme in glucose metabolism, catalyzes the successive addition of α-1,4-linked glucose residues to the non-reducing end of a growing glycogen molecule. A non-catalytic glycogen-binding site, identified by x-ray crystallography on the surface of the glycogen synthase from the archaeon Pyrococcus abyssi, has been found to be functionally conserved in the eukaryotic enzymes. The disruption of this binding site in both the archaeal and the human muscle glycogen synthases has a large impact when glycogen is the acceptor substrate. Instead, the catalytic efficiency remains essentially unchanged when small oligosaccharides are used as substrates. Mutants of the human muscle enzyme with reduced affinity for glycogen also show an altered intracellular distribution and a marked decrease in their capacity to drive glycogen accumulation in vivo. The presence of a high affinity glycogen-binding site away from the active center explains not only the long-recognized strong binding of glycogen synthase to glycogen but also the processivity and the intracellular localization of the enzyme. These observations demonstrate that the glycogen-binding site is a critical regulatory element responsible for the in vivo catalytic efficiency of GS.     

Insulin control of glycogen metabolism in knockout mice lacking the muscle-specific protein phosphatase PP1G/RGL

The regulatory-targeting subunit (RGL), also called GM) of the muscle-specific glycogen-associated protein phosphatase PP1G targets the enzyme to glycogen where it modulates the activity of glycogen-metabolizing enzymes. PP1G/RGL has been postulated to play a central role in epinephrine and insulin control of glycogen metabolism via phosphorylation of RGL. To investigate the function of the phosphatase, RGL knockout mice were generated. Animals lacking RGL show no obvious defects. The RGL protein is absent from the skeletal and cardiac muscle of null mutants and present at approximately 50% of the wild-type level in heterozygotes. Both the level and activity of C1 protein are also decreased by approximately 50% in the RGL-deficient mice. In skeletal muscle, the glycogen synthase (GS) activity ratio in the absence and presence of glucose-6-phosphate is reduced from 0.3 in the wild type to 0.1 in the null mutant RGL mice, whereas the phosphorylase activity ratio in the absence and presence of AMP is increased from 0.4 to 0.7. Glycogen accumulation is decreased by approximately 90%. Despite impaired glycogen accumulation in muscle, the animals remain normoglycemic. Glucose tolerance and insulin responsiveness are identical in wild-type and knockout mice, as are basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptakes in skeletal muscle. Most importantly, insulin activated GS in both wild-type and RGL null mutant mice and stimulated a GS-specific protein phosphatase in both groups. These results demonstrate that RGL is genetically linked to glycogen metabolism, since its loss decreases PP1 and basal GS activities and glycogen accumulation. However, PP1G/RGL is not required for insulin activation of GS in skeletal muscle, and rather another GS-specific phosphatase appears to be involved.     

The role of protein translocation in the regulation of glycogen metabolism

Early biochemical analyses of metabolic pathways assumed that the free diffusion of substrates and enzymes in an evenly mixed cellular space provided the interactions that enabled reactions to proceed. Metabolic complexes have since been shown to assemble and disassemble in response to changes in cellular conditions, and in turn, to channel metabolic intermediates within discreet cellular compartments, allowing for the efficient use or storage of energy. A fundamental component to the formation of metabolic complexes and the channeling of metabolites is the translocation of enzymes in response to specific extra- and intracellular signals. These generalities play an important role in the metabolism of glucose to glycogen within skeletal muscle and liver. In this review, the similarities and differences in skeletal muscle and liver glucose metabolism with regards to glucose transport and intracellular processing will be addressed during the fasted to fed transition. More specifically, the importance of isoform expression and protein translocation in the tissue specific control of glucose homeostasis will be covered.     

Allosteric regulation of glycogen synthase controls glycogen synthesis in muscle

Glycogen synthase (GS), a key enzyme in glycogen synthesis, is activated by the allosteric stimulator glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) and by dephosphorylation through inactivation of GS kinase-3 with insulin. The relative importance of these two regulatory mechanisms in controlling GS is not established, mainly due to the complex interplay between multiple phosphorylation sites and allosteric effectors. Here we identify a residue that plays an important role in the allosteric activation of GS by G6P. We generated knockin mice in which wild-type muscle GS was replaced by a mutant that could not be activated by G6P but could still be activated normally by dephosphorylation. We demonstrate that knockin mice expressing the G6P-insensitive mutant display an ～80% reduced muscle glycogen synthesis by insulin and markedly reduced glycogen levels. Our study provides genetic evidence that allosteric activation of GS is the primary mechanism by which insulin promotes muscle glycogen accumulation in?vivo.     

The skeletal muscle-specific glycogen-targeted protein phosphatase 1 plays a major role in the regulation of glycogen metabolism by adrenaline in vivo

Adrenaline and insulin are the major hormones regulating glycogen metabolism in skeletal muscle. We have investigated the effects of these hormones on the rate-limiting enzymes of glycogen degradation and synthesis (phosphorylase and glycogen synthase respectively) in GM-/- mice homozygous for a null allele of the major skeletal muscle glycogen targeting subunit (GM) of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). Hyperphosphorylation of Ser14 in phosphorylase, and Ser7, Ser640 and Ser640/644 of GS, in the skeletal muscle of GM-/- mice compared with GM+/+ mice indicates that the PP1-GM complex is the major phosphatase that dephosphorylates these sites in vivo. Adrenaline caused a 2.4-fold increase in the phosphorylase (-/+AMP) activity ratio in the skeletal muscle of control mice compared to a 1.4 fold increase in GM-/- mice. Adrenaline also elicited a 67% decrease in the GS (-/+G6P) activity ratio in control mice but only a small decrease in the skeletal muscle of GM-/- mice indicating that GM is required for the full response of phosphorylase and GS to adrenaline. PP1-GM activity and the amount of PP1 bound to GM decreased 40% and 45% respectively, in response to adrenaline in control mice. The data support a model in which adrenaline stimulates phosphorylation of phosphorylase Ser14 and GS Ser7 in GM+/+ mice by both kinase activation and PP1-GM inhibition and the phosphorylation of GS Ser640 and Ser640/644 by PP1-GM inhibition alone. Insulin decreased the phosphorylation of GS Ser640 and Ser640/644 and stimulated the GS (-/+G6P) activity ratio by approximately 2-fold in the skeletal muscle of either GM-/- and or control mice, but the low basal and insulin stimulated GS activity ratios in GM-/- mice indicate that PP1-GM is essential for maintaining normal basal and maximum insulin stimulated GS activity ratios in vivo.     

Muscle glycogen synthase isoform is responsible for testicular glycogen synthesis: Glycogen overproduction induces apoptosis in male germ cells

Glycogen is the main source of glucose for many biological events. However, this molecule may have other functions, including those that have deleterious effects on cells. The rate‐limiting enzyme in glycogen synthesis is glycogen synthase (GS). It is encoded by two genes, GYS1, expressed in muscle (muscle glycogen synthase, MGS) and other tissues, and GYS2, primarily expressed in liver (liver glycogen synthase, LGS). Expression of GS and its activity have been widely studied in many tissues. To date, it is not clear which GS isoform is responsible for glycogen synthesis and the role of glycogen in testis. Using RT‐PCR, Western blot and immunofluorescence, we have detected expression of MGS but not LGS in mice testis during development. We have also evaluated GS activity and glycogen storage at different days after birth and we show that both GS activity and levels of glycogen are higher during the first days of development. Using RT‐PCR, we have also shown that malin and laforin are expressed in testis, key enzymes for regulation of GS activity. These proteins form an active complex that regulates MGS by poly‐ubiquitination in both Sertoli cell and male germ cell lines. In addition, PTG overexpression in male germ cell line triggered apoptosis by caspase3 activation, proposing a proapoptotic role of glycogen in testis. These findings suggest that GS activity and glycogen synthesis in testis could be regulated and a disruption of this process may be responsible for the apoptosis and degeneration of seminiferous tubules and possible cause of infertility. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 1653–1664, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Role of the PDK1-PKB-GSK3 pathway in regulating glycogen synthase and glucose uptake in the heart

In order to investigate the importance of the PDK1-PKB-GSK3 signalling network in regulating glycogen synthase (GS) in the heart, we have employed tissue specific conditional knockout mice lacking PDK1 in muscle (mPDK1-/-), as well as knockin mice in which the protein kinase B (PKB) phosphorylation site on glycogen synthase kinase-3alpha (GSK3alpha) (Ser21) and GSK3beta (Ser9) is changed to Ala. We demonstrate that in hearts from mPDK1-/- or double GSK3alpha/GSK3beta knockin mice, insulin failed to stimulate the activity of GS or induce its dephosphorylation at residues that are phosphorylated by GSK3. We also establish that in the heart, both GSK3 isoforms participate in the regulation of GS, with GSK3beta playing a more prominent role. This contrasts with skeletal muscle where GSK3beta is the major regulator of insulin-induced GS activity. Despite the inability of insulin to stimulate glycogen synthesis in hearts from the mPDK1-/- or double GSK3alpha/GSK3beta knockin mice, these animals possessed normal levels of cardiac glycogen, demonstrating that total glycogen levels are regulated independently of insulin's ability to stimulate GS in the heart and that mechanisms such as allosteric activation of GS by glucose-6-phosphate and/or activation of GS by muscle contraction, could operate to maintain normal glycogen levels in these mice. We also demonstrate that in cardiomyocytes derived from the mPDK1-/- hearts, although the levels of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) are increased 2-fold, insulin failed to stimulate glucose uptake, providing genetic evidence that PDK1 plays a crucial role in enabling insulin to promote glucose uptake in cardiac muscle.     

A prevalent variant in PPP1R3A impairs glycogen synthesis and reduces muscle glycogen content in humans and mice

Background

Stored glycogen is an important source of energy for skeletal muscle. Human genetic disorders primarily affecting skeletal muscle glycogen turnover are well-recognised, but rare. We previously reported that a frameshift/premature stop mutation in PPP1R3A, the gene encoding R_GL, a key regulator of muscle glycogen metabolism, was present in 1.36% of participants from a population of white individuals in the UK. However, the functional implications of the mutation were not known. The objective of this study was to characterise the molecular and physiological consequences of this genetic variant.

Methods and Findings

In this study we found a similar prevalence of the variant in an independent UK white population of 744 participants (1.46%) and, using in vivo ¹³C magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies, demonstrate that human carriers (n = 6) of the variant have low basal (65% lower, p = 0.002) and postprandial muscle glycogen levels. Mice engineered to express the equivalent mutation had similarly decreased muscle glycogen levels (40% lower in heterozygous knock-in mice, p < 0.05). In muscle tissue from these mice, failure of the truncated mutant to bind glycogen and colocalize with glycogen synthase (GS) decreased GS and increased glycogen phosphorylase activity states, which account for the decreased glycogen content.

Conclusions

Thus, PPP1R3A C1984ΔAG (stop codon 668) is, to our knowledge, the first prevalent mutation described that directly impairs glycogen synthesis and decreases glycogen levels in human skeletal muscle. The fact that it is present in ∼1 in 70 UK whites increases the potential biomedical relevance of these observations.     

Role of the sympathoadrenal system in the regulation of glycogen metabolism in resting and exercising skeletal muscles.

The purpose of the present study was to characterize the role of catecholamines in the regulation of skeletal muscle glycogen metabolism during exercise. Using the rat hindlimb perfusion technique we have measured skeletal muscle glycogen content, glycogen phosphorylase and synthase activities in sympathectomized and/or demedullated rats under epinephrine treatment (10(-7) M) at rest and during muscle contraction. When epinephrine and/or norepinephrine deficiency was induced, muscle contraction resulted in a decrease in glycogen content (-63%) despite a decrease in glycogen phosphorylase activity ratio (0.25 to 0.11; p less than 0.001) and an increase in glycogen synthase activity ratio (0.13 to 0.27; p less than 0.001). Under these conditions, epinephrine treatment further reduced glycogen content while blunting the changes in the activity ratio of the rate-limiting enzymes. These data indicate that catecholamines do not play a primary role in skeletal muscle glycogen breakdown during acute exercise and suggest that allosteric regulators may be of prime importance.     

The muscle-specific protein phosphatase PP1G/R(GL)(G(M))is essential for activation of glycogen synthase by exercise

In skeletal muscle both insulin and contractile activity are physiological stimuli for glycogen synthesis, which is thought to result in part from the dephosphorylation and activation of glycogen synthase (GS). PP1G/R(GL)(G(M)) is a glycogen/sarcoplasmic reticulum-associated type 1 phosphatase that was originally postulated to mediate insulin control of glycogen metabolism. However, we recently showed (Suzuki, Y., Lanner, C., Kim, J.-H., Vilardo, P. G., Zhang, H., Jie Yang, J., Cooper, L. D., Steele, M., Kennedy, A., Bock, C., Scrimgeour, A., Lawrence, J. C. Jr., L., and DePaoli-Roach, A. A. (2001) Mol. Cell. Biol. 21, 2683-2694) that insulin activates GS in muscle of R(GL)(G(M)) knockout (KO) mice similarly to the wild type (WT). To determine whether PP1G is involved in glycogen metabolism during muscle contractions, R(GL) KO and overexpressors (OE) were subjected to two models of contraction, in vivo treadmill running and in situ electrical stimulation. Both procedures resulted in a 2-fold increase in the GS -/+ glucose-6-P activity ratio in WT mice, but this response was completely absent in the KO mice. The KO mice, which also have a reduced GS activity associated with significantly reduced basal glycogen levels, exhibited impaired maximal exercise capacity, but contraction-induced activation of glucose transport was unaffected. The R(GL) OE mice are characterized by enhanced GS activity ratio and an approximately 3-4-fold increase in glycogen content in skeletal muscle. These animals were able to tolerate exercise normally. Stimulation of GS and glucose uptake following muscle contraction was not significantly different as compared with WT littermates. These results indicate that although PP1G/R(GL) is not necessary for activation of GS by insulin, it is essential for regulation of glycogen metabolism under basal conditions and in response to contractile activity, and may explain the reduced muscle glycogen content in the R(GL) KO mice, despite the normal insulin activation of GS.     

Effect of acute activation of 5'-AMP-activated protein kinase on glycogen regulation in isolated rat skeletal muscle.

5'-AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been implicated in glycogen metabolism in skeletal muscle. However, the physiological relevance of increased AMPK activity during exercise has not been fully clarified. This study was performed to determine the direct effects of acute AMPK activation on muscle glycogen regulation. For this purpose, we used an isolated rat muscle preparation and pharmacologically activated AMPK with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribonucleoside (AICAR). Tetanic contraction in vitro markedly activated the alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-isoforms of AMPK, with a corresponding increase in the rate of 3-O-methylglucose uptake. Incubation with AICAR elicited similar enhancement of AMPK activity and 3-O-methylglucose uptake in rat epitrochlearis muscle. In contrast, whereas contraction stimulated glycogen synthase (GS), AICAR treatment decreased GS activity. Insulin-stimulated GS activity also decreased after AICAR treatment. Whereas contraction activated glycogen phosphorylase (GP), AICAR did not alter GP activity. The muscle glycogen content decreased in response to contraction but was unchanged by AICAR. Lactate release was markedly increased when muscles were stimulated with AICAR in buffer containing glucose, indicating that the glucose taken up into the muscle was catabolized via glycolysis. Our results suggest that AMPK does not mediate contraction-stimulated glycogen synthesis or glycogenolysis in skeletal muscle and also that acute AMPK activation leads to an increased glycolytic flux by antagonizing contraction-stimulated glycogen synthesis.     

Skeletal muscle glycogen content, structure, and metabolism are normal in rats with hepatic glycogen phosphorylase kinase deficiency

Skeletal muscle glycogen content and structure, and the activities of several enzymes of glycogen metabolism are reported for the hepatic glycogen phosphorylase b kinase deficient (gsd/gsd) rat. The skeletal muscle glycogen content of the fed gsd/gsd rat is 0.50 +/- 0.11% tissue wet weight, and after 40 hours of starvation this value is lowered 40% to 0.30 +/- 0.05% tissue wet weight. In contrast the gsd/gsd rat liver has an elevated glycogen content which remains high after starvation. The skeletal muscle phosphorylase b kinase, glycogen phosphorylase, glycogen synthase and acid alpha-glucosidase activities are 17.2 +/- 2.9 units/g tissue, 119.9 +/- 6.4 units/g tissue, 12.2 +/- 0.4 units/g tissue and 1.4 +/- 0.4 milliunits/g tissue, respectively, with approx. 20% of phosphorylase and approx. 24% of synthase in the active form (at rest). These enzyme activities resemble those of Wistar skeletal muscle, and again this contrasts with the situation in the liver where there are marked differences between the Wistar and the gsd/gsd rat. Fine structural analysis of the purified glycogen showed resemblance to other glycogens in branching pattern. Analysis of the molecular weight distribution of the purified glycogen indicated polydispersity with approx. 66% of the glycogen having a molecular weight of less than 250 X 10(6) daltons and approx. 25% greater than 500 X 10(6) daltons. This molecular weight distribution resembles those of purified Wistar liver and skeletal muscle glycogens and differs from that of the gsd/gsd liver glycogen which has an increased proportion of the low molecular weight material.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Knockdown of glycogen phosphorylase and glycogen synthase influences expression of chitin synthesis genes of rice brown planthopper Nilaparvata lugens

Glycogen synthase (GS) and glycogen phosphorylase (GP) are two key enzymes in the glycogen synthesis pathway, which catalyze trehalose and glucose transformation in insects. GS and GP can be regulated by trehalose metabolism, which plays an important role in insect growth. However, it is not known whether these genes can be targeted for pest control through regulation of chitin metabolism. We studied the function of Nilaparvata lugens GS and GP (NLGS and NLGP, respectively) using RNA interference, and reported that trehalose and the chitin biosynthesis pathways are regulated by GP and GS, especially TPS3, TRE1-1, and G6PI1, which decreased following knockdown of these two genes. The expression levels of TPS1, TPS2, and several chitin synthesis pathway family genes were significantly increased following dsNlGP injection. Additionally, despite there being no apparent change to the chitin content, an abnormal molting phenotype and wing deformity appeared, and close to 25% insects died. These results demonstrate that silencing of NLGP or NLGS can lead to molting deformities and an elevated mortality rate through the regulation of chitin pathway genes and chitinase genes. NLGP may play a key role in chitin synthesis due to the number of genes regulated, and higher deformity and mortality rates resulting from its knockdown.     

Stimulation of autophosphorylation of rabbit skeletal muscle phosphorylase kinase by glycogen synthase on glycogen particles

Glycogen synthase stimulated the autophosphorylation and autoactivation of phosphorylase kinase from rabbit skeletal muscle. This stimulation was additive to that by glycogen and the reaction was dependent on Ca2+. The effect by glycogen synthase was maximum within the activity ratio (the activity of enzyme without glucose-6-P divided by the activity with 10 mM glucose-6-P) of 0.3 and over 0.3 it was rather inhibitory. The results suggest that autophosphorylation of phosphorylase kinase in the presence of glycogen synthase on glycogen particles may be an important regulatory mechanism of glycogen metabolism in skeletal muscle.     

Effect of acute exercise on glycogen synthase in muscle from obese and diabetic subjects

Insulin stimulates glycogen synthase (GS) through dephosphorylation of serine residues, and this effect is impaired in skeletal muscle from insulin-resistant [obese and type 2 diabetic (T2DM)] subjects. Exercise also increases GS activity, yet it is not known whether the ability of exercise to affect GS is impaired in insulin-resistant subjects. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of acute exercise on GS phosphorylation and enzyme kinetic properties in muscle from insulin-resistant individuals. Lean normal glucose-tolerant (NGT), obese NGT, and obese T2DM subjects performed 40 min of moderate-intensity cycle exercise (70% of Vo(2max)). GS kinetic properties and phosphorylation were measured in vastus lateralis muscle before exercise, immediately after exercise, and 3.5 h postexercise. In lean subjects, GS fractional activity increased twofold after 40 min of exercise, and it remained elevated after the 3.5-h rest period. Importantly, exercise also decreased GS K(m) for UDP-glucose from ≈0.5 to ≈0.2 mM. In lean subjects, exercise caused significant dephosphorylation of GS by 50-70% (Ser(641), Ser(645), and Ser(645,649,653,657)), and phosphorylation of these sites remained decreased after 3.5 h; Ser? phosphorylation was not regulated by exercise. In obese NGT and T2DM subjects, exercise increased GS fractional activity, decreased K(m) for UDP-glucose, and decreased GS phosphorylation as effectively as in lean NGT subjects. We conclude that the molecular regulatory process by which exercise promotes glycogen synthesis in muscle is preserved in insulin-resistant subjects.     

Insulin promotes glycogen synthesis in the absence of GSK3 phosphorylation in skeletal muscle

Insulin promotes dephosphorylation and activation of glycogen synthase (GS) by inactivating glycogen synthase kinase (GSK) 3 through phosphorylation. Insulin also promotes glucose uptake and glucose 6-phosphate (G-6-P) production, which allosterically activates GS. The relative importance of these two regulatory mechanisms in the activation of GS in vivo is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate if dephosphorylation of GS mediated via GSK3 is required for normal glycogen synthesis in skeletal muscle with insulin. We employed GSK3 knockin mice in which wild-type GSK3 alpha and -beta genes are replaced with mutant forms (GSK3 alpha/beta S21A/S21A/S9A/S9A), which are nonresponsive to insulin. Although insulin failed to promote dephosphorylation and activation of GS in GSK3 alpha/beta S21A/S21A/S9A/S9A mice, glycogen content in different muscles from these mice was similar compared with wild-type mice. Basal and epinephrine-stimulated activity of muscle glycogen phosphorylase was comparable between wild-type and GSK3 knockin mice. Incubation of isolated soleus muscle in Krebs buffer containing 5.5 mM glucose in the presence or absence of insulin revealed that the levels of G-6-P, the rate of [14C]glucose incorporation into glycogen, and an increase in total glycogen content were similar between wild-type and GSK3 knockin mice. Injection of glucose containing 2-deoxy-[3H]glucose and [14C]glucose also resulted in similar rates of muscle glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis in vivo between wild-type and GSK3 knockin mice. These results suggest that insulin-mediated inhibition of GSK3 is not a rate-limiting step in muscle glycogen synthesis in mice. This suggests that allosteric regulation of GS by G-6-P may play a key role in insulin-stimulated muscle glycogen synthesis in vivo.     

Skeletal muscle glycogen synthase subcellular localization: effects of insulin and PPAR-alpha agonist (K-111) administration in rhesus monkeys

Insulin covalently and allosterically regulates glycogen synthase (GS) and may also cause the translocation of GS from glycogen-poor to glycogen-rich locations. We examined the possible role of subcellular localization of GS and glycogen in insulin activation of GS in skeletal muscle of six obese monkeys and determined whether 1) insulin stimulation during a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp and/or peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-alpha agonist treatment (K-111, 3 mg.kg(-1).day(-1); Kowa) induced translocation of GS and 2) translocation of GS was associated with insulin activation of GS. GS and glycogen were present in all fractions obtained by differential centrifugation, except for the cytosolic fraction, under both basal and insulin-stimulated conditions. We found no evidence for translocation of GS by insulin. GS total (GST) activity was strongly associated with glycogen content (r = 0.70, P < 0.001). Six weeks of treatment with K-111 increased GST activity in all fractions, except the cytosolic fraction, and mean GST activity, GS independent activity, and glycogen content were significantly higher in the insulin-stimulated samples compared with basal samples, effects not seen with vehicle. The increase in GST activity was strongly related to the increase in glycogen content during the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp after K-111 administration (r = 0.74, P < 0.001). Neither GS protein expression nor GS gene expression was affected by insulin or by K-111 treatment. We conclude that 1) in vivo insulin does not cause translocation of GS from a glycogen-poor to a glycogen-rich location in primate skeletal muscle and 2) the mechanism of action of K-111 to improve insulin sensitivity includes an increase in GST activity without an increase in GS gene or protein expression.