scholarly journals Cell surface accessibility of GLUT4 glucose transporters in insulin-stimulated rat adipose cells. Modulation by isoprenaline and adenosine

1992 ◽  
Vol 288 (1) ◽  
pp. 325-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
S J Vannucci ◽  
H Nishimura ◽  
S Satoh ◽  
S W Cushman ◽  
G D Holman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Glucose Transport ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Glucose Transporter ◽  
Glucose Transporters ◽  
Transport Activity ◽  
Surface Accessibility ◽  
Adipose Cells ◽  
Membrane Concentration

Insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity in rat adipocytes is inhibited by isoprenaline and enhanced by adenosine. Both of these effects occur without corresponding changes in the subcellular distribution of the GLUT4 glucose transporter isoform. In this paper, we have utilized the impermeant, exofacial bis-mannose glucose transporter-specific photolabel, 2-N-4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)benzoyl-1,3-bis-(D-mannos- 4-yloxy)-2-propylamine (ATB-BMPA) [Clark & Holman (1990) Biochem. J. 269, 615-622], to examine the cell surface accessibility of GLUT4 glucose transporters under these conditions. Compared with cells treated with insulin alone, adenosine in the presence of insulin increased the accessibility of GLUT4 to the extracellular photolabel by approximately 25%, consistent with its enhancement of insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity; the plasma membrane concentration of GLUT4 as assessed by Western blotting was unchanged. Conversely, isoprenaline, in the absence of adenosine, promoted a time-dependent (t1/2 approximately 2 min) decrease in the accessibility of insulin-stimulated cell surface GLUT4 of > 50%, which directly correlated with the observed inhibition of transport activity; the plasma membrane concentration of GLUT4 decreased by 0-15%. Photolabelling the corresponding plasma membranes revealed that these alterations in the ability of the photolabel to bind to GLUT4 are transient, as the levels of both photolabel incorporation and plasma membrane glucose transport activity were consistent with the observed GLUT4 concentration. These data suggest that insulin-stimulated GLUT4 glucose transporters can exist in two distinct states within the adipocyte plasma membrane, one which is functional and accessible to extracellular substrate, and one which is non-functional and unable to bind extracellular substrate. These effects are only observed in the intact adipocyte and are not retained in plasma membranes isolated from these cells when analysed for their ability to transport glucose or bind photolabel.

scholarly journals Qualitative and quantitative comparison of glucose transport activity and glucose transporter concentration in plasma membranes from basal and insulin-stimulated rat adipose cells

1988 ◽  
Vol 249 (1) ◽  
pp. 155-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
H G Joost ◽  
T M Weber ◽  
S W Cushman
Keyword(s):  
Activation Energy ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Membrane Transport ◽  
Glucose Transport ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Glucose Transporter ◽  
Cytochalasin B ◽  
Transport Activity ◽  
Adipose Cells ◽  
Stimulation Of

Conditions are described which allow the isolation of rat adipose-cell plasma membranes retaining a large part of the stimulatory effect of insulin in intact cells. In these membranes, the magnitude of glucose-transport stimulation in response to insulin was compared with the concentration of transporters as measured with the cytochalasin-B-binding assay or by immunoblotting with an antiserum against the human erythrocyte glucose transporter. Further, the substrate- and temperature-dependencies of the basal and insulin-stimulated states were compared. Under carefully controlled homogenization conditions, insulin-treated adipose cells yielded plasma membranes with a glucose transport activity 10-15-fold higher than that in membranes from basal cells. Insulin increased the transport Vmax. (from 1,400 +/- 300 to 15,300 +/- 3,400 pmol/s per mg of protein; means +/- S.E.M.; assayed at 22 degrees C) without any significant change in Km (from 17.8 +/- 4.4 to 18.9 +/- 1.4 nM). Arrhenius plots of plasma-membrane transport exhibited a break at 21 degrees C, with a higher activation energy over the lower temperature range. The activation energy over the higher temperature range was significantly lower in membranes from basal than from insulin-stimulated cells [27.7 +/- 5.0 kJ/mol (6.6 +/- 1.2 kcal/mol) and 45.3 +/- 2.1 kJ/mol (10.8 +/- 0.5 kcal/mol) respectively], giving rise to a larger relative response to insulin when transport was assayed at 37 degrees C as compared with 22 degrees C. The stimulation of transport activity at 22 degrees C was fully accounted for by an increase in the concentration of transporters measured by cytochalasin B binding, if a 5% contamination of plasma membranes with low-density microsomes was assumed. However, this 10-fold stimulation of transport activity contrasted with an only 2-fold increase in transporter immunoreactivity in membranes from insulin-stimulated cells. These data suggest that, in addition to stimulating the translocation of glucose transporters to the plasma membrane, insulin appears to induce a structural or conformational change in the transporter, manifested in an altered activation energy for plasma-membrane transport and possibly in an altered immunoreactivity as assessed by Western blotting.

Exercise training increases the number of glucose transporters in rat adipose cells

1989 ◽  
Vol 257 (4) ◽  
pp. E520-E530
Author(s):  
M. F. Hirshman ◽  
L. J. Wardzala ◽  
L. J. Goodyear ◽  
S. P. Fuller ◽  
E. D. Horton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Glucose Transport ◽  
Glucose Transporters ◽  
Membrane Transporters ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Transport Activity ◽  
Insulin Stimulation ◽  
Adipose Cell ◽  
Adipose Cell Size ◽  
Adipose Cells

We studied the mechanism for the increase in glucose transport activity that occurs in adipose cells of exercise-trained rats. Glucose transport activity, glucose metabolism, and the subcellular distribution of glucose transporters were measured in adipose cells from rats raised in wheel cages for 6 wk (mean total exercise 350 km/rat), age-matched sedentary controls, and young sedentary controls matched for adipose cell size. Basal rates of glucose transport and metabolism were greater in cells from exercise-trained rats compared with young controls, and insulin-stimulated rates were greater in the exercise-trained rats compared with both age-matched and young controls. The numbers of plasma membrane glucose transporters were not different among groups in the basal state; however, with insulin stimulation, cells from exercise-trained animals had significantly more plasma membrane transporters than young controls or age-matched controls. Exercise-trained rats also had more low-density microsomal transporters than control rats in the basal state. When the total number of glucose transporters/cell was calculated, the exercise-trained rats had 42% more transporters than did either control group. These studies demonstrate that the increased glucose transport and metabolism observed in insulin-stimulated adipose cells from exercise-trained rats is due, primarily, to an increase in the number of plasma membrane glucose transporters translocated from an enlarged intracellular pool.

scholarly journals Cycloheximide decreases glucose transporters in rat adipocyte plasma membranes without affecting insulin-stimulated glucose transport

1988 ◽  
Vol 251 (2) ◽  
pp. 491-497 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Matthaei ◽  
J M Olefsky ◽  
E Karnieli
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Glucose Transport ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Glucose Transporter ◽  
Cytochalasin B ◽  
Glucose Transporters ◽  
Electrophoretic Analysis ◽  
Adipocyte Plasma Membranes ◽  
Inhibitor Of Protein Synthesis ◽  
Adipose Cells

This study examines the relationship between insulin-stimulated glucose transport and insulin-induced translocation of glucose transporters in isolated rat adipocytes. Adipose cells were incubated with or without cycloheximide, a potent inhibitor of protein synthesis, for 60 min and then for an additional 30 min with or without insulin. After the incubation we measured 3-O-methylglucose transport in the adipose cells, and subcellular membrane fractions were prepared. The numbers of glucose transporters in the various membrane fractions were determined by the cytochalasin B binding assay. Basal and insulin-stimulated 3-O-methylglucose uptakes were not affected by cycloheximide. Furthermore, cycloheximide affected neither Vmax. nor Km of insulin-stimulated 3-O-methylglucose transport. In contrast, the number of glucose transporters in plasma membranes derived from cells preincubated with cycloheximide and insulin was markedly decreased compared with those from cells incubated with insulin alone (10.5 +/- 0.8 and 22.2 +/- 1.8 pmol/mg of protein respectively; P less than 0.005). The number of glucose transporters in cells incubated with cycloheximide alone was not significantly different compared with control cells. SDS/polyacrylamide-gel-electrophoretic analysis of [3H]cytochalasin-B-photolabelled plasma-membrane fractions revealed that cycloheximide decreases the amount of labelled glucose transporters in insulin-stimulated membranes. However, the apparent molecular mass of the protein was not changed by cycloheximide treatment. The effect of cycloheximide on the two-dimensional electrophoretic profile of the glucose transporter in insulin-stimulated low-density microsomal membranes revealed a decrease in the pI-6.4 glucose-transporter isoform, whereas the insulin-translocatable isoform (pI 5.6) was decreased. Thus the observed discrepancy between insulin-stimulated glucose transport and insulin-induced translocation of glucose transporters strongly suggests that a still unknown protein-synthesis-dependent mechanism is involved in insulin activation of glucose transport.

Stimulation of glucose transport by thyroid hormone in 3T3-L1 adipocytes: increased abundance of GLUT1 and GLUT4 glucose transporter proteins

2000 ◽  
Vol 164 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Romero ◽  
B Casanova ◽  
N Pulido ◽  
AI Suarez ◽  
E Rodriguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Glucose Uptake ◽  
Glucose Transport ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Glucose Transporter ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Glucose Transporters ◽  
Insulin Binding ◽  
Total Protein Content ◽  
Glucose Transporter Proteins

In 3T3-L1 adipocytes we have examined the effect of tri-iodothyronine (T(3)) on glucose transport, total protein content and subcellular distribution of GLUT1 and GLUT4 glucose transporters. Cells incubated in T(3)-depleted serum were used as controls. Cells treated with T(3) (50 nM) for three days had a 3.6-fold increase in glucose uptake (P<0.05), and also presented a higher insulin sensitivity, without changes in insulin binding. The two glucose carriers, GLUT1 and GLUT4, increased by 87% (P<0.05) and 90% (P<0. 05), respectively, in cells treated with T(3). Under non-insulin-stimulated conditions, plasma membrane fractions obtained from cells exposed to T(3) were enriched with both GLUT1 (3. 29+/-0.69 vs 1.20+/-0.29 arbitrary units (A.U.)/5 microg protein, P<0.05) and GLUT4 (3.50+/-1.16 vs 0.82+/-0.28 A.U./5 microg protein, P<0.03). The incubation of cells with insulin produced the translocation of both glucose transporters to plasma membranes, and again cells treated with T(3) presented a higher amount of GLUT1 and GLUT4 in the plasma membrane fractions (P<0.05 and P<0.03 respectively). These data indicate that T(3) has a direct stimulatory effect on glucose transport in 3T3-L1 adipocytes due to an increase in GLUT1 and GLUT4, and by favouring their partitioning to plasma membranes. The effect of T(3) on glucose uptake induced by insulin can also be explained by the high expression of both glucose transporters.

scholarly journals Thrombin-induced translocation of GLUT3 glucose transporters in human platelets

1997 ◽  
Vol 328 (2) ◽  
pp. 511-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Lynn SORBARA ◽  
Theresa M. DAVIES-HILL ◽  
Ellen M. KOEHLER-STEC ◽  
J. Susan VANNUCCI ◽  
K. McDonald HORNE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase C ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Glucose Transport ◽  
Glucose Transporter ◽  
Glucose Transporters ◽  
Human Platelets ◽  
Half Time ◽  
Transport Activity ◽  
Kinase C ◽  
Adipose Cells

Platelets derive most of their energy from anaerobic glycolysis; during activation this requirement rises approx. 3-fold. To accommodate the high glucose flux, platelets express extremely high concentrations (155±18 pmol/mg of membrane protein) of the most active glucose transporter isoform, GLUT3. Thrombin, a potent platelet activator, was found to stimulate 2-deoxyglucose transport activity 3-5-fold within 10 min at 25 °C, with a half-time of 1-2 min. To determine the mechanism underlying the increase in glucose transport activity, an impermeant photolabel, [2-3H]2N-4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoethyl)benzoyl-1,3,-bis-(d-mannose-4-ylozy)-2-propylamine, was used to covalently bind glucose transporters accessible to the extracellular milieu. In response to thrombin, the level of transporter labelling increased 2.7-fold with a half-time of 1-2 min. This suggests a translocation of GLUT3 transporters from an intracellular site to the plasma membrane in a manner analogous to that seen for the translocation of GLUT4 in insulin-stimulated rat adipose cells. To investigate whether a similar signalling pathway was involved in both systems, platelets and adipose cells were exposed to staurosporin and wortmannin, two inhibitors of GLUT4 translocation in adipose cells. Thrombin stimulation of glucose transport activity in platelets was more sensitive to staurosporin inhibition than was insulin-stimulated transport activity in adipose cells, but it was totally insensitive to wortmannin. This indicates that the GLUT3 translocation in platelets is mediated by a protein kinase C not by a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase mechanism. In support of this contention, the phorbol ester PMA, which specifically activates protein kinase C, fully stimulated glucose transport activity in platelets and was equally sensitive to inhibition by staurosporin. This study provides a cellular mechanism by which platelets enhance their capacity to import glucose to fulfil the increased energy demands associated with activation.

scholarly journals Effects of noradrenaline on the cell-surface glucose transporters in cultured brown adipocytes: novel mechanism for selective activation of GLUT1 glucose transporters

1998 ◽  
Vol 330 (1) ◽  
pp. 397-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasutake SHIMIZU ◽  
Shinobu SATOH ◽  
Hajime YANO ◽  
Yasuhiko MINOKOSHI ◽  
W. Samuel CUSHMAN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Glucose Transport ◽  
Glucose Transporter ◽  
Glucose Transporters ◽  
Brown Adipocytes ◽  
Photoaffinity Labelling ◽  
Glucose Binding ◽  
Glut1 Protein ◽  
Dependent Mechanism

Glucose transport into rat brown adipocytes has been shown to be stimulated directly by the sympathetic neurotransmitter, noradrenaline, without a significant increase in the protein content of either GLUT1 or GLUT4 glucose transporter in the plasma membrane [Shimizu, Kielar, Minokoshi and Shimazu (1996) Biochem. J.314, 485-490]. In the present study, we labelled the exofacial glucose-binding sites of GLUT1 and GLUT4 with a membrane-impermeant photoaffinity reagent, 2-N-[4-(1-azitrifluoroethyl)benzoyl]-[2-3H]1,3-bis-(D-mannos-4-yloxy)-2-propylamine (ATB-[3H]BMPA), to determine which isoform is responsible for the noradrenaline-induced increase in glucose transport into intact brown adipocytes in culture. Insulin stimulated the rate of hexose transport by increasing ATB-[3H]BMPA-labelled cell-surface GLUT4. In contrast, the noradrenaline-induced increase in glucose transport was not accompanied by an increased ATB-[3H]BMPA labelling of GLUT4, nor with an increased amount of GLUT4 in the plasma membrane fraction as assessed by Western blotting, indicating that noradrenaline does not promote the translocation of GLUT4. However, noradrenaline induced an increase in photoaffinity labelling of cell-surface GLUT1 without an apparent increase in the immunoreactive GLUT1 protein in the plasma membrane. This is suggestive of an increased affinity of GLUT1 for the ligand. In fact, the Ki value of non-radioactive ATB-BMPA for 2-deoxy-d-glucose uptake was significantly decreased after treatment of the cells with noradrenaline. The increased photoaffinity labelling of GLUT1 and increased glucose transport caused by noradrenaline were inhibited by a cAMP antagonist, cAMP-S Rp-isomer. These results demonstrate that noradrenaline stimulates glucose transport in brown adipocytes by enhancing the functional activity of GLUT1 through a cAMP-dependent mechanism.

Seasonal changes in plasma membrane glucose transporters enhance cryoprotectant distribution in the freeze-tolerant wood frog

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia A. King ◽  
Mary N. Rosholt ◽  
Kenneth B. Storey
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Glucose Transport ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Glucose Transporter ◽  
Glucose Transporters ◽  
Wood Frog ◽  
Maximal Velocity ◽  
Liver Membranes

One of the critical adaptations for freeze tolerance by the wood frog, Rana sylvatica, is the production of large quantities of glucose as an organ cryoprotectant during freezing exposures. Glucose export from the liver, where it is synthesized, and its uptake by other organs is dependent upon carrier-mediated transport across plasma membranes by glucose-transporter proteins. Seasonal changes in the capacity to transport glucose across plasma membranes were assessed in liver and skeletal muscle of wood frogs; summer-collected (June) frogs were compared with autumn-collected (September) cold-acclimated (5 °C for 3–4 weeks) frogs. Plasma membrane vesicles prepared from liver of autumn-collected frogs showed 6-fold higher rates of carrier-mediated glucose transport than vesicles from summer-collected frogs, maximal velocity (Vmax) values for transport being 72 ± 14 and 12.0 + 2.9 nmol∙mg protein−1∙s−1, respectively (at 10 °C). However, substrate affinity constants for carrier-mediated glucose transport (K1/2) did not change seasonally. The difference in transport rates was due to greater numbers of glucose transporters in liver plasma membranes from autumn-collected frogs. The total number of transporter sites, as determined by cytochalasin B binding, was 8.5-fold higher in autumn than in summer. Glucose transporters in wood frog liver membranes cross-reacted with antibodies to the rat GluT-2 glucose transporter (the mammalian liver isoform), and Western blots further confirmed a large increase in transporter numbers in liver membranes from autumn- versus summer-collected frogs. By contrast with the liver, however, there were no seasonal changes in glucose-transporter activity or numbers in plasma membranes isolated from skeletal muscle. We conclude that an enhanced capacity for glucose transport across liver, but not muscle, plasma membranes during autumn cold-hardening is an important adaptation that anticipates the need for rapid export of cryoprotectant from liver during natural freezing episodes.

scholarly journals Determination of the rates of appearance and loss of glucose transporters at the cell surface of rat adipose cells

1991 ◽  
Vol 278 (1) ◽  
pp. 235-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
A E Clark ◽  
G D Holman ◽  
I J Kozka
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Glucose Transport ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Transport Activity ◽  
Insulin Stimulation ◽  
Surface Labelling ◽  
Lag Period ◽  
Adipose Cells ◽  
Stimulation Of

We have used an impermeant bis-mannose compound (2-N-[4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)benzoyl]-1,3-bis-(D-mannos+ ++- 4-yloxy)-2- propylamine; ATB-BMPA) to photolabel the glucose transporter isoforms GLUT4 and GLUT1 that are present in rat adipose cells. Plasma-membrane fractions and light-microsome membrane fractions were both labelled by ATB-BMPA. The labelling of GLUT4 in the plasma membrane fraction from insulin-treated cells was approximately 3-fold higher than that of basal cells and corresponded with a decrease in the labelling of the light-microsome fraction. In contrast with this, the cell-surface labelling of GLUT4 from insulin-treated intact adipose cells was increased approximately 15-fold above basal levels. In these adipose cell preparations, insulin stimulated glucose transport activity approximately 30-fold. Thus the cell-surface labelling, but not the labelling of membrane fractions, closely corresponded with the stimulation of transport. The remaining discrepancy may be due to an approx. 2-fold activation of GLUT4 intrinsic transport activity. We have studied the kinetics of trafficking of transporters and found the following. (1) Lowering the temperature to 18 degrees C increased basal glucose transport and levels of cell-surface glucose transporters by approximately 3-fold. This net increase in transporters probably occurs because the process of recruitment of transporters is less temperature-sensitive than the process involved in internalization of cell-surface transporters. (2) The time course for insulin stimulation of glucose transport activity occurred with a slight lag period of 47 s and a t 1/2 3.2 min. The time course of GLUT4 and GLUT1 appearance at the cell surface showed no lag and a t 1/2 of approximately 2.3 min for both isoforms. Thus at early times after insulin stimulation there was a discrepancy between transporter abundance and transport activity. The lag period in the stimulation of transport activity may represent the time required for the approximately 2-fold stimulation of transporter intrinsic activity. (3) The decrease in transport activity after insulin removal occurred with a very high activation energy of 159 kJ.mol-1. There was thus no significant decrease in transport or less of cell-surface transporters over 60 min at 18 degrees C. The decrease in transport activity occurred with a t1/2 of 9-11 min at 37 degrees C.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

scholarly journals GLUT4 trafficking in insulin-stimulated rat adipose cells: evidence that heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins regulate the fusion of docked GLUT4-containing vesicles

1999 ◽  
Vol 343 (3) ◽  
pp. 571-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia M. FERRARA ◽  
Samuel W. CUSHMAN
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Cell Surface ◽  
Adenosine Deaminase ◽  
Glucose Transport ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Transport Activity ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Distinct Sequence ◽  
Kinetics Of ◽  
Adipose Cells

Agents that activate the G-protein Gi (e.g. adenosine) increase, and agents that activate Gs [e.g. isoprenaline (isoproterenol)] decrease, steady-state insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity and cell-surface GLUT4 in isolated rat adipose cells without changing plasma membrane GLUT4 content. Here we have further examined the effects of RsGs and RiGi ligands (in which Rs and Ri are Gs- and Gi-coupled receptors respectively) on insulin-stimulated cell-surface GLUT4 and the kinetics of GLUT4 trafficking in these same cells. Rat adipose cells were preincubated for 2 min with or without isoprenaline (200 nM) and adenosine deaminase (1 unit/ml), to stimulate Gs and decrease the stimulation of Gi respectively, followed by 0-20 min with insulin (670 nM). Treatment with isoprenaline and adenosine deaminase decreased insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity by 58%. Treatment with isoprenaline and adenosine deaminase also resulted in similar decreases in insulin-stimulated cell-surface GLUT4 as assessed by both bis-mannose photolabelling of the substrate-binding site and biotinylation of the extracellular carbohydrate moiety when evaluated under similar experimental conditions. After stimulation with insulin in the absence of Gs and the presence of Gi agents, a distinct sequence of plasma membrane events took place, starting with an increase in immunodetectable GLUT4, then an increase in the accessibility of GLUT4 to bis-mannose photolabel, and finally an increase in glucose transport activity. Pretreatment with isoprenaline and adenosine deaminase before stimulation with insulin did not affect the time course of the increase in immunodetectable GLUT4 in the plasma membrane, but did delay both the increase in accessibility of GLUT4 to photolabel and the increase in glucose transport activity. These results suggest that RsGs and RiGi modulate insulin-stimulated glucose transport by influencing the extent to which GLUT4 is associated with occluded vesicles attached to the plasma membrane during exocytosis, perhaps by regulating the fusion process through which the GLUT4 in docked vesicles becomes exposed on the cell surface.

Effect of insulin and glucocorticoids on glucose transporters in rat adipocytes

1987 ◽  
Vol 252 (4) ◽  
pp. E441-E453 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Carter-Su ◽  
K. Okamoto
Keyword(s):  
Glucose Transport ◽  
Plasma Membranes ◽  
Glucose Transporter ◽  
Cytochalasin B ◽  
Glucose Transporters ◽  
Insulin Binding ◽  
Maximal Response ◽  
Transport Activity ◽  
Rat Adipocytes ◽  
Dose Dependent Fashion

The ability of glucocorticoids to modify the effect of insulin on glucose transport was investigated in both intact isolated rat adipocytes and in membranes isolated from hormone-treated adipocytes. In intact adipocytes, dexamethasone, a potent synthetic glucocorticoid, inhibited insulin-stimulated 3-O-methylglucose transport at all concentrations of insulin tested (0-2,000 microU/ml). Insulin sensitivity, as well as the maximal response to insulin, was decreased by dexamethasone in the absence of a change in insulin binding. The inhibition was observed regardless of which hormone acted first, was blocked by actinomycin D, and resulted from a decrease in Vmax rather than an increase in Kt of transport. In plasma membranes isolated from insulin-treated adipocytes, glucose transport activity and the amount of glucose transporter covalently labeled with [3H]cytochalasin B were increased in parallel in a dose-dependent fashion. The amount of labeled transporter in a low-density microsomal fraction (LDMF) was decreased in a reciprocal fashion. In contrast, addition of dexamethasone to insulin-stimulated cells caused decreases in both transport activity and amount of labeled transporter in the plasma membranes. This was accompanied by a small increase in the amount of [3H]cytochalasin B incorporated into the glucose transporter in the LDMF. These results are consistent with both insulin and glucocorticoids altering the distribution of glucose transporters between the plasma membrane and LDMF, in opposite directions.

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