Insulin regulates liver glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase activity reciprocally in rhesus monkeys

1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (1) ◽  
pp. E133-E138 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. K. Ortmeyer ◽  
N. L. Bodkin ◽  
B. C. Hansen

In skeletal muscle of both humans and monkeys, the effects of in vivo insulin during a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp on the enzymes and substrates of glycogen metabolism have been well established. In liver, such effects of insulin during a clamp have not been previously studied in primates. To examine insulin action at the liver, euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamps were performed in 10 lean young adult male rhesus monkeys. Liver biopsies were obtained at three time points: basal (fasting), that is, immediately before the onset of the clamp, and during insulin infusion at 130 and 195 min. Glycogen synthase (GS), glycogen phosphorylase (GP), glucose 6-phosphate (G-6-P), and glycogen were determined at each time point, with the greatest effects observed most frequently at 195 min. Whole body insulin-mediated glucose disposal rate was related to the change in the independent activity of GS (r = 0.63, P < 0.05). Insulin increased the GS fractional activity (P < 0.005) and decreased the activity ratio of GP (P < 0.001) compared with basal. The changes in fractional activity of GS and in activity ratio of GP were inversely related (r = - 0.68, P < 0.05), G-6-P concentration was decreased during insulin stimulation compared with basal (P = 0.01). Glycogen concentration was not significantly different between the basal and insulin-stimulated time points. We conclude that insulin during a euglycemic clamp activates liver GS while inhibiting liver GP and that insulin action on liver GS is positively related to whole body insulin-mediated glucose disposal rates in lean young adult rhesus monkeys.

2009 ◽  
Vol 296 (4) ◽  
pp. E787-E795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Frøsig ◽  
Carsten Roepstorff ◽  
Nina Brandt ◽  
Stine J. Maarbjerg ◽  
Jesper B. Birk ◽  
...  

This study evaluated whether improved insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in recovery from acute exercise coincides with reduced malonyl-CoA (MCoA) content in human muscle. Furthermore, we investigated whether a high-fat diet [65 energy-% (Fat)] would alter the content of MCoA and insulin action compared with a high-carbohydrate diet [65 energy-% (CHO)]. After 4 days of isocaloric diet on two occasions (Fat/CHO), 12 male subjects performed 1 h of one-legged knee extensor exercise (∼80% peak workload). Four hours after exercise, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake was determined in both legs during a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp. Muscle biopsies were obtained in both legs before and after the clamp. Four hours after exercise, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake was improved (∼70%, P < 0.001) independent of diet composition and despite normal insulin-stimulated regulation of insulin receptor substrate-1-associated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Akt, GSK-3, and glycogen synthase. Interestingly, exercise resulted in a sustained reduction (∼20%, P < 0.05) in MCoA content 4 h after exercise that correlated ( r = 0.65, P < 0.001) with improved insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Four days of Fat diet resulted in an increased content of intramyocellular triacylglycerol ( P < 0.01) but did not influence muscle MCoA content or whole body insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. However, at the muscular level proximal insulin signaling and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake appeared to be compromised, although to a minor extent, by the Fat diet. Collectively, this study indicates that reduced muscle MCoA content in recovery from exercise may be part of the adaptive response leading to improved insulin action on glucose uptake after exercise in human muscle.


1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (6) ◽  
pp. G1005-G1010
Author(s):  
Heidi K. Ortmeyer ◽  
Noni L. Bodkin

It is well known that an alteration in insulin activation of skeletal muscle glycogen synthase is associated with insulin resistance. To determine whether this defect in insulin action is specific to skeletal muscle, or also present in liver, simultaneous biopsies of these tissues were obtained before and during a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp in spontaneously obese insulin-resistant male rhesus monkeys. The activities of glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase and the concentrations of glucose 6-phosphate and glycogen were measured. There were no differences between basal and insulin-stimulated glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase activities or in glucose 6-phosphate and glycogen contents in muscle. Insulin increased the activities of liver glycogen synthase ( P < 0.05) and decreased the activities of liver glycogen phosphorylase ( P ≤ 0.001). Insulin also caused a reduction in liver glucose 6-phosphate ( P = 0.05). We conclude that insulin-resistant monkeys do not have a defect in insulin action on liver glycogen synthase, although a defect in insulin action on muscle glycogen synthase is present. Therefore, tissue-specific alterations in insulin action on glycogen synthase are present in the development of insulin resistance in rhesus monkeys.


2004 ◽  
Vol 286 (4) ◽  
pp. E523-E528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenqi Liu ◽  
Yangsong Wu ◽  
Edward W. Nicklas ◽  
Linda A. Jahn ◽  
Wendie J. Price ◽  
...  

Insulin stimulates muscle glucose disposal via both glycolysis and glycogen synthesis. Insulin activates glycogen synthase (GS) in skeletal muscle by phosphorylating PKB (or Akt), which in turn phosphorylates and inactivates glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3), with subsequent activation of GS. A rapamycin-sensitive pathway, most likely acting via ribosomal 70-kDa protein S6 kinase (p70S6K), has also been implicated in the regulation of GSK-3 and GS by insulin. Amino acids potently stimulate p70S6K, and recent studies on cultured muscle cells suggest that amino acids also inactivate GSK-3 and/or activate GS via activating p70S6K. To assess the physiological relevance of these findings to normal human physiology, we compared the effects of amino acids and insulin on whole body glucose disposal, p70S6K, and GSK-3 phosphorylation, and on the activity of GS in vivo in skeletal muscle of 24 healthy human volunteers. After an overnight fast, subjects received intravenously either a mixed amino acid solution (1.26 μmol·kg-1·min-1× 6 h, n = 9), a physiological dose of insulin (1 mU·kg-1·min-1euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp × 2 h, n = 6), or a pharmacological dose of insulin (20 mU·kg-1·min-1euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp × 2 h, n = 9). Whole body glucose disposal rates were assessed by calculating the steady-state glucose infusion rates, and vastus lateralis muscle was biopsied before and at the end of the infusion. Both amino acid infusion and physiological hyperinsulinemia enhanced p70S6Kphosphorylation without affecting GSK-3 phosphorylation, but only physiological hyperinsulinemia also increased whole body glucose disposal and GS activity. In contrast, a pharmacological dose of insulin significantly increased whole body glucose disposal, p70S6K, GSK-3 phosphorylation, and GS activity. We conclude that amino acids at physiological concentrations mediate p70S6Kbut, unlike insulin, do not regulate GSK-3 and GS phosphorylation/activity in human skeletal muscle.


2006 ◽  
Vol 291 (5) ◽  
pp. E891-E898 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore P. Ciaraldi ◽  
Deborah K. Oh ◽  
Louis Christiansen ◽  
Svetlana E. Nikoulina ◽  
Alice P. S. Kong ◽  
...  

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a ubiquitous kinase implicated in both insulin action and adipogenesis. To determine how these multiple roles may relate to insulin resistance, we studied the regulation of GSK-3 protein expression and phosphorylation in skeletal muscle and isolated adipocytes from nonobese healthy control (HC), obese control (OC), and obese type 2 diabetic (OT2D) subjects. At baseline there were no differences in the GSK-3 protein expression in adipocytes. OC subjects underwent a 6-mo caloric restriction resulting in a 7% decrease in body mass index (BMI) and a 21% improvement in insulin-stimulated whole body glucose disposal rate (GDR). GSK-3α and GSK-3β expression decreased in adipocytes ( P < 0.05), whereas GSK-3α protein expression increased in skeletal muscle ( P < 0.05). OT2D subjects were treated with troglitazone or metformin for 3–4 mo. After troglitazone treatment GDR improved ( P < 0.05) despite an increase in BMI ( P < 0.05), whereas metformin had no significant effect on GDR. There was no significant change in GSK-3 expression in adipocytes following troglitazone, whereas both GSK-3α and -β were decreased in skeletal muscle ( P < 0.05). Metformin treatment had no significant impact on GSK-3 protein expression in either adipocytes or skeletal muscle. Neither treatment influenced GSK-3 serine phosphorylation in skeletal muscle or adipocytes. These results suggest that there is tissue specificity for the regulation of GSK-3 in humans. In skeletal muscle GSK-3 plays a role in control of metabolism and insulin action, whereas the function in adipose tissue is less clear.


2000 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi K. Ortmeyer ◽  
Noni L. Bodkin ◽  
Joseph Haney ◽  
Shinji Yoshioka ◽  
Hiroyoshi Horikoshi ◽  
...  

Thiazolidinediones (TZD) have been shown to have anti-diabetic effects including the ability to decrease fasting hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, increase insulin-mediated glucose disposal rate (M) and decrease hepatic glucose production, but the mechanisms of action are not well established. To determine whether a TZD (R-102380, Sankyo Company Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) could improve insulin action on skeletal muscle glycogen synthase (GS), the rate-limiting enzyme in glycogen synthesis, 4 insulin-resistant obese monkeys were given I mg/kg/ day R-102380 p.o. for a 6-week period. Skeletal muscle GS activity and glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) content were compared between pre-dosing and dosing periods before and during the maximal insulin-stimulation of a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp.Compared to pre-dosing, insulin-stimulated GS activity and G6P content were increased by this TZD: GS independent activity (p= 0.02), GS total activity (p= 0.005), GS fractional activity (p= 0.06) and G6P content (p= 0.02). The change in GS activity induced byin vivoinsulin (insulin-stimulated minus basal) was also increased by this TZD: GS independent activity (p= 0.03) and GS fractional activity (p= 0.04).We conclude that the TZD R-102380 improves insulin action at the skeletal muscle in part by increasing the activity of glycogen synthase. This improvement in insulin sensitivity may be a key factor in the anti-diabetic effect of the thiazolidinedione class of agents.


1989 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 695-703 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. J. Mikines ◽  
B. Sonne ◽  
P. A. Farrell ◽  
B. Tronier ◽  
H. Galbo

Seven endurance-trained subjects [maximal O2 consumption (VO2max) 64 +/- 1 (SE) ml.min-1.kg-1] were subjected to three sequential hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamps 15 h after having performed their last training session (T). Results were compared with findings in seven untrained subjects (VO2max 44 +/- 2 ml.min-1.kg-1) studied both at rest (UT) and after 60 min of bicycle exercise at 150 W (UT-ex). In T and UT-ex compared with UT, sensitivity for insulin-mediated whole-body glucose uptake was higher [insulin concentrations eliciting half-maximal glucose uptake being 44 +/- 2 (T) and 43 +/- 4 (UT-ex) vs. 52 +/- 3 microU/ml (UT), P less than 0.05] and responsiveness was higher [13.4 +/- 1.2 (T) and 10.9 +/- 0.7 (UT-ex) vs. 9.5 +/- 0.7 mg.min-1.kg-1 (UT), P less than 0.05]. Furthermore, responsiveness was higher (P less than 0.05) in T than in UT-ex. Insulin-stimulated O2 uptake and maximal glucose oxidation rate were higher in T than in UT and UT-ex. Insulin-stimulated conversion or glucose to glycogen and muscle glycogen synthase was higher in T than in UT and UT-ex. However, glycogen storage in vastus lateralis muscle was found only in UT-ex. No change in any glucoregulatory hormone or metabolite could explain the increased insulin action in trained subjects. It is concluded that physical training induces an adaptive increase in insulin responsiveness of whole-body glucose uptake, which does not reflect increased glycogen deposition in muscle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


1996 ◽  
Vol 270 (5) ◽  
pp. E890-E894 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Paolisso ◽  
A. Gambardella ◽  
S. Ammendola ◽  
A. D'Amore ◽  
V. Balbi ◽  
...  

Advancing age has been found to be associated with a decline in insulin action. Nevertheless, no study has been conducted in healthy centenarians. Our study investigates glucose tolerance and insulin action in centenarians. Fifty-two subjects were enrolled. The subjects were divided in three groups as follows: 1) adults (< 50 yr; n = 20);2) aged subjects (> 75 yr; n = 22); and 3) centenarians (> 100 yr; n = 14). Body composition was studied by bioimpedance analysis. In all subjects, an oral glucose tolerance test and euglycemic glucose clamp were performed. Centenarians have a lower fat-free mass (FFM) than aged subjects and adults, whereas fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, free fatty acids, urea, and creatinine were not different in the groups studies. Centenarians had a 2-h plasma glucose concentration (6.0 +/- 0.2 mmol/l) that was lower than that in aged subjects (6.6 +/- 0.5 mmol/l, P < 0.05) but not different from adults [6.4 +/- 0.4 mmol/l, P = not significant (NS)]. During the clamp, plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were similar in the three groups. In these conditions, centenarians had a whole body glucose disposal (34.1 +/- 0.6 mumol.kg FFM-1.min 1) that was greater than that in aged subjects (23.3 +/- 0.5 mumol.kg FFM-1.min-1 P < 0.01) but not different from adults (34.6 +/- 0.5 mumol/kg x min, P = NS). In conclusion, our study demonstrates that centenarians compared with aged subjects had a preserved glucose tolerance and insulin action.


2003 ◽  
Vol 88 (12) ◽  
pp. 6008-6014 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. G. Perry ◽  
A. Spiers ◽  
S. J. Cleland ◽  
G. D. O. Lowe ◽  
J. R. Petrie ◽  
...  

Abstract Insulin sensitivity in tissues such as a skeletal muscle and fat is closely correlated with insulin action in the vasculature, but the mechanism underlying this is unclear. We investigated the effect of dexamethasone on insulin-stimulated glucose disposal and vasodilation in healthy males to test the hypothesis that a reduction in glucose disposal would be accompanied by a reduction in insulin action in the vasculature. We performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over trial comparing insulin sensitivity (measured by the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp) and vascular insulin action (measured by small vessel wire myography) in young healthy males allocated to placebo or 1 mg dexamethasone twice daily for 6 d, each in random order. Six days of dexamethasone therapy was associated with a 30% (95% confidence interval, 19.1–40.0%) fall in insulin sensitivity. Despite this, there was no difference in insulin-mediated vasodilation between phases. Dexamethasone had no effect on circulating markers of endothelial function, such as d-dimer, von Willebrand factor, and tissue plasminogen activator. By short-term exposure to high dose dexamethasone we were able to differentially affect the metabolic and vascular actions of insulin. This implies that, using this model, there is physiological uncoupling of the effects of insulin in different tissues.


2011 ◽  
Vol 301 (3) ◽  
pp. E517-E526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Summer M. Raines ◽  
Oliver C. Richards ◽  
Lindsay R. Schneider ◽  
Kathryn L. Schueler ◽  
Mary E. Rabaglia ◽  
...  

Hepatic vasculature is not thought to pose a permeability barrier for diffusion of macromolecules from the bloodstream to hepatocytes. In contrast, in extrahepatic tissues, the microvasculature is critically important for insulin action, because transport of insulin across the endothelial cell layer is rate limiting for insulin-stimulated glucose disposal. However, very little is known concerning the role in this process of pericytes, the mural cells lining the basolateral membrane of endothelial cells. PDGF-B is a growth factor involved in the recruitment and function of pericytes. We studied insulin action in mice expressing PDGF-B lacking the proteoglycan binding domain, producing a protein with a partial loss of function (PDGF-B ret/ ret). Insulin action was assessed through measurements of insulin signaling and insulin and glucose tolerance tests. PDGF-B deficiency enhanced hepatic vascular transendothelial transport. One outcome of this change was an increase in hepatic insulin signaling. This correlated with enhanced whole body glucose homeostasis and increased insulin clearance from the circulation during an insulin tolerance test. In obese mice, PDGF-B deficiency was associated with an 80% reduction in fasting insulin and drastically reduced insulin secretion. These mice did not have significantly higher glucose levels, reflecting a dramatic increase in insulin action. Our findings show that, despite already having a high permeability, hepatic transendothelial transport can be further enhanced. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to connect PDGF-B-induced changes in hepatic sinusoidal transport to changes in insulin action, demonstrating a link between PDGF-B signaling and insulin sensitivity.


2013 ◽  
Vol 304 (6) ◽  
pp. E631-E639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Friedrichsen ◽  
Jesper B. Birk ◽  
Erik A. Richter ◽  
Rasmus Ribel-Madsen ◽  
Christian Pehmøller ◽  
...  

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by reduced muscle glycogen synthesis. The key enzyme in this process, glycogen synthase (GS), is activated via proximal insulin signaling, but the exact molecular events remain unknown. Previously, we demonstrated that phosphorylation of Thr308 on Akt (p-Akt-Thr308), Akt2 activity, and GS activity in muscle were positively associated with insulin sensitivity. Here, in the same study population, we determined the influence of several upstream elements in the canonical PI3K signaling on muscle GS activation. One-hundred eighty-one nondiabetic twins were examined with the euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp combined with excision of muscle biopsies. Insulin signaling was evaluated at the levels of the insulin receptor, IRS-1-associated PI3K (IRS-1-PI3K), Akt, and GS employing activity assays and phosphospecific Western blotting. The insulin-stimulated GS activity was positively associated with p-Akt-Thr308 ( P = 0.01) and Akt2 activity ( P = 0.04) but not p-Akt-Ser473 or IRS-1-PI3K activity. Furthermore, p-Akt-Thr308 and Akt2 activity were negatively associated with NH2-terminal GS phosphorylation ( P = 0.001 for both), which in turn was negatively associated with insulin-stimulated GS activity ( P < 0.001). We found no association between COOH-terminal GS phosphorylation and Akt or GS activity. Employing whole body Akt2-knockout mice, we validated the necessity for Akt2 in insulin-mediated GS activation. However, since insulin did not affect NH2-terminal phosphorylation in mice, we could not use this model to validate the observed association between GS NH2-terminal phosphorylation and Akt activity in humans. In conclusion, our study suggests that although COOH-terminal dephosphorylation is likely necessary for GS activation, Akt2-dependent NH2-terminal dephosphorylation may be the site for “fine-tuning” insulin-mediated GS activation in humans.


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