ANTAGONISM BETWEEN INSULIN AND SELECTIVE ADRENERGIC AGONISTS ON THE GLYCOGEN SYNTHETASE AND PHOSPHORYLASE SYSTEMS OF THE ISOLATED RAT DIAPHRAGM
ABSTRACT The antagonism between insulin and selective adrenergic stimulation on the converting systems for glycogen synthetase and phosphorylase has been investigated in the isolated rat diaphragm. Insulin significantly inhibited stimulation by terbutaline and noradrenaline of phosphorylase b to a conversion as well as stimulation of glycogen synthetase I to D conversion by these agents. The inhibition by insulin was stronger on the synthetase system than on the phosphorylase system. The insulin effect was not dependent upon the presence of glucose. In diaphragms from 24 h fasted rats the response of the phosphorylase system to both agonists decreased. Inhibition by insulin of terbutaline stimulated phosphorylase conversion was maintained upon fasting while no effect of insulin against stimulation by noradrenaline could be obtained in diaphragms from fasted rats. The effects of fasting and insulin were not influenced by beta adrenergic antagonists (practolol and butoxamine). The results indicate a difference in sensitivity of the synthetase and phosphorylase systems to insulin and suggest that noradrenaline and terbutaline influence glycogen metabolism by differing mechanisms.