The HepG2-type glucose transporter (HepG2-GT) is expressed in 3T3-L1 fibroblasts and adipocytes. In contrast, the acutely insulin-regulatable glucose transporter (IRGT) is expressed only in the adipocytes. In the present study, the expression of the IRGT was shown to increase in parallel with the acquisition of acutely insulin-stimulated glucose uptake during differentiation of these cells, whereas the level of the HepG2-GT decreased during the course of differentiation in parallel with a decline in basal glucose uptake. We examined the effects of chronic insulin and tolbutamide treatment on glucose transporter activity in conjunction with the expression of these two glucose transporter species in 3T3-Ll adipocytes. Treatment of adipocytes with insulin, tolbutamide, or both agents in combination increased 2-deoxyglucose uptake, HepG2-GT protein, and HepG2-GT mRNA levels in parallel. The effect of combined insulin/tolbutamide administration on these three parameters was greater than the effect of either treatment alone. In contrast, these treatments either had no significant effect or decreased levels of IRGT protein and mRNA. We conclude that chronic treatment of 3T3-Ll adipocytes with insulin or tolbutamide increases glucose uptake primarily by means of a selective increase in the expression of the HepG2-GT. We suggest that part of the in vivo hypoglycemic effect of insulin and sulfonylureas may involve an increased expression of the HepG2-GT.Muscle and fat represent a major depot for insulin-stimulated whole-body glucose disposal (1, 2). Glucose transport across the plasma membrane of these insulin-sensitive tissues appears to occur by means of at least two distinct facilitated diffusion transport proteins. The major species, termed the insulin-regulatable glucose transporter (IRGT), is expressed exclusively in fat and muscle tissues (3, 4). The HepG2-type glucose transporter (HepG2-GT) (5), the predominant species expressed in mammalian brain, erythrocytes, and several other tissues, appears to be expressed at low levels in fat and muscle (3,(6)(7)(8). Most of the enhancement of glucose transport observed in response to acute insulin stimulation in fat and muscle is believed to occur by means of the rapid translocation of glucose transporters from an intracellular pool to the plasma membrane (9-12). Both the IRGT and the HepG2-GT undergo insulin-dependent translocation in rat and 3T3-L1 adipocytes (3,13,14), and thus both presumably contribute to the acute increase in glucose transport observed in the presence of the hormone. However, an investigation of the long-term regulatory effect ofinsulin on these two distinct glucose transport systems has not been reported. Some studies on insulin resistance have indirectly suggested a negative effect of chronic insulin administration on glucose disposal in humans (15), although claims to the contrary have also been made (16,17). Most animal studies, however, have indicated that insulin generally exerts a positive regulatory effect, presumably by raising the p...

In primary cultures of rat mesangial cells from passage 3 to 6, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1) induced a time-dependent increase in prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) formation and release into the extracellular medium. This increase was associated with a dramatic upregulation of the steady-state levels of mRNA for the prostaglandin endoperoxide synthetase (PES)-2 gene transcript as demonstrated by Northern analysis. In contrast, there did not appear to be a significant increase in the mRNA levels for a 2.8-kb transcript for the PES-1 gene. At 18 h of exposure to IL-1, the steady-state level of message for PES-2 remained elevated at 50% of the 2-h time point. Culturing the cells in the presence of cycloheximide and IL-1 demonstrated a superinduction of the PES-2 message without any change in PES-1 message. The tumor-promoting phorbol ester, phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), was also associated with an upregulation of the message for the PES-2 gene and did not influence the levels of the message for the PES-1 gene as demonstrated by Northern analysis. Dexamethasone (Dex) inhibited to control levels the induction by PMA, but the induction of the message by IL-1 was only inhibited 30%. Despite 70% of the message being present by 2 h of induction, Dex was capable of totally inhibiting the inductive effect of IL-1 with respect to PGE2 biosynthesis. Immunocytochemical studies demonstrated a dramatic induction of PES-2 protein by IL-1, which was inhibited by Dex. The data suggest that Dex inhibits the translation of the PES-2 protein.

No abstract

No abstract

Glucose transport in 3T3L1 adipocytes is mediated by two facilitated diffusion transport systems. We examined the effect of chronic glucose deprivation on transport activity and on the expression of the HepG2 (GLUT 1) and adipocyte/muscle (GLUT 4) glucose transporter gene products in this insulin-sensitive cell line. Glucose deprivation resulted in a maximal increase in 2-deoxyglucose uptake of 3.6-fold by 24 h. Transport activity declined thereafter but was still 2.4-fold greater than the control by 72 h. GLUT 1 mRNA and protein increased progressively during starvation to values respectively 2.4- and 7.0-fold greater than the control by 72 h. Much of the increase in total immunoreactive GLUT 1 protein observed later in starvation was the result of the accumulation of a non-functional or mistargeted 38 kDa polypeptide. Immunofluorescence microscopy indicated that increases in GLUT 1 protein occurred in presumptive plasma membrane (PM) and Golgi-like compartments during prolonged starvation. The steady-state level of GLUT 4 protein did not change during 72 h of glucose deprivation despite a greater than 10-fold decrease in the mRNA. Subcellular fractionation experiments indicated that the increased transport activity observed after 24 h of starvation was principally the result of an increase in the 45-50 kDa GLUT 1 transporter protein in the PM. The level of the GLUT 1 transporter in the PM and low-density microsomes (LDM) was increased by 3.9- and 1.4-fold respectively, and the GLUT 4 transporter content of the PM and LDM was 1.7- and 0.6-fold respectively greater than that of the control after 24 h of glucose deprivation. These data indicate that newly synthesized GLUT 1 transporters are selectively shuttled to the PM and that GLUT 4 transporters undergo translocation from an intracellular compartment to the PM during 24 h of glucose starvation. Thus glucose starvation results in an increase in glucose transport in 3T3L1 adipocytes via a complex series of events involving increased biosynthesis, decreased turnover and subcellular redistribution of transporter proteins.