Muscle contraction and insulin induce glucose uptake in skeletal muscle through GLUT4 membrane translocation. Beneficial effects of exercise on glucose homeostasis in insulin-resistant individuals are known to be due to their distinct mechanism between contraction and insulin action on glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. However, the underlying mechanisms are not clear. Here we show that in skeletal muscle, distinct Ca 2+ second messengers regulate GLUT4 translocation by contraction and insulin treatment; D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate/nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) and cyclic ADP-ribose/NAADP are main players for insulin-and contraction-induced glucose uptake, respectively. Different patterns of phosphorylation of AMPK and Ca 2+ /calmodulindependent protein kinase II were shown in electrical stimuli (ES)-and insulin-induced glucose uptake pathways. ES-induced Ca 2+ signals and glucose uptake are dependent on glycolysis, which influences formation of NAD(P)-derived signaling messengers, whereas insulininduced signals are not. High-fat diet (HFD) induced a defect in only insulin-mediated, but not ES-mediated, Ca 2+ signaling for glucose uptake, which is related to a specifically lower NAADP formation. Exercise decreases blood glucose levels in HFD-induced insulin resistance mice via NAADP formation. Thus we conclude that different usage of Ca 2+ signaling in contraction/insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle may account for the mechanism by which exercise ameliorates glucose homeostasis in individuals with type 2 diabetes.Both insulin and contraction induce the translocation of GLUT4 from the interior of the muscle cell to the cell membrane, leading to an increase in glucose uptake into the muscle cell (1,2). However, evidence indicates that contraction-induced GLUT4 translocation uses a mechanism distinct from that of insulin (3,4). This is the basis behind the beneficial effects of exercise in cases where insulin resistance is present, such as type 2 diabetes (5,6). However, the exact mechanisms by which insulin and contraction induce glucose transport are not clear. Ca 2+ plays a versatile role in intracellular signaling (7). Mammalian cells have specific Ca 2+ signals for particular cellular processes. Ca 2+ second messengers control intracellular Ca 2+ levels by mobilizing Ca 2+ from intracellular stores, including the sarcoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes, and mitochondria (8). D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP 3 ), cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR), and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) are well-characterized Ca 2+ second messengers. IP 3 is produced by phospholipase C, and the latter two by ADP-ribosyl cyclases, including CD38 (9-11). Ca 2+ signals in skeletal muscle mediate a variety of physiological processes, including muscle contraction and cell metabolism