We earlier developed a novel method to detect translocation of the glucose transporter (GLUT) directly and simply using c-MYC epitope-tagged GLUT (GLUTMYC). To define the effect of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) on glucose transport in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, we investigated the PDGF-and insulin-induced glucose uptake, translocation of glucose transporters, and phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase activity in 3T3-L1, 3T3-L1GLUT4MYC, and 3T3-L1GLUT1MYC adipocytes. Insulin and PDGF stimulated glucose uptake by 9 -10-and 5.5-6.5-fold, respectively, in both 3T3-L1 and 3T3-L1GLUT4MYC adipocytes. Exogenous GLUT4MYC expression led to enhanced PDGF-induced glucose transport. In 3T3-L1GLUT4MYC adipocytes, insulin and PDGF induced an 8-and 5-fold increase in GLUT4MYC translocation, respectively, determined in a cell-surface anti-c-MYC antibody binding assay. This PDGF-induced GLUT4MYC translocation was further demonstrated with fluorescent detection. In contrast, PDGF stimulated a 2-fold increase of GLUT1MYC translocation and 2.5-fold increase of glucose uptake in 3T3-L1GLUT1MYC adipocytes. The PDGF-induced GLUT4MYC translocation, glucose uptake, and PI 3-kinase activity were maximal (100%) at 5-10 min and thereafter rapidly declined to 40, 30, and 12%, respectively, within 60 min, a time when effects of insulin were maximal. Wortmannin (0.1 M) abolished PDGF-induced GLUT4MYC translocation and glucose uptake in 3T3-L1GLUT4MYC adipocytes. These results suggest that PDGF can transiently trigger the translocation of GLUT4 and stimulate glucose uptake by translocation of both GLUT4 and GLUT1 in a PI 3-kinase-dependent signaling pathway in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.The insulin signaling pathway mediating the glucose transport is not fully understood. Translocation of GLUT4 1 from an intracellular pool to the plasma membrane is thought to be a major mechanism of glucose uptake in response to insulin in insulin-sensitive tissues (1-3). We (4) and others (5-8) found that PI 3-kinase activation is essential for insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) activate many of the same signaling cascades as does insulin. One of the most prominent shared pathways is phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Therefore, the question arose as to whether PDGF or EGF would trigger GLUT4 translocation by the activation of PI 3-kinase. We developed a sensitive immunological method that can detect c-MYC epitope-tagged GLUT4 (GLUT4MYC) on the cell surface, directly and quantitatively (9). By using this method, we have found that PDGF and EGF did trigger the GLUT4 translocation to the plasma membrane in CHO and 3T3-L1 adipocytes by a signaling pathway involving phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase, p85/p110 heterodimer type) (10, 11). We considered that PDGF and EGF as well as insulin may have latent potential to trigger GLUT4 translocation by activation of PI 3-kinase in cultured cells. PDGF-or EGF-triggered GLUT4 translocation has been reported by other research groups (12, 13). However, there is...