Role of a pituitary-specific transcription factor (pit-1/GHF-1) or a closely related protein in cAMP regulation of human thyrotropin-beta subunit gene expression.

cAMP regulation of the human thyrotropin-beta (TSH beta) gene cAMP was studied in two heterologous cell lines, a human embryonal kidney cell line (293) and a rat pituitary cell line (GH3). In 293 cells, human TSH beta gene expression was not stimulated by the adenylate cyclase activator forskolin or the cAMP analogue 8-bromo-cAMP (8-Br-cAMP). On the other hand, these agents induced human TSH beta gene expression 4-12-fold in GH3 cells. Deletion analysis demonstrated that the regions from +3 to +8 bp and from -128 to -61 bp were both necessary for cAMP stimulation. The latter region contains three DNA sequences homologous to a pituitary-specific transcription factor, Pit-1/GHF-1, DNA-binding site. Gel-mobility assays demonstrated that a radiolabeled human TSH beta probe (-128 to -61 bp) formed five specific DNA-protein complexes with mouse thyrotropic tumor (MTT) nuclear extract and two specific complexes with in vitro translated Pit-1/GHF-1. Four of the five MTT complexes and both in vitro Pit-1/GHF-1 complexes were reduced or eliminated by excess of an unlabeled Pit-1/GHF-1 DNA-binding site from the rat growth hormone gene, but not a mutated version of the same DNA fragment, suggesting that Pit-1/GHF-1 or a closely related thyrotroph protein binds to these DNA sequences. In 293 cells, co-transfection of an expression vector containing the Pit-1/GHF-1 cDNA restored cAMP-responsiveness to the human TSH beta promoter (5.2- and 6.6-fold maximal stimulation by 8-Br-cAMP and forskolin, respectively) but not the herpes virus thymidine kinase promoter (1.2-fold maximal stimulation by either agent). Thus we conclude that the human TSH beta gene is positively regulated by cAMP in GH3 but not 293 cells. Since the human TSH beta gene contains at least one high-affinity binding site for Pit-1/GHF-1 in a region necessary for cAMP stimulation and cAMP stimulation could be restored to the human TSH beta promoter in a previously nonresponsive cell line by the addition of Pit-1/GHF-1, this suggests that Pit-1/GHF-1, or a closely related protein in the thyrotroph, may be a trans-acting factor for cAMP stimulation of the TSH beta gene.

Inhibition of insulin-stimulated glucose transport in rat adipocytes by nucleoside transport inhibitors.

In isolated rat adipocytes, basal as well as insulin-stimulated 3-O-methylglucose transport was inhibited nearly completely (maximal inhibition: 95%) by the nucleoside transport inhibitors dipyridamole (IC50 = 5 microM), nitrobenzylthioguanosine (20 microM), nitrobenzylthioinosine (35 microM) and papaverine (130 microM). Transport kinetics in the presence of 10 microM dipyridamole revealed a significant increase in the transport Km value of 3-O-methylglucose (3.45 +/- 0.6 vs 2.36 +/- 0.29 mM in the controls) as well as a decrease in the Vmax value (4.84 +/- 0.95 vs 9.03 +/- 1.19 pmol/s per microliter lipid in the controls). Half-maximally inhibiting concentrations of dipyridamole were one order of magnitude higher than those inhibiting nucleoside (thymidine) uptake (0.48 microM). The inhibitory effect of dipyridamole (5 microM) reached its maximum within 30 s. The agent failed to affect insulin's half-maximally stimulating concentration (0.075 nM) indicating that it did not interfere with the mechanism by which insulin stimulates glucose transport. Further, dipyridamole fully suppressed the glucose-inhibitable cytochalasin B binding (IC50 = 1.65 +/- 0.05 microM). The data indicate that nucleoside transport inhibitors reduce glucose transport by a direct interaction with the transporter or a closely related protein. It is suggested that glucose and nucleoside transporters share structural, and possibly functional, features.

Apoptosis induction by inhibitors of Ser/Thr phosphatases 1 and 2A is associated with transglutaminase activation in two different human epithelial tumour lines.

Two epithelial tumour lines, HeLa and KB, were treated with okadaic acid and calyculin A, specific inhibitors of Ser/Thr phosphatases (PP), esp. PP1 and PP2A. Morphological criteria, analysis of DNA fragmentation and studies of membrane integrity revealed that both agents concentration- and time-dependently induced apoptosis at nanomolar concentrations which in these cells was associated with the stimulation of a transglutaminase activity. Since a non-functional derivative of okadaic acid did not affect cell viability apoptosis was apparently related to the inhibition of PP1 and PP2A. Membrane damage marker activity was delayed by at least 24 h when compared to nuclear alterations.

Hamster pancreatic beta cell lines with altered sensitivity towards apoptotic signalling by phosphatase inhibitors.

Specific inhibitors of serine/threonine phosphatases like okadaic acid can induce apoptotic cell death in the pancreatic beta cell line HIT. Cultivation in stepwise increased concentrations of okadaic acid enabled the isolation of HIT100R cells which proliferate at 100 nM okadaic acid (8 - 10 times the initially lethal concentration). These two cell lines were used to characterize the events triggered by okadaic acid that led to apoptosis. Biochemical markers, e.g. cytochrome c release from mitochondria and increase of caspase-3-like activity, revealed that induction of apoptosis by 100 nM okadaic acid in parental HIT cells started with the release of cytochrome c. In HIT100R cells 500 nM okadaic acid were necessary to induce alterations comparable to those observed with 100 nM okadaic acid in non-resistant HIT cells. In contrast to okadaic acid, the potency of the structurally different phosphatase inhibitor cantharidic acid to induce cytochrome c release, increase of caspase-3-like activity and DNA fragmentation was comparable in HIT and HIT100R cells. Thus, no cross-resistance between these phosphatase inhibitors seemed to exist. Phosphatase activity in extracts from HIT and HIT100R cells did not differ in its total amount or in its sensitivity for okadaic acid. Since higher concentrations of okadaic acid were needed to induce apoptosis in HIT100R cells, a compromised intracellular accumulation of the toxin appeared likely. Functional and structural analysis revealed that this was achieved by the development of the multidrug resistance phenotype in HIT100R cells. The underlying mechanism appeared to be the enhanced expression of the pgp1 but not the pgp2 gene.

Methylxanthines inhibit glucose transport in rat adipocytes by two independent mechanisms.

In summary, this study characterized the biphasic inhibition of fat cell glucose transport by the lipolytic agents caffeine and theophylline. Like the lipolytic drug forskolin, both methylxanthines produced an immediate inhibition of glucose transport that was not seen with 8-phenyltheophylline, a pure adenosine receptor antagonist. The immediate inhibition was therefore not mediated by the adenosine receptor antagonism but seems to be due to a direct interaction with the hexose transporter. This conclusion is supported by the immediate onset of the inhibition and additionally by the interference of theophylline and caffeine with the binding of cytochalasin B, a ligand of the glucose transporter that binds to an intracellular site of the transporter molecule. In addition, a second, delayed inhibitory effect of theophylline and caffeine on glucose transport was observed. This portion shared many aspects of the inhibitory effect of lipolytic hormones. It developed over a period of about 5 min and was antagonized by the simultaneous addition of the antilipolytic hormone PGE2. This component of transport inhibition could be attributed to the antagonistic effect of methylxanthines at the fat cell A1-adenosine receptor since it was also seen with 8-phenyltheophylline. This conclusion is further supported by data showing that the removal of endogenous adenosine with adenosine deaminase resulted in a comparable 25-30% inhibition of insulin-stimulated glucose transport. In addition, the time course of glucose transport inhibition by the subsequent addition of adenosine deaminase is similar to that of the delayed portion of the inhibition seen with theophylline and caffeine. Both treatments produced their maximal inhibition after 5 min. In conclusion, the methylxanthines theophylline and caffeine inhibit glucose transport by a combination of two different modes of action. The immediate major component is mediated via a direct interaction with the hexose transporter whereas the delayed component involves adenosine receptor antagonism and thereby the interaction with G-proteins.

Dual effect of isoprenaline on glucose transport and response to insulin in isolated adipocytes.

Glucose transport as assessed by the uptake rate of 3-O-methylglucose was stimulated in isolated rat fat cells by preincubation with isoprenaline or orciprenaline. The effect was apparently mediated by beta 1-receptors, since (1) it was abolished by propranolol, (2) it closely paralleled the stimulation of lipolysis, and (3) isoprenaline was 10(2) times more potent that orciprenaline. Isoprenaline enhanced the effect of submaximal insulin concentrations as well as the basal transport rate but failed to increase the maximal effect of insulin. The stimulatory effect of isoprenaline was antagonized by adenosine deaminase which removes adenosine spontaneously released from the cells, and by bordetella toxin (IAP) which blocks the inhibitory coupling component of adenylate cyclase. Moreover, bordetella toxin uncovered an inhibitory effect of isoprenaline on insulin stimulated glucose transport. There was no apparent correlation between the effects on glucose transport and the response of cellular cyclic AMP levels to the agents investigated. It is suggested that a step in the coupling of beta-receptors and adenylate cyclase, but not total cellular cyclic AMP levels, may mediate stimulatory as well as inhibitory effects of catecholamines on glucose transport in the adipocyte.

Apoptosis by 6-O-palmitoyl-L-ascorbic acid coincides with JNK-phosphorylation and inhibition of Mg2+-dependent phosphatase activity.

6-O-Palmitoyl ascorbic acid (PAA) has recently been used as a substitute for ascorbic acid because of its greater potency as an antioxidant. In detailed concentration response studies distinct cytotoxic effects of PAA at concentrations exceeding 100 microM were reported. Here we examined and further characterized this cytotoxicity. While ascorbic acid was tolerated well up to millimolar concentrations, PAA revealed an LC50 between 125 and 150 microM in rat GH3 tumor cells. Morphological and biochemical observations suggested the induction of apoptosis at concentrations exceeding 125 microM with a prominent activation of caspase 3 at 250 microM after 4 hr. A subsequent pronounced fragmentation of DNA (DNA-ladder) was detected after 6 hr and was further enhanced after 12 hr. The activation of caspases and the cleavage of its substrate PARP was preceded by a distinct increase in the phosphorylation of stress activated JNK-kinases. This observation suggested that the agent affected signal transduction mechanisms regulating protein phosphorylation at serine/threonine residues in the cell. No effect of PAA on protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A)-like activity was observed while magnesium-dependent protein phosphatase activity, presumably PP2C, was inhibited concentration-dependently up to 75% at the respective concentrations. Thus, the cytotoxic, pro-apoptotic effect of PAA might be related to the inhibition of PP2C and the activation of JNK.

Quantitative dissociation of glucose transport stimulation and insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activation in isolated adipocytes with a covalent insulin dimer (B29,B29'-suberoyl-insulin).

The covalent insulin dimer B29,B29'-suberoyl-insulin was investigated for its effects on insulin receptor binding, insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity and glucose transport in isolated adipose cells. The dimer stimulated glucose transport (initial 3-O-methylglucose uptake rate) to the same extent as insulin did (basal rate, 35 +/- 3 pmol/sec/microliter lipid; insulin, 380 +/- 27; B29,B29'-suberoyl-insulin, 369 +/- 24, means +/- S.E.), although at higher concentrations (EC50 1.94 +/- 0.64 nM versus 0.1 +/- 0.02 with insulin). In contrast, the dimer only partially (23%) mimicked insulin's effect on phosphate incorporation into insulin receptors immunoprecipitated after equilibration of cells with [32P]phosphate. Similarly, insulin receptor tyrosine kinase as assessed by receptor autophosphorylation and phosphorylation of the substrate poly-(Glu/Tyr) was not fully activated by treatment of cells with the insulin dimer (31 and 42% of the effect of insulin, respectively) in concentrations which maximally activate glucose transport and give rise to full insulin receptor occupancy (5 X 10(-7) M). Further, the dimer activated the receptor tyrosine kinase in solubilized purified insulin receptor preparations from adipose cells to only 25% of the effect of insulin (EC50 32.0 +/- 16 versus 1.9 +/- 1.0 nM with insulin) in spite of full receptor occupancy. Binding of the dimer to insulin receptors followed single site binding kinetics, indicating that the derivative is unable to induce negative cooperativity of the insulin receptor. It is concluded that a partial phosphorylation of insulin receptors and a submaximal tyrosine kinase activation are sufficient for full stimulation of glucose transport in the adipocyte. Further, it is suggested that negative cooperativity of the insulin receptor and activation of its tyrosine kinase require a similar conformational change of the receptor protein.

Characterization of two pituitary GH3 cell sublines partially resistant to apoptosis induction by okadaic acid.

Pituitary GH3 cells die by apoptosis when treated with okadaic acid, a specific inhibitor of ser/thr phosphatases. Incubations starting at concentrations of 5 and 12.5 nM followed by stepwise rises resulted in two populations (the S1 and S2 sublines) that proliferated at initially lethal 30 nM. Cells were partially resistant to higher concentrations of okadaic acid and its derivative methyl okadaate. Toxicity of the structurally distinct inhibitors cantharidic acid and calyculin A was differently affected in the two resistant lines. The enhanced expression of the P-glycoprotein was one mechanism of resistance in S1 and S2. Resistance was reversed completely (S1) or partially (S2) by the addition of verapamil. In addition, phosphatase activity, presumably PP2A, was increased in S2. Therefore, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic mechanisms can protect pituitary GH3 cells from apoptotic cell death by okadaic acid.

Prostaglandin E2 differentiates between two forms of glucose transport inhibition by lipolytic agents.

The inhibition of insulin-stimulated glucose transport by lipolytic agents was studied in isolated rat adipose cells. Two different mechanisms for the inhibition of glucose transport by lipolytic hormones and agents were distinguished by use of the antilipolytic agent prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The inhibition of glucose transport induced by lipolytic hormones such as glucagon, catecholamines or ACTH in the presence of adenosine deaminase was antagonized by PGE2. In contrast, inhibition of hexose transport by alkylxanthines was only partially (20-30%) attenuated by PGE2, although the eicosanoid had antagonized cyclic AMP accumulation and stimulation of lipolysis in response to all tested lipolytic agents. The inhibition of glucose transport by IBMX was immediate, whereas the lipolytic hormones (isoprenaline and ACTH) exhibited a latency of 2-3 min. In addition, the inhibition induced by the lypolytic hormones disappeared after cooling of the cells to 22 degrees C, at which temperature IBMX was still inhibitory. Thus, the PGE2-sensitive component of the effect of lipolytic agents on glucose transport appears to be mediated by adenylate cyclase or its subunits Ns/Ni. The PGE2-insensitive effect of alkylxanthines probably reflects a direct interaction of the agents with a regulatory site at the transporter or a related protein.

Inhibitors of ser/thr phosphatases 1 and 2A induce apoptosis in pituitary GH3 cells.

Two structurally different inhibitors of ser/thr phosphatases 1 and 2A, okadaic acid and calyculin A, time- and concentration-dependently stimulated and inhibited cell-specific function (hormone gene expression) in pituitary GH3 cells. The negative effect was associated with the appearance of apoptotic cell death. Nanomolar concentrations of both agents produced the characteristic morphological alterations and a DNA fragmentation ladder. Calyculin A treatment resulted in comparable changes with 10fold lower concentrations than okadaic acid. Observations with derivatives of okadaic acid with no or lower phosphatase inhibitory potency supported the conclusion that apoptosis induction is related to inhibition of ser/thr phosphatases, presumably types 1 and 2A. Membrane damage as measured by lactate dehydrogenase liberation into medium was significantly lower in apoptotic vs. necrotic cells. DNA fragmentation could be reduced by the addition of zinc but not by removal of extracellular calcium with EGTA. Apoptotic changes were reduced by the concomitant activation of protein kinase A by a membrane permeable cAMP analogue. Incubation of cells for 4 months in successively increased concentrations of okadaic acid resulted in a population that proliferated at the initially lethal concentration of 30 nM.

Contribution of mdr1b-type P-glycoprotein to okadaic acid resistance in rat pituitary GH3 cells.

Okadaic acid as well as other, structurally different, inhibitors of serine/threonine phosphatases 1 and 2A induce apoptosis in pituitary GH3 cells. Incubation with stepwise raised concentrations of okadaic acid resulted in the isolation of cells that were increasingly less sensitive to the cytotoxic effect of this agent. After about 18 months cells were selected that survived at 300 nM okadaic acid, which is about 30 times the initially lethal concentration. This study revealed that a major pharmacokinetic mechanism underlying cell survival was the development of a P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance (MDR) phenotype. The increase in mRNA levels of the mdr1b P-glycoprotein isoform correlated with the extent of drug resistance. Functional assays revealed that increasing drug resistance was paralleled by a decreased accumulation of rhodamine 123, a fluorescent dye which is a substrate of mdr1-mediated efflux activity. Resistance could be abolished by structurally different chemosensitizers of P-glycoprotein function like verapamil and reserpine but not by the leukotriene receptor antagonist MK571 which is a modulator of the multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP). Okadaic acid resistance included cross-resistance to other cytotoxic agents that are substrates of mdr1-type P-glycoproteins, like doxorubicin and actinomycin D, but not to non-substrates of mdr1, e.g. cytosine arabinoside. Thus, functional as well as biochemical features support the conclusion that okadaic acid is a substrate of the mdr1-mediated efflux activity in rat pituitary GH3 cells. Maintenance of resistance after withdrawal of okadaic acid as well as metaphase spreads of 100 nM okadaic acid-resistant cells suggested a stable MDR genotype without indications for the occurrence of extrachromosomal amplifications, e.g. double minute chromosomes.

A fast and sensitive technique to study the kinetics and the concentration dependencies of DNA fragmentation during drug-induced apoptosis.

Apoptotic cell death with its characteristic coordinated cellular breakdown can be triggered by cytotoxic drugs. One prominent feature that differentiates apoptotic from necrotic cell death is the caspase-mediated activation of an endonuclease that internucleosomally cleaves DNA resulting in the so-called apoptotic DNA ladder. Here we report a new rapid, sensitive and inexpensive column separation technique to study drug-induced DNA fragmentation from 10(6) or less cells. This technique, which is based on a modified plasmid spin column kit, avoids the use of hazardous chemicals. With this procedure and subsequent densitometric analysis it was possible to study the concentration dependencies and the kinetics of drug-induced DNA fragmentation. The applicability of this technique is shown for okadaic acid- and cantharidic-acid-treated pituitary GH(3) cells as well as highly okadaic-acid-resistant sublines. These studies allowed us to compare as well as to differentiate the effects and potencies of these structurally different but functionally quite similar inhibitors of ser/thr phosphatases 1 and 2A.

Doxorubicin-resistant LoVo adenocarcinoma cells display resistance to apoptosis induction by some but not all inhibitors of ser/thr phosphatases 1 and 2A.

LoVo adenocarcinoma cells are fairly sensitive to cytostatic drugs, e.g. doxorubicin, but can develop drug resistance by expression of a P-glycoprotein-mediated MDR1 phenotype. LoVo cells respond with apoptosis to nanomolar concentrations of okadaic acid and micromolar concentrations of cantharidic acid. Interestingly, LoVoDx cells which had become about 10-fold less sensitive to doxorubicin by incubation in increasing concentrations of this cytostatic drug were also less sensitive to the toxicity of okadaic acid. Resistance to both agents was lost or significantly reduced by incubation in drug-free medium for about 4 months. On the other hand, LoVoDx cells did not lose responsiveness to the structurally different phosphatase inhibitor cantharidic acid but were about twofold more sensitive to the cytotoxic effect of this agent. Thus, MDR expression protects LoVo cells from the toxicity of phosphatase inhibitors that presumably are substrates of the P-glycoprotein, e.g. okadaic acid and its derivatives but not cantharidic acid, despite the fact that both agents are potent inducers of apoptotic cell death via ser/thr phosphatase inhibition.

Thyrotropin (TSH) beta-subunit gene expression--an example for the complex regulation of pituitary hormone genes.

Synthesis of pituitary hormones was shown to be efficiently regulated at the transcriptional level. The specialized function of the five cell types in the anterior pituitary is controlled by ubiquitous as well as cell-specific transcription factors. Pit-1 is such a cell-specific regulator found only in lacto-, somato- and thyrotropes which could be shown to be essential for basal expression of growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (Prl) genes and the regulated expression of Prl and thyrotropin (TSH) beta-subunit genes. Identification of distinct binding sites for transcription factors and some of the mechanisms of transcriptional control shed light on the complex regulation of pituitary hormone gene expression which is exemplified for the TSH beta gene. The control of basal as well as positively and negatively regulated expression of some pituitary hormone genes becomes fairly well understood by the investigation of the role of Pit-1. Identification of different mutations in the human pit-1 gene supported the role of this protein for combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD) characterized by the deficiency of GH, prolactin and TSH.

Phosphatase inhibitors induce defective hormone secretion in insulin-secreting cells and entry into apoptosis.

A long-term (> or =24 h) exposure of insulin-secreting HIT T15 cells to the phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid (OA), at concentrations inhibiting serine/threonine phosphatases 1 (PP1) and 2A (PP2A) reduced proliferation and insulin secretion. The reduced proliferation was related to the induction of apoptosis as evidenced by morphological criteria and the occurrence of internucleosomal DNA fragmentation after 15 h in 50 nM OA. The compromised insulin secretion was not simply a consequence of a lowered hormone content and cell growth, but comprised also a complete suppression of secretion stimulated by K+ depolarisation and forskolin. K+ depolarisation of HIT cells cultured for 24 h in 50 nM OA resulted in a nearly unimpaired influx of Ca2+, but did not induce secretion. These observations suggest that the secretory defect may be localised distal to Ca2+ influx in stimulus secretion coupling of insulin-secreting cells.

Expression and function of protein phosphatase PP2A in malignant testicular germ cell tumours.

Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT) represent the most common malignancy in young males. We reported previously that two prototype members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family, the MAPK ERK kinase (MEK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), are inactive in malignant testicular germ cells and become active after drug stimulation, leading to apoptosis of tumour cells. In this study, we asked whether the protein phosphatase PP2A, a known inhibitor of the MEK-ERK pathway, participates in the proliferation and/or apoptosis of primary TGCT (n = 48) as well as two TGCT cell lines (NTERA and NCCIT). Quantitative RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, western blot analyses and phosphatase assay indicate that primary TGCT as well as TGCT cell lines express PP2A and that PP2A is active in TGCT cell lines. The inhibition of PP2A by application of two PP2A inhibitors, cantharidic acid (CA) and okadaic acid (OA), results in a significant increase in caspase-3-mediated apoptosis of TGCT cell lines. Thereby, PP2A inhibition was accompanied by phosphorylation and activation of MEK and ERK. Functional assays using the MEK inhibitor PD98059 demonstrated that the phosphorylation of MEK and ERK was required for the induction of caspase-3-mediated apoptosis of malignant germ cells. Thus, our data suggest that inhibition of PP2A mediates its apoptosis-inducing effect on TGCT through activation of the MEK-ERK signalling pathway that leads to caspase-3-mediated apoptosis of tumour cells. In addition our results support previous observations that PP2A exerts an anti-apoptotic effect on malignant tumour cells.

Forskolin inhibits insulin-stimulated glucose transport in rat adipose cells by a direct interaction with the glucose transporter.

The mechanism of the inhibitory action of forskolin, a plant-derived stimulator of adenylate cyclase, on glucose transport in rat adipose cells was studied. Lipolysis (glycerol release) and glucose transport activity (initial 3-O-methylglucose uptake rate) were measured after treatment of intact cells. In isolated plasma membranes, D-glucose transport and glucose-inhibitable binding of cytochalasin B, a specific labeling agent for the glucose transporter, were assayed. Forskolin inhibited insulin-stimulated glucose transport in intact cells at low concentrations which failed to stimulate lipolysis. Furthermore, the adenylate cyclase inhibitor prostaglandin E2 reduced forskolin-stimulated lipolysis but failed to reverse the transport inhibition. Therefore, the effects of the agent on lipolysis appeared to be dissociable from those on glucose transport. In plasma membrane vesicles, forskolin inhibited D-glucose transport in a competitive manner by an increase in the apparent transport Km without any detectable change in Vmax. In parallel to the transport inhibition, the agent inhibited the specific binding of cytochalasin B in both plasma membranes and low density microsomes, which contain the intracellular pool of glucose transporters in insulin-sensitive cells. The Kl of this inhibition (205 nM) was very similar to that of the inhibition of glucose transport in the membrane vesicles (203 nM). It is concluded that forskolin inhibits glucose transport by a direct interaction with the transporter (or a closely related protein) rather than through activation of adenylate cyclase.

Reversible reduction of insulin receptor affinity by ATP depletion in rat adipocytes.

The effects of the metabolic inhibitor NaN3 on insulin receptors in isolated rat fat-cells were investigated. The agent reduced insulin binding in parallel to a decrease of the ATP content of cells. Both effects were observed in the same concentration range of NaN3, and were fully reversible. According to the binding curves the affinity rather than the number of receptors was reduced. Kinetic experiments revealed an increased dissociation rate of the insulin-receptor complex. The effects outlasted cell disruption, since the receptor affinity was still lowered in plasma membranes obtained from NaN3-treated cells. Thus an inhibition of insulin internalization could not account for the observed effects. It is suggested that the observed ATP-dependence of insulin receptor affinity reflects a reversible structural alteration of the receptor, or of some closely related membrane protein.