Phenylarsine oxide and vanadate: apparent paradox of inhibition of protein phosphotyrosine phosphatases in rat adipocytes.

Vanadate mimics, whereas phenylarsine oxide (PAO) antagonizes, the effects of insulin in rat adipocytes. Both vanadate and PAO are documented inhibitors of protein-phosphotyrosine phosphatases. The relationship between the inhibition of 'inhibitory' PTPase and 'stimulatory' PTPase has been studied here in primary rat adipocytes. Low concentrations of PAO (IC50 = 0.6-2.0 microM) blocked the stimulating effects of insulin, vanadate and pervanadate on hexose uptake and glucose metabolism. Inhibition of isoproterenol-mediating lipolysis by vanadate and insulin was not blocked by PAO. The activating effects of okadaic acid on hexose uptake and glucose metabolism, which occur at points downstream to tyrosine phosphorylation, were also not blocked by PAO. Subsequent studies suggested that the PAO-sensitive PTPase comprises a minute fraction of the total adipocytic PTPase activity. To identify its location we applied procedures involving fractionations and activation of non-receptor adipocytic protein tyrosine kinase by PAO and vanadate in cell free assays. We found that the 'inhibitory' PTPase is exclusively associated with the membrane fraction whereas the 'stimulatory' PTPases are present in both the cytosolic and plasma membrane compartments. We next searched for markers, possibly associated with PAO-dependent desensitization and found that several proteins became phosphorylated on tyrosine moieties in the supernatant of PAO but not in vanadate pretreated adipocytes. In summary, we propose the presence of a minute, plasma membrane associated PTPase in primary rat adipocytes, inhibition of which arrests the activation of glucose metabolism. In contrast, inhibition of all the other cellular adipose PTPases, ultimately activates rather than inhibits these same bioeffects.