Bone marrow adipocytes drive the development of tissue invasive Ly6Chigh monocytes during obesity.

During obesity and high fat-diet (HFD) feeding in mice, sustained low-grade inflammation includes not only increased pro-inflammatory macrophages in the expanding adipose tissue, but also bone marrow (BM) production of invasive Ly6Chigh monocytes. As BM adiposity also accrues with HFD, we explored the relationship between the gains in BM white adipocytes and invasive Ly6Chigh monocytes by in vivo and ex vivo paradigms. We find a temporal and causal link between BM adipocyte whitening and the Ly6Chigh monocyte surge, preceding the adipose tissue macrophage rise during HFD in mice. Phenocopying this, ex vivo treatment of BM cells with conditioned media from BM adipocytes or bona fide white adipocytes favoured Ly6Chigh monocyte preponderance. Notably, Ly6Chigh skewing was preceded by monocyte metabolic reprogramming towards glycolysis, reduced oxidative potential and increased mitochondrial fission. In sum, short-term HFD changes BM cellularity, resulting in local adipocyte whitening driving a gradual increase and activation of invasive Ly6Chigh monocytes.

Complexin-2 redistributes to the membrane of muscle cells in response to insulin and contributes to GLUT4 translocation.

Insulin stimulates glucose uptake in muscle cells by rapidly redistributing vesicles containing GLUT4 glucose transporters from intracellular compartments to the plasma membrane (PM). GLUT4 vesicle fusion requires the formation of SNARE complexes between vesicular VAMP and PM syntaxin4 and SNAP23. SNARE accessory proteins usually regulate vesicle fusion processes. Complexins aide in neuro-secretory vesicle-membrane fusion by stabilizing trans-SNARE complexes but their participation in GLUT4 vesicle fusion is unknown. We report that complexin-2 is expressed and homogeneously distributed in L6 rat skeletal muscle cells. Upon insulin stimulation, a cohort of complexin-2 redistributes to the PM. Complexin-2 knockdown markedly inhibited GLUT4 translocation without affecting proximal insulin signalling of Akt/PKB phosphorylation and actin fiber remodelling. Similarly, complexin-2 overexpression decreased maximal GLUT4 translocation suggesting that the concentration of complexin-2 is finely tuned to vesicle fusion. These findings reveal an insulin-dependent regulation of GLUT4 insertion into the PM involving complexin-2.

Nucleotides released from palmitate-activated murine macrophages attract neutrophils.

Obesity and elevation of circulating free fatty acids are associated with an accumulation and proinflammatory polarization of macrophages within metabolically active tissues, such as adipose tissue, muscle, liver, and pancreas. Beyond macrophages, neutrophils also accumulate in adipose and muscle tissues during high-fat diets and contribute to a state of local inflammation and insulin resistance. However, the mechanisms by which neutrophils are recruited to these tissues are largely unknown. Here we used a cell culture system as proof of concept to show that, upon exposure to a saturated fatty acid, palmitate, macrophages release nucleotides that attract neutrophils. Moreover, we found that palmitate up-regulates pannexin-1 channels in macrophages that mediate the attraction of neutrophils, shown previously to allow transfer of nucleotides across membranes. These findings suggest that proinflammatory macrophages release nucleotides through pannexin-1, a process that may facilitate neutrophil recruitment into metabolic tissues during obesity.

Electrical pulse stimulation induces GLUT4 translocation in a Rac-Akt-dependent manner in C2C12 myotubes.

Muscle contraction increases skeletal muscle glucose uptake, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. While important for insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, the role of Akt in contraction-stimulated muscle glucose uptake is controversial. In our study, C2C12 skeletal muscle myotubes were contracted by electrical pulse stimulation (EPS). We found that EPS leads to Akt phosphorylation on sites S473 and T308 in a time-dependent manner. The Akt inhibitor MK2206 partly reduces EPS-stimulated GLUT4 translocation without affecting EPS-stimulated AMPK phosphorylation. EPS activates Rac1 GTP-binding, and EPS-stimulated GLUT4 translocation is partly inhibited by Rac1 inhibitor II and siRac1. Interestingly, both Rac1 inhibitor II and siRac1 inhibit EPS-stimulated Akt phosphorylation on sites S473 and T308. Our findings implicate a Rac1-Akt signaling pathway in EPS-stimulated GLUT4 translocation in C2C12 myotubes.

Intermittent fasting promotes adipose thermogenesis and metabolic homeostasis via VEGF-mediated alternative activation of macrophage.

Intermittent fasting (IF), a periodic energy restriction, has been shown to provide health benefits equivalent to prolonged fasting or caloric restriction. However, our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of IF-mediated metabolic benefits is limited. Here we show that isocaloric IF improves metabolic homeostasis against diet-induced obesity and metabolic dysfunction primarily through adipose thermogenesis in mice. IF-induced metabolic benefits require fasting-mediated increases of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in white adipose tissue (WAT). Furthermore, periodic adipose-VEGF overexpression could recapitulate the metabolic improvement of IF in non-fasted animals. Importantly, fasting and adipose-VEGF induce alternative activation of adipose macrophage, which is critical for thermogenesis. Human adipose gene analysis further revealed a positive correlation of adipose VEGF-M2 macrophage-WAT browning axis. The present study uncovers the molecular mechanism of IF-mediated metabolic benefit and suggests that isocaloric IF can be a preventive and therapeutic approach against obesity and metabolic disorders.

Circulating NOD1 Activators and Hematopoietic NOD1 Contribute to Metabolic Inflammation and Insulin Resistance.

Insulin resistance is a chronic inflammatory condition accompanying obesity or high fat diets that leads to type 2 diabetes. It is hypothesized that lipids and gut bacterial compounds in particular contribute to metabolic inflammation by activating the immune system; however, the receptors detecting these "instigators" of inflammation remain largely undefined. Here, we show that circulating activators of NOD1, a receptor for bacterial peptidoglycan, increase with high fat feeding in mice, suggesting that NOD1 could be a critical sensor leading to metabolic inflammation. Hematopoietic depletion of NOD1 did not prevent weight gain but protected chimeric mice against diet-induced glucose and insulin intolerance. Mechanistically, while macrophage infiltration of adipose tissue persisted, notably these cells were less pro-inflammatory, had lower CXCL1 production, and consequently, lower neutrophil chemoattraction into the tissue. These findings reveal macrophage NOD1 as a cell-specific target to combat diet-induced inflammation past the step of macrophage infiltration, leading to insulin resistance.

Deconstructing metabolic inflammation using cellular systems.

Over the past years, we have embarked in a systematic analysis of the effect of obesity or fatty acids on circulating monocytes, microvascular endothelial cells, macrophages, and skeletal muscle cells. With the use of cell culture strategies, we have deconstructed complex physiological systems and then reconstructed "partial equations" to better understand cell-to-cell communication. Through these approaches, we identified that in high saturated fat environments, cell-autonomous proinflammatory pathways are activated in monocytes and endothelial cells, promoting monocyte adhesion and transmigration. We think of this as a paradigm of the conditions promoting immune cell infiltration into tissues during obesity. In concert, it is possible that muscle and adipose tissue secrete immune cell chemoattractants, and indeed, our tissue culture reconstructions reveal that myotubes treated with the saturated fatty acid palmitate, but not the unsaturated fatty acid palmitoleate, release nucleotides that attract monocytes and other compounds that promote proinflammatory classically activated "(M1)-like" polarization in macrophages. In addition, palmitate directly triggers an M1-like macrophage phenotype, and secretions from these activated macrophages confer insulin resistance to target muscle cells. Together, these studies suggest that in pathophysiological conditions of excess fat, the muscle, endothelial and immune cells engage in a synergistic crosstalk that exacerbates tissue inflammation, leukocyte infiltration, polarization, and consequent insulin resistance.

Facilitative glucose transporters: Implications for cancer detection, prognosis and treatment.

It is long recognized that cancer cells display increased glucose uptake and metabolism. In a rate-limiting step for glucose metabolism, the glucose transporter (GLUT) proteins facilitate glucose uptake across the plasma membrane. Fourteen members of the GLUT protein family have been identified in humans. This review describes the major characteristics of each member of the GLUT family and highlights evidence of abnormal expression in tumors and cancer cells. The regulation of GLUTs by key proliferation and pro-survival pathways including the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt, hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), Ras, c-Myc and p53 pathways is discussed. The clinical utility of GLUT expression in cancer has been recognized and evidence regarding the use of GLUTs as prognostic or predictive biomarkers is presented. GLUTs represent attractive targets for cancer therapy and this review summarizes recent studies in which GLUT1, GLUT3, GLUT5 and others are inhibited to decrease cancer growth.

Nucleotides released from palmitate-challenged muscle cells through pannexin-3 attract monocytes.

Obesity-associated low-grade inflammation in metabolically relevant tissues contributes to insulin resistance. We recently reported monocyte/macrophage infiltration in mouse and human skeletal muscles. However, the molecular triggers of this infiltration are unknown, and the role of muscle cells in this context is poorly understood. Animal studies are not amenable to the specific investigation of this vectorial cellular communication. Using cell cultures, we investigated the crosstalk between myotubes and monocytes exposed to physiological levels of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Media from L6 myotubes treated with palmitate-but not palmitoleate-induced THP1 monocyte migration across transwells. Palmitate activated the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) pathway in myotubes and elevated cytokine expression, but the monocyte chemoattracting agent was not a polypeptide. Instead, nucleotide degradation eliminated the chemoattracting properties of the myotube-conditioned media. Moreover, palmitate-induced expression and activity of pannexin-3 channels in myotubes were mediated by TLR4-NF-κB, and TLR4-NF-κB inhibition or pannexin-3 knockdown prevented monocyte chemoattraction. In mice, the expression of pannexin channels increased in adipose tissue and skeletal muscle in response to high-fat feeding. These findings identify pannexins as new targets of saturated fatty acid-induced inflammation in myotubes, and point to nucleotides as possible mediators of immune cell chemoattraction toward muscle in the context of obesity.

Pro-inflammatory macrophages increase in skeletal muscle of high fat-fed mice and correlate with metabolic risk markers in humans.

OBJECTIVE: In obesity, immune cells infiltrate adipose tissue. Skeletal muscle is the major tissue of insulin-dependent glucose disposal, and indices of muscle inflammation arise during obesity, but whether and which immune cells increase in muscle remain unclear. METHODS: Immune cell presence in quadriceps muscle of wild type mice fed high-fat diet (HFD) was studied for 3 days to 10 weeks, in CCL2-KO mice fed HFD for 1 week, and in human muscle. Leukocyte presence was assessed by gene expression of lineage markers, cyto/chemokines and receptors; immunohistochemistry; and flow cytometry. RESULTS: After 1 week HFD, concomitantly with glucose intolerance, muscle gene expression of Ly6b, Emr1 (F4/80), Tnf, Ccl2, and Ccr2 rose, as did pro- and anti-inflammatory markers Itgax (CD11c) and Mgl2. CD11c+ proinflammatory macrophages in muscle increased by 76%. After 10 weeks HFD, macrophages in muscle increased by 47%. Quadriceps from CCL2-KO mice on HFD did not gain macrophages and maintained insulin sensitivity. Muscle of obese, glucose-intolerant humans showed elevated CD68 (macrophage marker) and ITGAX, correlating with poor glucose disposal and adiposity. CONCLUSION: Mouse and human skeletal muscles gain a distinct population of inflammatory macrophages upon HFD or obesity, linked to insulin resistance in humans and CCL2 availability in mice.

Cross-talk between skeletal muscle and immune cells: muscle-derived mediators and metabolic implications.

Skeletal muscles contain resident immune cell populations and their abundance and type is altered in inflammatory myopathies, endotoxemia or different types of muscle injury/insult. Within tissues, monocytes differentiate into macrophages and polarize to acquire pro- or anti-inflammatory phenotypes. Skeletal muscle macrophages play a fundamental role in repair and pathogen clearance. These events require a precisely regulated cross-talk between myofibers and immune cells, involving paracrine/autocrine and contact interactions. Skeletal muscle also undergoes continuous repair as a result of contractile activity that involves participation of myokines and anti-inflammatory input. Finally, skeletal muscle is the major site of dietary glucose disposal; therefore, muscle insulin resistance is essential to the development of whole body insulin resistance. Notably, muscle inflammation is emerging as a potential contributor to insulin resistance. Recent reports show that inflammatory macrophage numbers within muscle are elevated during obesity and that muscle cells in vitro can mount autonomous inflammatory responses under metabolic challenge. Here, we review the nature of skeletal muscle inflammation associated with muscle exercise, damage, and regeneration, endotoxin presence, and myopathies, as well as the new evidence of local inflammation arising with obesity that potentially contributes to insulin resistance.

Conditioned medium from hypoxia-treated adipocytes renders muscle cells insulin resistant.

Adipose tissue hypoxia is an early phenotype in obesity, associated with macrophage infiltration and local inflammation. Here we test the hypothesis that adipocytes in culture respond to a hypoxic environment with the release of pro-inflammatory factors that stimulate macrophage migration and cause muscle insulin resistance. 3T3-L1 adipocytes cultured in a 1% O2 atmosphere responded with a classic hypoxia response by elevating protein expression of HIF-1α. This was associated with elevated mRNA expression and peptide release of cytokines TNFα, IL-6 and the chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). The mRNA and protein expression of the anti-inflammatory adipokine adiponectin was reduced. Conditioned medium from hypoxia-treated adipocytes (CM-H), inhibited insulin-stimulated and raised basal cell surface levels of GLUT4myc stably expressed in C2C12 myotubes. Insulin stimulation of Akt and AS160 phosphorylation, key regulators of GLUT4myc exocytosis, was markedly impaired. CM-H also caused activation of JNK and S6K, and elevated serine phosphorylation of IRS1 in the C2C12 myotubes. These effects were implicated in reducing propagation of insulin signaling to Akt and AS160. Heat inactivation of CM-H reversed its dual effects on GLUT4myc traffic in muscle cells. Interestingly, antibody-mediated neutralization of IL-6 in CM-H lowered its effect on both the basal and insulin-stimulated cell surface GLUT4myc compared to unmodified CM-H. IL-6 may have regulated GLUT4myc traffic through its action on AMPK. Additionally, antibody-mediated neutralization of MCP-1 partly reversed the inhibition of insulin-stimulated GLUT4myc exocytosis caused by unmodified CM-H. In Transwell co-culture, hypoxia-challenged adipocytes attracted RAW 264.7 macrophages, consistent with elevated release of MCP-1 from adipocytes during hypoxia. Neutralization of MCP-1 in adipocyte CM-H prevented macrophage migration towards it and partly reversed the effect of CM-H on insulin response in muscle cells. We conclude that adipose tissue hypoxia may be an important trigger of its inflammatory response observed in obesity, and the elevated chemokine MCP-1 may contribute to increased macrophage migration towards adipose tissue and subsequent decreased insulin responsiveness of glucose uptake in muscle.

NOD1 activators link innate immunity to insulin resistance.

OBJECTIVE: Insulin resistance associates with chronic inflammation, and participatory elements of the immune system are emerging. We hypothesized that bacterial elements acting on distinct intracellular pattern recognition receptors of the innate immune system, such as bacterial peptidoglycan (PGN) acting on nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD) proteins, contribute to insulin resistance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Metabolic and inflammatory properties were assessed in wild-type (WT) and NOD1/2(-/-) double knockout mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 16 weeks. Insulin resistance was measured by hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamps in mice injected with mimetics of meso-diaminopimelic acid-containing PGN or the minimal bioactive PGN motif, which activate NOD1 and NOD2, respectively. Systemic and tissue-specific inflammation was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in NOD ligand-injected mice. Cytokine secretion, glucose uptake, and insulin signaling were assessed in adipocytes and primary hepatocytes exposed to NOD ligands in vitro. RESULTS: NOD1/2(-/-) mice were protected from HFD-induced inflammation, lipid accumulation, and peripheral insulin intolerance. Conversely, direct activation of NOD1 protein caused insulin resistance. NOD1 ligands induced peripheral and hepatic insulin resistance within 6 h in WT, but not NOD1(-/-), mice. NOD2 ligands only modestly reduced peripheral glucose disposal. NOD1 ligand elicited minor changes in circulating proinflammatory mediators, yet caused adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance of muscle AS160 and liver FOXO1. Ex vivo, NOD1 ligand caused proinflammatory cytokine secretion and impaired insulin-stimulated glucose uptake directly in adipocytes. NOD1 ligand also caused inflammation and insulin resistance directly in primary hepatocytes from WT, but not NOD1(-/-), mice. CONCLUSIONS: We identify NOD proteins as innate immune components that are involved in diet-induced inflammation and insulin intolerance. Acute activation of NOD proteins by mimetics of bacterial PGNs causes whole-body insulin resistance, bolstering the concept that innate immune responses to distinctive bacterial cues directly lead to insulin resistance. Hence, NOD1 is a plausible, new link between innate immunity and metabolism.

Muscle insulin resistance: assault by lipids, cytokines and local macrophages.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The present review outlines possible mechanisms by which high fatty acids, associated with high-fat diet and obesity, impose insulin resistance on glucose uptake into skeletal muscle. RECENT FINDINGS: It is well established that muscle insulin resistance arises in conditions of high-fatty acid availability, and correlates with accumulation of triglycerides within skeletal muscle fibres. However, it is debated whether triglycerides or other lipid metabolites such as diacylglycerols and ceramides are directly responsible. These lipid metabolites can activate serine kinases that impair insulin signalling. Accumulation of acylcarnitines and reactive oxygen species could be additional causative agents of insulin resistance. Further, the precise defects in insulin signalling in muscle caused by high intramuscular lipid (i.e. lipotoxicity) remain unclear. In parallel, proinflammatory activation within the adipose tissue of obese and high-fat fed animals or humans causes muscle insulin resistance, and is ascribed to circulating inflammatory cytokines. Recent evidence also shows proinflammatory macrophages infiltrating muscle tissue and/or intermuscular adipose tissue, and there is growing evidence that fatty acids trigger macrophages to secrete factors that directly impair insulin actions. These factors are postulated to activate stress-signalling pathways in muscle that act on the same insulin-signalling components affected by lipotoxicity. SUMMARY: Altered intramuscular lipid metabolism, circulating cytokines, and inflammatory macrophage infiltration of muscle tissue have been recently linked to muscle insulin resistance provoked by fatty acids. Each is analysed separately in this review, but they may act simultaneously and synergistically to render skeletal muscle insulin-resistant.

A novel inhibitor of glucose uptake sensitizes cells to FAS-induced cell death.

Evasion of death receptor ligand-induced apoptosis is an important contributor to cancer development and progression. Therefore, molecules that restore sensitivity to death receptor stimuli would be important tools to better understand this biological pathway and potential leads for therapeutic adjuncts. Previously, the small-molecule N-[4-chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-3-oxobutanamide (fasentin) was identified as a chemical sensitizer to the death receptor stimuli FAS and tumor necrosis factor apoptosis-inducing ligand, but its mechanism of action was unknown. Here, we determined that fasentin alters expression of genes associated with nutrient and glucose deprivation. Consistent with this finding, culturing cells in low-glucose medium recapitulated the effects of fasentin and sensitized cells to FAS. Moreover, we showed that fasentin inhibited glucose uptake. Using virtual docking studies with a homology model of the glucose transport protein GLUT1, fasentin interacted with a unique site in the intracellular channel of this protein. Additional chemical studies with other GLUT inhibitors and analogues of fasentin supported a role for partial inhibition of glucose transport as a mechanism to sensitize cells to death receptor stimuli. Thus, fasentin is a novel inhibitor of glucose transport that blocks glucose uptake and highlights a new mechanism to sensitize cells to death ligands.

The Rab GTPase-activating protein AS160 integrates Akt, protein kinase C, and AMP-activated protein kinase signals regulating GLUT4 traffic.

Insulin-dependent phosphorylation of Akt target AS160 is required for GLUT4 translocation. Insulin and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) (Akt activators) or activation of conventional/novel (c/n) protein kinase C (PKC) and 5' AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) all promote a rise in membrane GLUT4 in skeletal muscle and cultured cells. However, the downstream effectors linking these pathways to GLUT4 traffic are unknown. Here we explore the hypothesis that AS160 is a molecular link among diverse signaling cascades converging on GLUT4 translocation. PDGF and insulin increased AS160 phosphorylation in CHO-IR cells. Stimuli that activate c/n PKC or AMPK also elevated AS160 phosphorylation. We therefore examined if these signaling pathways engage AS160 to regulate GLUT4 traffic in muscle cells. Nonphosphorylatable AS160 (4P-AS160) virtually abolished the net surface GLUT4myc gains elicited by insulin, PDGF, K(+) depolarization, or 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-d-ribofuranoside but partly, yet significantly, inhibited the effects of 4-phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate. However, the hypertonicity or 2,4-dinitrophenol-dependent gains in surface GLUT4myc were unaffected by 4P-AS160. RK-AS160 (GTPase-activating protein [GAP] inactive) or 4PRK-AS160 (GAP inactive, nonphosphorylatable) had no effect on surface GLUT4myc elicited by all stimuli. Collectively, these results indicate that activation of Akt, c/n PKC, or alpha2-AMPK intersect at AS160 to regulate GLUT4 traffic, as well as highlight the potential of AS160 as a therapy target to increase muscle glucose uptake.

Opposite effect of JAK2 on insulin-dependent activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and Akt in muscle cells: possible target to ameliorate insulin resistance.

Many cytokines increase their receptor affinity for Janus kinases (JAKs). Activated JAK binds to signal transducers and activators of transcription, insulin receptor substrates (IRSs), and Shc. Intriguingly, insulin acting through its own receptor kinase also activates JAK2. However, the impact of such activation on insulin action remains unknown. To determine the contribution of JAK2 to insulin signaling, we transfected L6 myotubes with siRNA against JAK2 (siJAK2), reducing JAK2 protein expression by 75%. Insulin-dependent phosphorylation of IRS1/2 and Shc was not affected by siJAK2, but insulin-induced phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) extracellular signal-related kinase, p38, and Jun NH2-terminal kinase and their respective upstream kinases MKK1/2, MKK3/6, and MKK4/7 was significantly lowered when JAK2 was depleted, correlating with a significant drop in insulin-mediated cell proliferation. These effects were reproduced by the JAK2 inhibitor AG490. Conversely, insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation, glucose uptake, and GLUT4 translocation were not affected by siJAK2. Interestingly, in two insulin-resistant states, siJAK2 led to partial restoration of Akt phosphorylation and glucose uptake stimulation but not of the MAPK pathway. These results suggest that JAK2 may depress the Akt to glucose uptake signaling axis selectively in insulin-resistant states. Inhibition of JAK2 may be a useful strategy to relieve insulin resistance of metabolic outcomes.

Inhibition of glucose uptake in murine cardiomyocyte cell line HL-1 by cardioprotective drugs dilazep and dipyridamole.

Inhibition of adenosine reuptake by nucleoside transport inhibitors, such as dipyridamole and dilazep, is proposed to increase extracellular levels of adenosine and thereby potentiate adenosine receptor-dependent pathways that promote cardiovascular health. Thus adenosine can act as a paracrine and/or autocrine hormone, which has been shown to regulate glucose uptake in some cell types. However, the role of adenosine in modulating glucose transport in cardiomyocytes is not clear. Therefore, we investigated whether exogenously applied adenosine or inhibition of adenosine transport by S-(4-nitrobenzyl)-6-thioinosine (NBTI), dipyridamole, or dilazep modulated basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in the murine cardiomyocyte cell line HL-1. HL-1 cell lysates were subjected to SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting to determine which GLUT isoforms are present. Glucose uptake was measured in the presence of dipyridamole (3-300 microM), dilazep (1-100 microM), NBTI (10-500 nM), and adenosine (50-250 microM) or the nonmetabolizable adenosine analog 2-chloro-adenosine (250 microM). Our results demonstrated that HL-1 cells possess GLUT1 and GLUT4, the isoforms typically present in cardiomyocytes. We found no evidence for adenosine-dependent regulation of basal or insulin-stimulated glucose transport in HL-1 cardiomyocytes. However, we did observe a dose-dependent inhibition of glucose transport by dipyridamole (basal, IC(50) = 12.2 microM, insulin stimulated, IC(50) = 13.09 microM) and dilazep (basal, IC(50) = 5.7 microM, insulin stimulated, IC(50) = 19 microM) but not NBTI. Thus our data suggest that dipyridamole and dilazep, which are widely used to specifically inhibit nucleoside transport, have a broader spectrum of transport inhibition than previously described. Moreover, these data may explain previous observations, in which dipyridamole was noted to be proischemic at high doses.

Maturation of the regulation of GLUT4 activity by p38 MAPK during L6 cell myogenesis.

Insulin stimulates glucose uptake in skeletal muscle cells and fat cells by promoting the rapid translocation of GLUT4 glucose transporters to the plasma membrane. Recent work from our laboratory supports the concept that insulin also stimulates the intrinsic activity of GLUT4 through a signaling pathway that includes p38 MAPK. Here we show that regulation of GLUT4 activity by insulin develops during maturation of skeletal muscle cells into myotubes in concert with the ability of insulin to stimulate p38 MAPK. In L6 myotubes expressing GLUT4 that carries an exofacial myc-epitope (L6-GLUT4myc), insulin-stimulated GLUT4myc translocation equals in magnitude the glucose uptake response. Inhibition of p38 MAPK with SB203580 reduces insulin-stimulated glucose uptake without affecting GLUT4myc translocation. In contrast, in myoblasts, the magnitude of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake is significantly lower than that of GLUT4myc translocation and is insensitive to SB203580. Activation of p38 MAPK by insulin is considerably higher in myotubes than in myoblasts, as is the activation of upstream kinases MKK3/MKK6. In contrast, the activation of all three Akt isoforms and GLUT4 translocation are similar in myoblasts and myotubes. Furthermore, GLUT4myc translocation and phosphorylation of regulatory sites on Akt in L6-GLUT4myc myotubes are equally sensitive to insulin, whereas glucose uptake and phosphorylation of regulatory sites on p38 MAPK show lower sensitivity to the hormone. These observations draw additional parallels between Akt and GLUT4 translocation and between p38 MAPK and GLUT4 activation. Regulation of GLUT4 activity by insulin develops upon muscle cell differentiation and correlates with p38 MAPK activation by insulin.