The effects of K-111, a new insulin-sensitizer, on metabolic syndrome in obese prediabetic rhesus monkeys.

K-111, formerly BM 17.0744, (2,2-dichloro-12-(4-chlorophenyl)-dodecanoic acid) is a new insulin-sensitizer with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) alpha activity but without PPAR gamma activity. We determined the efficacy of K-111 in non-human primates in increasing insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and improving metabolic syndrome, assessing the general health-related effects. Six adult male obese normoglycemic prediabetic and insulin-resistant rhesus monkeys were studied on vehicle and following K-111 treatment (four-week chronic dosing each of 3 doses: 1, 3, and 10 mg/kg/d) with assessment of changes in substrate, hormone, and blood pressure measurements and alterations in insulin sensitivity using the euglycemic, hyperinsulinemic clamp technique. K-111 led to significantly decreased body weight and improved hyperinsulinemia, insulin sensitivity, hypertriglyceridemia, and HDL-cholesterol levels without adipogenesis or significant effects on fasting glucose, 24-hour urine glucose excretion, systolic or diastolic blood pressure, plasma fibrinogen, total cholesterol, or chemistry and hematology profile. These benefits are similar to the health-improving effects of calorie restriction, providing preliminary evidence that K-111 has excellent potential as a calorie-restriction mimetic agent. These results indicate the necessity of future study of K-111 for metabolic syndrome in humans, and suggest potential in reducing the risks of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Effects of fenofibrate on lipid parameters in obese rhesus monkeys.

Fenofibrate is a member of the fibrate class of hypolipidemic agents used clinically to treat hypertriglyceridemia and mixed hyperlipidemia. The fibrates were developed primarily on the basis of their cholesterol and triglyceride lowering in rodents. Fibrates have historically been ineffective at lowering triglycerides in experimentally-induced dyslipidemia in nonhuman primate models. The spontaneously obese rhesus monkey is a well-recognized animal model for the study of human obesity and type 2 diabetes, and many of these monkeys exhibit naturally occurring lipid abnormalities, including elevated triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol (HDL-C), similar to patients with type 2 diabetes. To explore whether the obese rhesus model was predictive of the lipid lowering effects of fibrates, we evaluated fenofibrate in six hypertriglyceridemic, hyperinsulinemic, nondiabetic animals in a 20-week, dose-escalating study. The study consisted of a 4-week baseline period, two treatment periods of 10 mg/kg twice daily (b.i.d) for 4 weeks and 30 mg/kg b.i.d. for 8 weeks, and a 4-week washout period. Fenofibrate (30 mg/kg b.i.d) decreased serum triglycerides 55% and LDL-C 27%, whereas HDL-C increased 35%. Apolipoproteins B-100 and C-III levels were also reduced 70% and 29%, respectively. Food intake, body weight, and plasma glucose were not affected throughout the study. Interestingly, plasma insulin levels decreased 40% during the 30 mg/kg treatment period, suggesting improvement in insulin sensitivity. These results support the use of obese rhesus monkey as an excellent animal model for studying the effects of novel hypolipidemic agents, particularly agents that impact serum triglycerides and HDL-C.

Galectin-12, an Adipose-expressed Galectin-like Molecule Possessing Apoptosis-inducing Activity.

Galectins constitute a family of proteins that bind to beta-galactoside residues and have diverse physiological functions. Here we report on the identification of a galectin-like molecule, galectin-12, in a human adipose tissue cDNA library. The protein contained two potential carbohydrate-recognition domains with the second carbohydrate-recognition domain being less conserved compared with other galectins. In vitro translated galectin-12 bound to a lactosyl-agarose column far less efficiently than galectin-8. Galectin-12 mRNA was predominantly expressed in adipose tissue of human and mouse and in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Caloric restriction and treatment of obese animals with troglitazone increased galectin-12 mRNA levels and decreased the average size of the cells in adipose tissue. The induction of galectin-12 expression by the thiazolidinedione, troglitazone, was paralleled by an increase in the number of apoptotic cells in adipose tissue. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that galectin-12 was localized in the nucleus of adipocytes, and transfection with galectin-12 cDNA induced apoptosis of COS-1 cells. These results suggest that galectin-12, an adipose-expressed galectin-like molecule, may participate in the apoptosis of adipocytes.

Circulating concentrations of the adipocyte protein adiponectin are decreased in parallel with reduced insulin sensitivity during the progression to type 2 diabetes in rhesus monkeys.

Adiponectin is an adipose-specific plasma protein whose plasma concentrations are decreased in obese subjects and type 2 diabetic patients. This protein possesses putative antiatherogenic and anti-inflammatory properties. In the current study, we have analyzed the relationship between adiponectin and insulin resistance in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), which spontaneously develop obesity and which subsequently frequently progress to overt type 2 diabetes. The plasma levels of adiponectin were decreased in obese and diabetic monkeys as in humans. Prospective longitudinal studies revealed that the plasma levels of adiponectin declined at an early phase of obesity and remained decreased after the development of type 2 diabetes. Hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp studies revealed that the obese monkeys with lower plasma adiponectin showed significantly lower insulin-stimulated peripheral glucose uptake (M rate). The plasma levels of adiponectin were significantly correlated to M rate (r = 0.66, P < 0.001). Longitudinally, the plasma adiponectin decreased in parallel to the progression of insulin resistance. No clear association was found between the plasma levels of adiponectin and its mRNA levels in adipose tissue. These results suggest that reduction in circulating adiponectin may be related to the development of insulin resistance.

A selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor delta agonist promotes reverse cholesterol transport.

The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are dietary lipid sensors that regulate fatty acid and carbohydrate metabolism. The hypolipidemic effects of the fibrate drugs and the antidiabetic effects of the glitazone drugs in humans are due to activation of the alpha (NR1C1) and gamma (NR1C3) subtypes, respectively. By contrast, the therapeutic potential of the delta (NR1C2) subtype is unknown, due in part to the lack of selective ligands. We have used combinatorial chemistry and structure-based drug design to develop a potent and subtype-selective PPARdelta agonist, GW501516. In macrophages, fibroblasts, and intestinal cells, GW501516 increases expression of the reverse cholesterol transporter ATP-binding cassette A1 and induces apolipoprotein A1-specific cholesterol efflux. When dosed to insulin-resistant middle-aged obese rhesus monkeys, GW501516 causes a dramatic dose-dependent rise in serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol while lowering the levels of small-dense low density lipoprotein, fasting triglycerides, and fasting insulin. Our results suggest that PPARdelta agonists may be effective drugs to increase reverse cholesterol transport and decrease cardiovascular disease associated with the metabolic syndrome X.

A thiazolidinedione improves in vivo insulin action on skeletal muscle glycogen synthase in insulin-resistant monkeys.

Thiazolidinediones (TZD) have been shown to have anti-diabetic effects including the ability to decrease fasting hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, increase insulin-mediated glucose disposal rate (M) and decrease hepatic glucose production, but the mechanisms of action are not well established. To determine whether a TZD (R-102380, Sankyo Company Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) could improve insulin action on skeletal muscle glycogen synthase (GS), the rate-limiting enzyme in glycogen synthesis, 4 insulin-resistant obese monkeys were given 1 mg/kg/day R-102380 p.o. for a 6-week period. Skeletal muscle GS activity and glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) content were compared between pre-dosing and dosing periods before and during the maximal insulin-stimulation of a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp. Compared to pre-dosing, insulin-stimulated GS activity and G6P content were increased by this TZD: GS independent activity (p = 0.02), GS total activity (p = 0.005), GS fractional activity (p = 0.06) and G6P content (p = 0.02). The change in GS activity induced by in vivo insulin (insulin-stimulated minus basal) was also increased by this TZD: GS independent activity (p = 0.03) and GS fractional activity (p = 0.04). We conclude that the TZD R-102380 improves insulin action at the skeletal muscle in part by increasing the activity of glycogen synthase. This improvement in insulin sensitivity may be a key factor in the anti-diabetic effect of the thiazolidinedione class of agents.

Age-related adipose tissue mRNA expression of ADD1/SREBP1, PPARgamma, lipoprotein lipase, and GLUT4 glucose transporter in rhesus monkeys.

Aging has been shown to have an effect on the capacity to differentiate preadipocytes and on the expression of some genes expressed in adipose tissue. The mRNA levels of adipocyte differentiation-related genes were examined in rhesus monkeys (Macaca Mulatta) ranging in age from 7 to 30 years. The effect of aging on the expression of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma), adipocyte determination- and differentiation-dependent factor 1/sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (ADD1/SREBP1), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), GLUT4 glucose transporter, and adipsin were examined by slot blot analysis. Significant inverse correlations were observed between age and the mRNA levels of PPARgamma, ADD1/SREBP1, LPL, and GLUT4. The coordinate downregulation of these genes may be linked to the declining fat mass of senescent animals. There was no correlation between age and the mRNA levels of adipsin. The mRNA levels of these genes were not correlated to body weight orfasting plasma insulin. These findings indicate that aging may have an effect on the adipocyte differentiation program and this effect appears to be gene specific.

Cellular proliferation potential during aging and caloric restriction in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).

Caloric restriction (CR) is the most successful method of extending both median and maximal lifespans in rodents and other short-lived species. It is not yet clear whether this method of life extension will be successful in longer-lived species, possibly including humans; however, trials in rhesus monkeys are underway. We have examined the cellular proliferative potential of cells from CR and AL (ad libitum fed) monkey skin cells using two different bioassays: colony size analysis (CSA) of dermal fibroblasts isolated and cloned directly from the skin and beta-galactosidase staining at pH 6.0 (BG-6.0) of epidermal cells in frozen sections of skin. Decreases in both proliferative markers occurred with age, but no differences were observed between CR and AL animals. Skin biopsies were obtained from AL and CR rhesus monkeys from two different aging colonies, one at the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and one at the University of Maryland-Baltimore (UMB). These biopsies were used as a source of tissue sections and cells for two biomarkers of aging assays. The CR monkeys had been maintained for 9-12 years on approximately 70% of the caloric intake of control AL animals. In the CSA studies, the fraction of small clones increased significantly and the fraction of large clones decreased significantly with increasing age in AL monkeys. The frequency of epidermal BG-6.0 staining cells increased with age in older (>22 years) AL monkeys, but most predominately in those of the UMB colony, which were somewhat heavier than the NIH AL controls. Old monkeys on CR tended to have fewer BG-6.0-positive cells relative to old AL-derived epidermis, but this effect was not significant. These results indicate that cellular proliferative potential declined with age in Macaca mulatta, but was not significantly altered by CR under these conditions. Although these experiments are consistent with an absence of effect of CR on monkey skin cell proliferative potential, we have found in previous experiments with mice that a longer duration of CR (as a fraction of total lifespan) was needed to demonstrate CR-related improvement in clone size in mice. Further studies on the now mid-aged monkeys will be needed as their age exceeds 20 years to conclusively rule out an effect of CR on proliferative potential of skin cells from these primates.

Long-term calorie restriction reduces energy expenditure in aging monkeys.

Calorie restriction to produce stable long-term adult body weight for approximately 10 years prevents obesity and diabetes in middle-aged rhesus monkeys. To determine whether this dietary regimen also alters energy metabolism, the doubly labeled water method was used to measure total daily energy expenditure. Six adult male rhesus monkeys, which had been calorie-restricted for more than 10 years, were compared to 8 control adult monkeys, which had been fed ad libitum for their entire lives. The calorie-restricted monkeys weighed less than the ad-libitum fed monkeys and had a lower lean body mass and lower fat mass. Total daily energy expenditure was lower in the calorie-restricted than in the ad-libitum fed monkeys, even when corrected for differences in body size using body weight (563 +/- 64 vs 780 +/- 53 kcal/d; p < .04), surface area (547 +/- 67 vs 793 +/- 56 kcal/d; p < .05), or lean body mass (535 +/- 66 vs 801 +/- 54 kcal/d; p < .02) as covariates. Thyroxine (T4) was reduced and the free thyroxine index was suggestively lower in the calorie-restricted monkeys whereas triiodothyronine (T3) was not significantly different. Activity in calorie-restricted monkeys was similar to that of a weight-matched younger adult comparison group. We conclude that the process of preventing obesity by long-term caloric restriction causes a significant and sustained long-term reduction in energy expenditure, even when corrected for lean body mass.

Calorie restriction in nonhuman primates: mechanisms of reduced morbidity and mortality.

Long term chronic calorie restriction (CR) of adult nonhuman primates significantly reduces morbidity and increases median age of death. The present review is focused upon an ongoing study of sustained adult-onset calorie restriction, which has been underway for 15 years. Monkeys, initially calorie restricted at about 10 years of age, are now approximately 25 years old. The median life span of these restricted monkeys is increasing, now exceeding that of ad libitum (AL)-fed monkeys. In our laboratory, maximum life span for AL-fed monkeys appears to be about 40 years. Thus, whether CR can also increase maximal life span, as it does in rodents, cannot be determined for at least another 15 years. The earliest detectable positive benefit on morbidity in these monkeys was previously reported as the prevention of obesity. Current evidence, as reviewed here, suggests that much obesity-associated morbidity is also mitigated by sustained calorie restraint in nonhuman primates. Furthermore, probably because of the prevention of obesity, diabetes has also been prevented. Recent findings include the identification of extraordinary changes in the glycogen synthesis pathway, and on the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase in response to insulin. This calorie restriction-induced prevention of morbidity does not require excessive leanness, but is clearly present when body fat is within the normal range of 10 to 22%, and this is likely to be true in humans as well.

Paradoxical phosphorylation of skeletal muscle glycogen synthase by in vivo insulin in very lean young adult rhesus monkeys.

Calorie restriction (CR) has previously been shown to unexpectedly induce a reversal of in vivo insulin action (phosphorylation instead of dephosphorylation) on skeletal muscle glycogen synthase (GS) in four out of six long-term calorie-restricted (CR) monkeys. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether this increase in Ka (concentration of glucose 6-phosphate [G6P] at which GS activity is half-maximal) during insulin is also present in very lean (VL) young adult monkeys maintained on a controlled feeding regimen. Muscle samples from 10 VL monkeys (10 +/- 2% body fat; 7 years old) were obtained before and during a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp and the Ka was determined and compared to the Ka of two other groups of monkeys, one matched in age but fully ad libitum (AL)-fed (n = 9.8 +/- 1 years old, 20 +/- 3% body fat, p = 0.01 vs. VL monkeys), and the other our previously described weight-clamped long-term CR monkeys (n = 6.20 +/- 1 years old, 21 +/- 2% body fat, p = 0.01 vs. VL monkeys). All of the AL monkeys had the expected decrease in Ka with insulin; however, similar to the 4 out of 6 CR monkeys, 7 out of 10 VL monkeys had an increase in Ka with insulin. The 11 monkeys with an increase in Ka (+Ka) (7 VL + 4 CR) were compared to the 14 monkeys with a decrease in Ka with insulin (-Ka) (3 VL + 2 CR + 9 AL). The +Ka monkeys had lower basal Ka (p = 0.0001), higher basal GS fractional activity (p = 0.0003), lower basal G6P content (p = 0.002), lower glycogen phosphorylase fractional activity (p = 0.01), and lower whole-body insulin-mediated glucose disposal rate (p < 0.05) than the -Ka monkeys. We conclude that the condition of steady-state restrained calorie intake (as in the CR monkeys and in the controlled feeding VL monkeys) produces the paradoxical action of in vivo insulin to phosphorylate muscle GS, and raises the possibility that the presence of the unusual response to insulin may serve as a marker in calorie-restrained individuals for the genotype of obesity, insulin resistance and/or Type 2 diabetes.

Relationships of PPARgamma and PPARgamma2 mRNA levels to obesity, diabetes and hyperinsulinaemia in rhesus monkeys.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) together with CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha), lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and glucose transporter (GLUT4) mRNA in adipose tissue of rhesus monkeys in relation to obesity. DESIGN: Cloning of the PPARgamma1 and gamma2 cDNAs and analysis of PPARgamma, C/EBPalpha, LPL and GLUT4 mRNA levels in the adipose tissue of lean and obese monkeys. SUBJECTS: 28 rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) with a wide range of body weights (9.2-22.6 kg) and with or without type 2 diabetes. MEASUREMENTS: Sequence of PPARgamma1 and gamma2. Tissue distribution of PPARgamma1 and gamma2. The mRNA levels of PPARgamma, C/EBPalpha, LPL and GLUT4 in adipose tissue. The ratio of PPARgamma2 mRNA to total PPARgamma mRNA. RESULTS: The monkey PPARgamma2 protein showed 99% identity with the human protein. PPARgamma1 mRNA was shown to be expressed in various tissues and most abundantly in adipose tissue. PPARgamma2 existed mainly in adipose tissue. A significant correlation between the ratio of PPARgamma2 mRNA to total PPARgamma mRNA and obesity was observed, whereas total PPARgamma mRNA levels showed no significant relationships to obesity. There was also a significant relationship between the ratio of PPARgamma2 mRNA to total PPARgamma mRNA and fasting plasma insulin concentration. The mRNA levels of C/EBPalpha, LPL and GLUT4 were highly correlated to that of total PPARgamma mRNA. They were also significantly correlated to the mRNA levels of PPARgamma1 and PPARgamma2. CONCLUSIONS: The ratio of PPARgamma2 mRNA to total PPARgamma mRNA is related to obesity in the rhesus monkey and mRNA expression of PPARgamma1, PPARgamma2, C/EBPalpha, LPL and GLUT4 appear to be coordinated in vivo.

Monkey leptin receptor mRNA: sequence, tissue distribution, and mRNA expression in the adipose tissue of normal, hyperinsulinemic, and type 2 diabetic rhesus monkeys.

OBJECTIVE: We have cloned the rhesus monkey leptin receptor and examined its mRNA expression levels in the adipose tissue of monkeys to investigate the regulation of gene expression of the leptin receptor. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Monkey leptin receptor cDNA was cloned by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Tissue distribution of monkey leptin receptor was examined by Northern blot analysis and RT-PCR. The mRNA levels of monkey leptin receptor in adipose tissue of normal (n=10), hyperinsulinemic obese (n=8), and type 2 diabetic monkeys (n=8) were measured by quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: Monkey leptin receptor cDNA had at least two alternatively spliced isoforms (long and short forms). The long form of the leptin receptor mRNA was expressed relatively highly in liver, adipose tissue, hypothalamus, and choroid plexus, whereas the total leptin receptors were expressed in every tissue examined. The mRNA levels of the long form of the leptin receptor in adipose tissue were not correlated to body weight, fasting plasma insulin, plasma glucose, or plasma leptin levels. The mRNA levels of the long form of the leptin receptor were highly correlated to that of the total leptin receptor (long and short form). DISCUSSION: The long form of leptin receptor mRNA existed in adipose tissue as well as in liver and hypothalamus, suggesting that the leptin receptor in adipose tissue may be functional in adipose tissue. The expression of the leptin receptor mRNA in adipose tissue is not affected by obesity, hyperinsulinemia, or diabetes.

Lack of defect in insulin action on hepatic glycogen synthase and phosphorylase in insulin-resistant monkeys.

It is well known that an alteration in insulin activation of skeletal muscle glycogen synthase is associated with insulin resistance. To determine whether this defect in insulin action is specific to skeletal muscle, or also present in liver, simultaneous biopsies of these tissues were obtained before and during a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp in spontaneously obese insulin-resistant male rhesus monkeys. The activities of glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase and the concentrations of glucose 6-phosphate and glycogen were measured. There were no differences between basal and insulin-stimulated glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase activities or in glucose 6-phosphate and glycogen contents in muscle. Insulin increased the activities of liver glycogen synthase (P < 0.05) and decreased the activities of liver glycogen phosphorylase (P 0.001). Insulin also caused a reduction in liver glucose 6-phosphate (P = 0.05). We conclude that insulin-resistant monkeys do not have a defect in insulin action on liver glycogen synthase, although a defect in insulin action on muscle glycogen synthase is present. Therefore, tissue-specific alterations in insulin action on glycogen synthase are present in the development of insulin resistance in rhesus monkeys.

Macrophages and pancreatic islet amyloidosis.

Islet amyloid formed from islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP, amylin) is found in spontaneously diabetic monkeys and cats. Islet amyloidosis is progressive, apparently irreversible and is associated with destruction of insulin-secreting cells. The role of macrophages in the destruction and removal of islet amyloid is unknown. Therefore, the presence and morphology of macrophages were determined by electron and quantitative light microscopy in islets of diabetic and nondiabetic man and monkeys and in transgenic mice expressing the gene for human IAPP. Tissue macrophages were present in all pancreatic sections and tissue distribution was similar in exocrine and endocrine areas. There was no difference in macrophage density in amyloidotic and amyloid-free islets in monkeys and man. Macrophage density was similar in islets of transgenic mice expressing human IAPP which do not contain amyloid in vivo but in which fibrils are formed in vitro following islet isolation compared to islets from mice expressing rat IAPP which is not amyloidogenic. IAPP amyloid fibrils were visible by electron microscopy in lysosomes of pancreatic macrophages in man, monkeys and human IAPP transgenic mice. Thus, human IAPP is internalised but inefficiently degraded by tissue macrophages. Diabetes-associated amyloidosis is not associated with visible recruitment of macrophages for removal of amyloid or islet debris.

The beta3-adrenergic receptor in the obesity and diabetes prone rhesus monkey is very similar to human and contains arginine at codon 64.

The beta3-adrenergic receptor (ADRbeta3) is a seven-membrane spanning, G-protein linked receptor expressed in brown adipose tissue in rodents, and visceral adipose tissue in humans. Stimulation of the receptor by norepinephrine leads to lipolysis and thermogenesis. In rodent models of obesity and diabetes, administration of beta3-agonists results in weight loss and improved glucose tolerance. Studies indicate that the pharmacological properties of the ADRbeta3 differ markedly between rodents and humans, making generalizations of rodent studies to humans difficult. We hypothesized that the obesity and diabetes prone rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) would provide an excellent animal model to study the role of the ADRbeta3 in the development of obesity and diabetes as well as for assessment of the therapeutic efficacy of beta3-agonists. We sequenced the entire coding region of the rhesus ADRbeta3 gene. Like humans, the rhesus ADRbeta3 has two exons. There is 89% amino acid (aa) identity between human and rhesus compared to 82% aa identity between human and mouse. A single base deletion results in divergence of the intracellular carboxy terminus accounting for 26 of the 45 aa changes and 10 additional aa. Of the 15 rhesus monkeys studied, all were homozygous for Arg64. In humans, Arg64 (rather than Trp) is associated with increased body mass index, insulin resistance, and an earlier onset of type II diabetes mellitus. We conclude that the rhesus ADRbeta3 is more similar to the human ADRbeta3 than to the rodent ADRbeta3 suggesting that this primate model may be more appropriate for physiologic and therapeutic studies of the ADRbeta3 axis, and that Arg64 may influence susceptibility in this species to obesity, insulin resistance, and type II diabetes.

Insulin regulates liver glycogen synthase and glycogen phosphorylase activity reciprocally in rhesus monkeys.

In skeletal muscle of both humans and monkeys, the effects of in vivo insulin during a euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamp on the enzymes and substrates of glycogen metabolism have been well established. In liver, such effects of insulin during a clamp have not been previously studied in primates. To examine insulin action at the liver, euglycemic hyperinsulinemic clamps were performed in 10 lean young adult male rhesus monkeys. Liver biopsies were obtained at three time points: basal (fasting), that is, immediately before the onset of the clamp, and during insulin infusion at 130 and 195 min. Glycogen synthase (GS), glycogen phosphorylase (GP), glucose 6-phosphate (G-6-P), and glycogen were determined at each time point, with the greatest effects observed most frequently at 195 min. Whole body insulin-mediated glucose disposal rate was related to the change in the independent activity of GS (r = 0.63, P < 0.05). Insulin increased the GS fractional activity (P < 0.005) and decreased the activity ratio of GP (P < 0.001) compared with basal. The changes in fractional activity of GS and in activity ratio of GP were inversely related (r = - 0.68, P < 0.05), G-6-P concentration was decreased during insulin stimulation compared with basal (P = 0.01). Glycogen concentration was not significantly different between the basal and insulin-stimulated time points. We conclude that insulin during a euglycemic clamp activates liver GS while inhibiting liver GP and that insulin action on liver GS is positively related to whole body insulin-mediated glucose disposal rates in lean young adult rhesus monkeys.

Hyperleptinemia: relationship to adiposity and insulin resistance in the spontaneously obese rhesus monkey.

Plasma leptin levels in normal-weight and spontaneously obese male rhesus monkeys, and the relationships of circulating leptin to beta-cell basal secretion, glucose-stimulated responsiveness and peripheral insulin sensitivity, were determined. Basal leptin in normal lean adult monkeys averaged 6.0 +/- 1.3 ng/ml and in the obese monkeys averaged 22.6 +/- 2.9 ng/ml. In all monkeys, plasma leptin concentration was significantly related to body weight, body fat, fasting plasma insulin, acute insulin response to intravenous glucose, and peripheral insulin sensitivity but not to fasting glucose or glucose tolerance. Body fat and plasma insulin concentration were the best predictors of circulating leptin levels (R2 = 62.6%) independent of peripheral insulin sensitivity. Four of 17 obese monkeys had plasma leptin concentrations in the normal range, a finding that may be related to the heterogeneity of obesity. The close association of plasma leptin to body fat and plasma insulin (both basal and glucose-stimulated) support the possibility of a role of leptin in the link between obesity and beta-cell hypersecretion. However, the potential role of leptin in the development of peripheral insulin resistance, hyperglycemia and type 2 diabetes will require further study.

Regulation of obese (ob) mRNA and plasma leptin levels in rhesus monkeys. Effects of insulin, body weight, and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

We have cloned the rhesus monkey obese cDNA and have analyzed its expression in monkeys with a wide range of body weights (lean to very obese) and with or without non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus to examine the relationship of ob gene expression to obesity and non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The sequence of monkey ob protein, excluding the signal peptide, showed 91% identity with the human protein. We observed a significant correlation between the level of ob mRNA and body weight. We also found a significant relationship between ob mRNA and fasting plasma insulin concentration; however, insulin stimulation during a 100-140-min euglycemic/hyperinsulinemic clamp did not result in any changes in ob mRNA levels. Circulating levels of the ob gene product leptin were also significantly correlated with body weight. These results show that ob gene expression is related to body weight and is not acutely regulated by insulin.

Altered insulin receptor messenger ribonucleic acid splicing in liver is associated with deterioration of glucose tolerance in the spontaneously obese and diabetic rhesus monkey: analysis of controversy between monkey and human studies.

There are two insulin receptor (IR) isoforms (designated type A and type B), derived from alternative splicing of exon 11 of the IR gene. Recently, we reported (Huang Z., Bodkin N.L., Ortmeyer H.K., Hansen B.C., Shuldiner A. R., 1994, J Clin Invest, 94:1289-1296) that an increase in the exon 11- (i.e. lacking exon 11) (type A) IR messenger RNA (mRNA) variant in muscle is associated with hyperinsulinemia, an early risk factor for noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), in the spontaneously obese, diabetic rhesus monkey. To explore further the role of IR mRNA splicing in insulin resistance of NIDDM, we studied liver, another target organ that is resistant to insulin action in NIDDM. The relative amounts of the two IR mRNA-splicing variants in liver were quantitated by RT-PCR in normal, prediabetic, and diabetic (NIDDM) monkeys. The percentage of the exon 11- mRNA variant in liver (n = 24) was significantly correlated with fasting plasma glucose (r = 0.55, P < 0.01) and intravenous glucose disappearance rate (r = -0.45, P < 0.05). The exon 11- mRNA variant was increased significantly from 29.8 +/- 1.6% in monkeys with normal fasting glucose to 39.2 +/- 2.9% in monkeys with elevated fasting glucose (P < 0.01). These studies provide the first direct evidence in vivo that the relative expression of the two IR mRNA-splicing variants is altered in liver and suggest that increased expression of the exon 11- IR isoform may contribute to hepatic insulin resistance and NIDDM or may compensate for some yet unidentified defect.