Glucose transporter localization in rat skeletal muscle. Autoradiographic study using ATB-[2-3H]BMPA photolabel

Metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance: underlying causes and modification by exercise training

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a collection of cardiometabolic risk factors that includes obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Although there has been significant debate regarding the criteria and concept of the syndrome, this clustering of risk factors is unequivocally linked to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Regardless of the true definition, based on current population estimates, nearly 100 million have MS. It is often characterized by insulin resistance, which some have suggested is a major underpinning link between physical inactivity and MS. The purpose of this review is to: (i) provide an overview of the history, causes and clinical aspects of MS, (ii) review the molecular mechanisms of insulin action and the causes of insulin resistance, and (iii) discuss the epidemiological and intervention data on the effects of exercise on MS and insulin sensitivity.

Measuring GLUT4 translocation in mature muscle fibers

Skeletal muscle is the major tissue for postprandial glucose disposal. Facilitated glucose uptake into muscle fibers is mediated by increases in surface membrane levels of the glucose transporter GLUT4 via insulin- and/or muscle contraction-mediated GLUT4 translocation. However, the regulatory mechanisms controlling GLUT4 translocation in skeletal muscle have been difficult to characterize at the cell biology level due to muscle tissue complexity. Muscle cell culture models have improved our understanding of GLUT4 translocation and glucose transport regulation, but in vitro muscle models lack many of the characteristics of mature muscle fibers. Thus, the molecular and cellular details of GLUT4 translocation in mature skeletal muscle are deficient. The objective of this review is to highlight how advances in recent experimental approaches translate into an enhanced understanding of the regulation of GLUT4 translocation and glucose transport in mature skeletal muscle.

Kinetics of GLUT4 trafficking in rat and human skeletal muscle

OBJECTIVE

In skeletal muscle, insulin stimulates glucose transport activity three- to fourfold, and a large part of this stimulation is associated with a net translocation of GLUT4 from an intracellular compartment to the cell surface. We examined the extent to which insulin or the AMP-activated protein kinase activator AICAR can lead to a stimulation of the exocytosis limb of the GLUT4 translocation pathway and thereby account for the net increase in glucose transport activity.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Using a biotinylated photoaffinity label, we tagged endogenous GLUT4 and studied the kinetics of exocytosis of the tagged protein in rat and human skeletal muscle in response to insulin or AICAR. Isolated epitrochlearis muscles were obtained from male Wistar rats. Vastus lateralis skeletal muscle strips were prepared from open muscle biopsies obtained from six healthy men (age 39 +/- 11 years and BMI 25.8 +/- 0.8 kg/m2).

RESULTS

In rat epitrochlearis muscle, insulin exposure leads to a sixfold stimulation of the GLUT4 exocytosis rate (with basal and insulin-stimulated rate constants of 0.010 and 0.067 min(-1), respectively). In human vastus lateralis muscle, insulin stimulates GLUT4 translocation by a similar sixfold increase in the exocytosis rate constant (with basal and insulin-stimulated rate constants of 0.011 and 0.075 min(-1), respectively). In contrast, AICAR treatment does not markedly increase exocytosis in either rat or human muscle.

CONCLUSIONS

Insulin stimulation of the GLUT4 exocytosis rate constant is sufficient to account for most of the observed increase in glucose transport activity in rat and human muscle.

Identification of amino acid residues within the C terminus of the Glut4 glucose transporter that are essential for insulin-stimulated redistribution to the plasma membrane

The Glut4 glucose transporter undergoes complex insulin-regulated subcellular trafficking in adipocytes. Much effort has been expended in an attempt to identify targeting motifs within Glut4 that direct its subcellular trafficking, but an amino acid motif responsible for the targeting of the transporter to insulin-responsive intracellular compartments in the basal state or that is directly responsible for its insulin-stimulated redistribution to the plasma membrane has not yet been delineated. In this study we define amino acid residues within the C-terminal cytoplasmic tail of Glut4 that are essential for its insulin-stimulated translocation to the plasma membrane. The residues were identified based on sequence similarity (LXXLXPDEXD) between cytoplasmic domains of Glut4 and the insulin-responsive aminopeptidase (IRAP). Alteration of this putative targeting motif (IRM, insulin-responsive motif) resulted in the targeting of the bulk of the mutant Glut4 molecules to dispersed membrane vesicles that lacked detectable levels of wild-type Glut4 in either the basal or insulin-stimulated states and completely abolished the insulin-stimulated translocation of the mutant Glut4 to the plasma membrane in 3T3L1 adipocytes. The bulk of the dispersed membrane vesicles containing the IRM mutant did not contain detectable levels of any subcellular marker tested. A fraction of the total IRM mutant was also detected in a wild-type Glut4/Syntaxin 6-containing perinuclear compartment. Interestingly, mutation of the IRM sequence did not appreciably alter the subcellular trafficking of IRAP. We conclude that residues within the IRM are critical for the targeting of Glut4, but not of IRAP, to insulin-responsive intracellular membrane compartments in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Infusion of a biotinylated bis-glucose photolabel: a new method to quantify cell surface GLUT4 in the intact mouse heart

Glucose uptake in the heart is mediated by specific glucose transporters (GLUTs) present on cardiomyocyte cell surface membranes. Metabolic stress and insulin both increase glucose transport by stimulating the translocation of glucose transporters from intracellular storage vesicles to the cell surface. Isolated perfused transgenic mouse hearts are commonly used to investigate the molecular regulation of heart metabolism; however, current methods to quantify cell surface glucose transporter content in intact mouse hearts are limited. Therefore, we developed a novel technique to directly assess the cell surface content of the cardiomyocyte glucose transporter GLUT4 in perfused mouse hearts, using a cell surface impermeant biotinylated bis-glucose photolabeling reagent (bio-LC-ATB-BGPA). Bio-LC-ATB-BGPA was infused through the aorta and cross-linked to cell surface GLUTs. Bio-LC-ATB-BGPA-labeled GLUT4 was recovered from cardiac membranes by streptavidin isolation and quantified by immunoblotting. Bio-LC-ATB-BGPA-labeling of GLUT4 was saturable and competitively inhibited by d-glucose. Stimulation of glucose uptake by insulin in the perfused heart was associated with parallel increases in bio-LC-ATB-BGPA-labeling of cell surface GLUT4. Bio-LC-ATB-BGPA also labeled cell surface GLUT1 in the perfused heart. Thus, photolabeling provides a novel approach to assess cell surface glucose transporter content in the isolated perfused mouse heart and may prove useful to investigate the mechanisms through which insulin, ischemia, and other stimuli regulate glucose metabolism in the heart and other perfused organs.

How muscle insulin sensitivity is regulated: testing of a hypothesis

Muscle contractions induce an increase in glucose transport. The acute effect of muscle contractions on glucose transport is independent of insulin and reverses rapidly after cessation of exercise. As the acute increase in glucose transport reverses, a marked increase in the sensitivity of muscle to insulin occurs. The mechanism for this phenomenon is unknown. We hypothesize that an increase in insulin sensitivity is a general phenomenon that occurs during reversal of an increase in cell surface GLUT4 induced by any stimulus, not just exercise. To test this hypothesis, epitrochlearis, rat soleus, and flexor digitorum brevis muscles were incubated for 30 min with a maximally effective insulin concentration (1.0 mU/ml). Muscles were allowed to recover for 3 h in the absence of insulin. Muscles were then exposed to 60 microU/ml insulin for 30 min followed by measurement of glucose transport. Preincubation with 1.0 mU/ml insulin resulted in an approximately 2-fold greater increase in glucose transport 3.5 h later in response to 60 microU/ml insulin than that which occurred in control muscles treated with 60 microU/ml insulin. Pretreatment of muscles with combined maximal insulin and exercise stimuli greatly amplified the increase in insulin sensitivity. The increases in glucose transport were paralleled by increases in cell surface GLUT4. We conclude that stimulation of glucose transport by any agent is followed by an increase in sensitivity of glucose transport to activation that is mediated by translocation of more GLUT4 to the cell surface.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and HTLV-2 use different receptor complexes to enter T cells

Studies using adherent cell lines have shown that glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) can function as a receptor for human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV). In primary CD4(+) T cells, heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are required for efficient entry of HTLV-1. Here, the roles of HSPGs and GLUT-1 in HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 Env-mediated binding and entry into primary T cells were studied. Examination of the cell surface of activated primary T cells revealed that CD4(+) T cells, the primary target of HTLV-1, expressed significantly higher levels of HSPGs than CD8(+) T cells. Conversely, CD8(+) T cells, the primary target of HTLV-2, expressed GLUT-1 at dramatically higher levels than CD4(+) T cells. Under these conditions, the HTLV-2 surface glycoprotein (SU) binding and viral entry were markedly higher on CD8(+) T cells while HTLV-1 SU binding and viral entry were higher on CD4(+) T cells. Binding studies with HTLV-1/HTLV-2 SU recombinants showed that preferential binding to CD4(+) T cells expressing high levels of HSPGs mapped to the C-terminal portion of SU. Transfection studies revealed that overexpression of GLUT-1 in CD4(+) T cells increased HTLV-2 entry, while expression of HSPGs on CD8(+) T cells increased entry of HTLV-1. These studies demonstrate that HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 differ in their T-cell entry requirements and suggest that the differences in the in vitro cellular tropism for transformation and in vivo pathobiology of these viruses reflect different interactions between their Env proteins and molecules on CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells involved in entry.

Exercise-induced increase in muscle insulin sensitivity

Exercise/muscle contraction activates glucose transport. The increase in muscle glucose transport induced by exercise is independent of insulin. As the acute effect of exercise on glucose transport wears off, it is replaced by an increase in insulin sensitivity. An increase in insulin sensitivity results in a shift in the insulin dose-response curve to the left, with a decrease in the concentration of insulin needed to induce 50% of the maximal response. This phenomenon, which plays a major role in rapid muscle glycogen accumulation after exercise, is not mediated by amplification of the insulin signal. Development of the increase in insulin sensitivity after contractions does not require protein synthesis or activation of p38 MAPK. It does require the presence of a serum protein during the period of contractile activity. The effect of exercise on muscle insulin sensitivity is mimicked by hypoxia and by treatment of muscles with 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribofuranoside to activate AMP-activated protein kinase. The postexercise increase in sensitivity of muscle glucose transport to activation is not specific for insulin but also involves an increased susceptibility to activation by a submaximal contraction/hypoxia stimulus. The increase in insulin sensitivity is mediated by translocation of more GLUT4 glucose transporters to the cell surface in response to a submaximal insulin stimulus. Although the postexercise increase in muscle insulin sensitivity has been characterized in considerable detail, the basic mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain a mystery.

Fiber type-specific determinants of Vmax for insulin-stimulated muscle glucose uptake in vivo

The aim of this study was to determine barriers limiting muscle glucose uptake (MGU) during increased glucose flux created by raising blood glucose in the presence of fixed insulin. The determinants of the maximal velocity (V(max)) of MGU in muscles of different fiber types were defined. Conscious rats were studied during a 4 mU x kg(-1) x min(-1) insulin clamp with plasma glucose at 2.5, 5.5, and 8.5 mM. [U-(14)C]mannitol and 3-O-methyl-[(3)H]glucose ([(3)H]MG) were infused to steady-state levels (t = -180 to 0 min). These isotope infusions were continued from 0 to 40 min with the addition of a 2-deoxy-[(3)H]glucose ([(3)H]DG) infusion. Muscles were excised at t = 40 min. Glucose metabolic index (R(g)) was calculated from muscle-phosphorylated [(3)H]DG. [U-(14)C]mannitol was used to determine extracellular (EC) H(2)O. Glucose at the outer ([G](om)) and inner ([G](im)) sarcolemmal surfaces was determined by the ratio of [(3)H]MG in intracellular to EC H(2)O and muscle glucose. R(g) was comparable at the two higher glucose concentrations, suggesting that rates of uptake near V(max) were reached. In summary, by defining the relationship of arterial glucose to [G](om) and [G](im) in the presence of fixed hyperinsulinemia, it is concluded that 1) V(max) for MGU is limited by extracellular and intracellular barriers in type I fibers, as the sarcolemma is freely permeable to glucose; 2) V(max) is limited in muscles with predominantly type IIb fibers by extracellular resistance and transport resistance; and 3) limits to R(g) are determined by resistance at multiple steps and are better defined by distributed control rather than by a single rate-limiting step.

A forty-year memoir of research on the regulation of glucose transport into muscle

This historical review describes the research on the regulation of glucose transport in skeletal muscle conducted in my laboratory and in collaboration with a number of colleagues in other laboratories. This research includes studies of stimulation of glucose transport, GLUT4 translocation, and GLUT4 expression by exercise/muscle contractions, the role of Ca(2+) in these processes, and the interactions between the effects of exercise and insulin. Among the last are the additive effects of insulin and contractions on glucose transport and GLUT4 translocation and the increases in muscle insulin sensitivity and responsiveness induced by exercise.

Cardiac hypertrophy with preserved contractile function after selective deletion of GLUT4 from the heart

Glucose enters the heart via GLUT1 and GLUT4 glucose transporters. GLUT4-deficient mice develop striking cardiac hypertrophy and die prematurely. Whether their cardiac changes are caused primarily by GLUT4 deficiency in cardiomyocytes or by metabolic changes resulting from the absence of GLUT4 in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue is unclear. To determine the role of GLUT4 in the heart we used cre-loxP recombination to generate G4H(-/-) mice in which GLUT4 expression is abolished in the heart but is present in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue. Life span and serum concentrations of insulin, glucose, FFAs, lactate, and beta-hydroxybutyrate were normal. Basal cardiac glucose transport and GLUT1 expression were both increased approximately 3-fold in G4H(-/-) mice, but insulin-stimulated glucose uptake was abolished. G4H(-/-) mice develop modest cardiac hypertrophy associated with increased myocyte size and induction of atrial natriuretic and brain natriuretic peptide gene expression in the ventricles. Myocardial fibrosis did not occur. Basal and isoproterenol-stimulated isovolumic contractile performance was preserved. Thus, selective ablation of GLUT4 in the heart initiates a series of events that results in compensated cardiac hypertrophy.

GLUT4 trafficking in insulin-sensitive cells. A morphological review

In recent years, there have been major advances in the understanding of both the cell biology of vesicle trafficking between intracellular compartments and the molecular targeting signals intrinsic to the trafficking proteins themselves. One system to which these advances have been profitably applied is the regulation of the trafficking of a glucose transporter, GLUT4, from intracellular compartment(s) to the cell surface in response to insulin. The unique nature of the trafficking of GLUT4 and its expression in highly differentiated cells makes this a question of considerable interest to cell biologists. Unraveling the tangled web of molecular events coordinating GLUT4 trafficking will eventually lead to a greater understanding of mammalian glucose metabolism, as well as fundamental cell biological principles related to organelle biogenesis and protein trafficking.

Whole body glucose metabolism

This review describes major factors that, singly or together, influence the concentration and distribution of D-glucose in mammals, particularly in humans, with emphasis on rest, physical activity, and alimentation. It identifies areas of uncertainty: distribution and concentrations of glucose in interstitial fluid, kinetics and mechanism of transcapillary glucose transport, kinetics and mechanism of glucose transport via its transporters into cells, detailed mechanisms by which hormones, exercise, and hypoxia affect glucose movement across cell membranes, whether translocation of glucose transporters to the cell membrane accounts completely, or even mainly, for insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, whether exercise stimulates release of a circulating insulinomimetic factor, and the relation between muscle glucose uptake and muscle blood flow. The review points out that there is no compartment of glucose in the body at which all glucose is at the same concentration, and that models of glucose metabolism, including effects of insulin on glucose metabolism based on assumptions of concentration homogeneity, cannot be entirely correct. A fresh approach to modeling is needed.

Role of transverse tubules (T-tubules) in muscle glucose transport

The first data to demonstrate glucose transporter translocation in muscle used membranes enriched in sarcolemma because it was assumed that this was the equivalent of the cell membrane of adipocytes. We studied translocation in intact human muscle using immunogold labeling of the GLUT4 transporter but found very little labeling on the sarcolemma. In contrast, there was abundant gold-labeling associated with the T-tubules and we proposed that glucose transport occurred across this membrane system. In a subsequent study using an entirely different technique, we labeled cell surface glucose transporters of rat muscle with a cell impermeant photolabel and demonstrated that a majority of the glucose transporters were translocated to T-tubules, not to the sarcolemma, in response to insulin. In this report we show for the first time that in insulin-plus contraction stimulated muscle, GLUT4 glucose transporters are associated with an area that we call the SCT complex (Sarcolemmal, Caveoli, T-tubule complex). This SCT complex may play an important role in delivering metabolites to the muscle under conditions, such as muscle contraction, when there is a very high requirement for glucose transport. From our data, and supporting data from other labs, we propose that the T-tubule membrane system plays a very important role in delivering nutrients to the center of skeletal muscle cells. Substrates can be quickly carried to the center of the muscle fiber where there are proteins to transport glucose (and presumably other substrates) across the T-tubule membrane to the site where it can be immediately utilized or stored. This hypothesis deserves serious consideration and experimental testing.

Snareing GLUT4 at the plasma membrane in muscle and fat

Explosive advances in the understanding of vesicle trafficking between intracellular compartments have occurred in recent years. These investigations inspired an attractive model for intracellular membrane transport, referred as the SNARE hypothesis. These advances have been profitably applied to one system in muscle and fat; the regulation of intracellular trafficking of the insulin-regulatable facilitative glucose transporter (GLUT4). Investigations in insulin-sensitive cell types revealed a remarkable conservation in the mechanism of vesicular transport between synaptic vesicles in the presynaptic nerve terminal and GLUT4-containing vesicles in muscle and fat. On the other hand, unique players in insulin-regulatable GLUT4 movement have also been clarified during this process. Thus, unveiling the molecular mechanisms regulating insulin-stimulated GLUT4 trafficking will significantly contribute to our understanding of whole body glucose homeostasis as well as the cell biology of protein trafficking, membrane dynamics, and organelle biogenesis.

Insulin-dependent protein trafficking in skeletal muscle cells

We have established a simple procedure for the separation of intracellular pool(s) of glucose transporter isoform GLUT-4-containing vesicles from the surface sarcolemma and T tubule membranes of rat skeletal myocytes. This procedure enabled us to immunopurify intracellular GLUT-4-containing vesicles and to demonstrate that 20-30% of the receptors for insulin-like growth factor II/mannose 6-phosphate and transferrin are colocalized with GLUT-4 in the same vesicles. Using our new fractionation procedure as well as cell surface biotinylation, we have shown that these receptors are translocated from their intracellular compartment(s) to the cell surface along with GLUT-4 after insulin stimulation in vivo. Denervation causes a considerable downregulation of GLUT-4 protein in skeletal muscle but does not affect the level of expression of other known component proteins of the corresponding vesicles. Moreover, the sedimentation coefficient of these vesicles remains unchanged by denervation. We suggest that the normal level of GLUT-4 expression is not necessary for the structural organization and insulin-sensitive translocation of its cognate intracellular compartment.

Dissociation of GLUT4 translocation and insulin-stimulated glucose transport in transgenic mice overexpressing GLUT1 in skeletal muscle

Overexpression of the human GLUT1 glucose transporter protein in skeletal muscle of transgenic mice results in large increases in basal glucose transport and metabolism, but impaired stimulation of glucose transport by insulin, contractions, or hypoxia (Gulve, E. A., Ren, J.-M., Marshall, B. A., Gao, J., Hansen, P. A., Holloszy, J. O. , and Mueckler, M. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 18366-18370). This study examined the relationship between glucose transport and cell-surface glucose transporter content in isolated skeletal muscle from wild-type and GLUT1-overexpressing mice using 2-deoxyglucose, 3-O-methylglucose, and the 2-N-[4-(1-azi-2,2, 2-trifluoroethyl)benzoyl]-1,3-bis(D-mannos-4-yloxy)-2-propyl amine exofacial photolabeling technique. Insulin (2 milliunits/ml) stimulated a 3-fold increase in 2-deoxyglucose uptake in extensor digitorum longus muscles of control mice (0.47 +/- 0.07 micromol/ml/20 min in basal muscle versus 1.44 micromol/ml/20 min in insulin-stimulated muscle; mean +/- S.E.). Insulin failed to increase 2-deoxyglucose uptake above basal rates in muscles overexpressing GLUT1 (4.00 +/- 0.40 micromol/ml/20 min in basal muscle versus 3.96 +/- 0.37 micromol/ml/20 min in insulin-stimulated muscle). A similar lack of insulin stimulation in muscles overexpressing GLUT1 was observed using 3-O-methylglucose. However, the magnitude of the insulin-stimulated increase in cell-surface GLUT4 photolabeling was nearly identical (approximately 3-fold) in wild-type and GLUT1-overexpressing muscles. This apparently normal insulin-stimulated translocation of GLUT4 in GLUT1-overexpressing muscle was confirmed by immunoelectron microscopy. Our findings suggest that GLUT4 activity at the plasma membrane can be dissociated from the plasma membrane content of GLUT4 molecules and thus suggest that the intrinsic activity of GLUT4 is subject to regulation.

Analysis of insulin-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose uptake in conscious rat using isotopic glucose analogs

An isotopic method was used in conscious rats to determine the roles of glucose transport and the transsarcolemmal glucose gradient (TSGG) in control of basal and insulin-stimulated muscle glucose uptake. Rats received an intravenous 3-O-[3H]methylglucose (3-O-[3H]MG) infusion from -100 to 40 min and a 2-deoxy-[3H]glucose infusion from 0 to 40 min to calculate a glucose metabolic index (Rg). Insulin was infused from -100 to 40 min at rates of 0.0, 0.6, 1.0, and 4.0 mU.kg-1.min-1, and glucose was clamped at basal concentrations. The ratios of soleus intracellular to extracellular 3-O-[3H]MG concentration and soleus glucose concentrations were used to estimate the TSGG using principles of glucose counter-transport. Tissue glucose concentrations were compared in well-perfused, slow-twitch muscle (soleus) and poorly perfused, fast-twitch muscle (vastus lateralis, gastrocnemius). Data show that 1) small increases in insulin increase soleus Rg without decreasing TSGG, suggesting that muscle glucose delivery and phosphorylation can accommodate the increased flux; 2) due to a limitation in soleus glucose phosphorylation and possibly delivery, insulin at high physiological levels decreases TSGG, and at supraphysiological insulin levels the TSGG is not significantly different from 0; 3) maximum Rg is maintained even though TSGG decreases with increasing insulin levels, indicating that glucose transport continues to increase and is not rate limiting for maximal insulin-stimulated glucose uptake; and 4) muscle consisting of fast-twitch fibers that are poorly perfused exhibits a 35-45% fall in tissue glucose with insulin, suggesting that glucose delivery is a major limitation in sustaining the TSGG. In conclusion, control of glucose uptake is distributed between glucose transport and factors that determine the TSGG. Insulin stimulation of glucose transport increases the demands on the factors that maintain glucose delivery to the muscle membrane and glucose phosphorylation inside the muscle.

Electrical stimulation induces fiber type-specific translocation of GLUT-4 to T tubules in skeletal muscle

Insulin and contraction independently stimulate glucose transport in skeletal muscle. Whereas insulin activates glucose transport more in muscles composed of type I and IIa fibers, electrical stimulation increases glucose transport at least as much in type IIb fiber-enriched muscles despite the fact that the latter fiber type contains less GLUT-4 glucose transporters. The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that a greater GLUT-4 translocation to the cell surface may underlie the higher contraction-stimulated glucose transport in type IIb myofibers. Leg muscles from rats were stimulated in situ at 100 Hz (200 ms) each 2 s via the sciatic nerve over a period of 20 min while the contralateral leg was kept at rest. Muscle 2-[3H]deoxy-D-glucose uptake (2-DG) was measured in separated red gastrocnemius (RG, type I and IIa fibers) and white gastrocnemius (WG, type IIb fibers) muscles. Resting 2-DG uptake was greater in RG than WG. Electrical stimulation increased 2-DG uptake over resting values similarly in WG and RG. Fractions enriched with either plasma membranes, transverse (T) tubules, triads, or GLUT-4-enriched intracellular membranes were isolated from RG and WG using a recently developed subcellular fractionation procedure. Electrical stimulation similarly increased GLUT-4 protein content in plasma membranes of RG and WG, whereas it stimulated GLUT-4 translocation more (approximately 50%) in T tubules of WG than in RG. GLUT-4 content was not changed in triads of both muscle types. The increments in cell surface GLUT-4 protein levels were paralleled by significant reductions in the amount of the transporter in the intracellular membrane fractions of both muscle types (by 60% in RG and 56% in WG). It is concluded that electrically induced contraction stimulates GLUT-4 translocation more in T tubules of WG than RG. The physiological implications of this finding for glucose uptake by contracting RG and WG muscles is discussed.

Regulation of glucose transport, and glucose transporters expression and trafficking in the heart: studies in cardiac myocytes

Cardiac muscle is characterized by a high rate of glucose consumption. In the absence of insulin, glucose transport into cardiomyocytes limits the rate of glucose utilization and therefore it is important to understand the regulation of glucose transporters. Cardiac muscle cells express 2 distinct glucose transporters, GLUT4 and GLUT1; although GLUT4 is quantitatively the more important glucose transporter expressed in heart, GLUT1 is also expressed at a substantial level. In isolated rat cardiomyocytes, insulin acutely stimulates glucose transport and translocates both GLUT4 and GLUT1 from an intracellular site to the cell surface. Recent evidence indicates the existence of at least 2 distinct intracellular membrane populations enriched in GLUT4 with a different protein composition. Elucidation of the intracellular location of these 2 GLUT4 vesicle pools in cardiac myocytes, their role in GLUT4 trafficking, and their relation to insulin-induced GLUT4 translocation needs to be addressed.

Characterization of two distinct intracellular GLUT4 membrane populations in muscle fiber. Differential protein composition and sensitivity to insulin

A major objective for the understanding of muscle glucose disposal is the elucidation of the intracellular trafficking pathway of GLUT4 glucose carriers in the muscle fiber. In this report, we provide functional and biochemical characterization of two distinct intracellular GLUT4 vesicle pools obtained from rat skeletal muscle. The two pools showed a differential response to insulin; thus, one showed a marked decrease in GLUT4 levels but the other did not. They also showed a markedly different protein composition as detected by quantitative vesicle immunoisolation analysis. The GLUT4 pool showing no response to insulin contained SCAMP proteins and the vSNARE proteins VAMP2 and cellubrevin, whereas only VAMP2 was found in the insulin-recruitable GLUT4 pool. SDS-PAGE and further silver staining of the immunoprecipitates revealed discrete polypeptide bands associated to the insulin-sensitive pool, and all these polypeptide bands were found in the insulin-insensitive population. Furthermore, some polypeptide bands were exclusive to the insulin-insensitive population. The presence of cellubrevin and SCAMP proteins, endosomal markers, suggest that the insulin-insensitive GLUT4 membrane population belongs to an endosomal compartment. In addition, we favor the view that the insulin-sensitive GLUT4 membrane pool is segregated from the endosomal GLUT4 population and is undergoes exocytosis to the cell surface in response to insulin. Intracellular GLUT4 membranes obtained from skeletal muscle contain cellubrevin, and VAMP2 and GLUT4-vesicles from cardiomyocytes also contain cellubrevin. This suggests that vSNARE proteins are key constituents of GLUT4 vesicles. The presence of the tSNARE protein SNAP25 in skeletal muscle membranes and SNAP25 and syntaxin 1A and syntaxin 1B in cardiomyocyte plasma membranes further suggest a role of the SNAREs in GLUT4 trafficking in muscle.

Decreased insulin action on muscle glucose transport after eccentric contractions in rats

We have recently shown that eccentric contractions (Ecc) of rat calf muscles cause muscle damage and decreased glycogen and glucose transporter GLUT-4 protein content in the white (WG) and red gastrocnemius (RG) but not in the soleus (S) (S. Asp, S. Kristiansen, and E. A. Richter. J. Appl. Physiol. 79: 1338-1345, 1995). To study whether these changes affect insulin action, hindlimbs were perfused at three different insulin concentrations (0, 200, and 20,000 microU/ml) 2 days after one-legged eccentric contractions of the calf muscles. Compared with control, basal glucose transport was slightly higher (P < 0.05) in Ecc-WG and -RG, whereas it was lower (P < 0.05) at both submaximal and maximal insulin concentrations in the Ecc-WG and at maximal concentrations in the Ecc-RG. In the Ecc-S, the glucose transport was unchanged in hindquarters perfused in the absence or presence of a submaximal stimulating concentration of insulin, whereas it was slightly (P < 0.05) higher during maximal insulin stimulation compared with control S. At the end of perfusion the glycogen concentrations were lower in both Ecc-gastrocnemius muscles compared with control muscles at all insulin concentrations. Fractional velocity of glycogen synthase increased similarly with increasing insulin concentrations in Ecc- and control WG and RG. We conclude that insulin action on glucose transport but not glycogen synthase activity is impaired in perfused muscle exposed to prior eccentric contractions.

Insulin unmasks a COOH-terminal Glut4 epitope and increases glucose transport across T-tubules in skeletal muscle

An improved immunogold labeling procedure was used to examine the subcellular distribution of glucose transporters in Lowricryl HM20-embedded skeletal muscle from transgenic mice overexpressing either Glut1 or Glut4. In basal muscle, Glut4 was highly enriched in membranes of the transverse tubules and the terminal cisternae of the triadic junctions. Less than 10% of total muscle Glut4 was present in the vicinity of the sarcolemmal membrane. Insulin treatment increased the number of gold particles associated with the transverse tubules and the sarcolemma by three-fold. However, insulin also increased the total Glut4 immunogold reactivity in muscle ultrathin sections by up to 1.8-fold and dramatically increased the amount of Glut4 in muscle sections as observed by laser confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. The average diameter of transverse tubules observed in longitudinal sections increased by 50% after insulin treatment. Glut1 was highly enriched in the sarcolemma, both in the basal state and after insulin treatment. Disruption of transverse tubule morphology by in vitro glycerol shock completely abolished insulin-stimulated glucose transport in isolated rat epitrochlearis muscles. These data indicate that: (a) Glut1 and Glut4 are targeted to distinct plasma membrane domains in skeletal muscle; (b) Glut1 contributes to basal transport at the sarcolemma and the bulk of insulin-stimulated transport is mediated by Glut4 localized in the transverse tubules; (c) insulin increases the apparent surface area of transverse tubules in skeletal muscle; and (d) insulin causes the unmasking of a COOH-terminal antigenic epitope in skeletal muscle in much the same fashion as it does in rat adipocytes.

Glucose transport and cell surface GLUT-4 protein in skeletal muscle of the obese Zucker rat

The relationship between 3-O-methyl-D-glucose transport and 2-N-4-(1-azi-2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)-benzoyl-1, 3-bis-(D-mannos-4-yloxy)-2-propylamine (ATB-BMPA)-labeled cell surface GLUT-4 protein was assessed in fast-twitch (epitrochlearis) and slow-twitch (soleus) muscles of lean and obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats. In the absence of insulin, glucose transport as well as cell surface GLUT-4 protein was similar in both epitrochlearis and soleus muscles of lean and obese rats. In contrast, insulin-stimulated glucose transport rates were significantly higher for lean than obese rats in both soleus (0.74 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.40 +/- 0.02 mumol.g-1.10 min-1) and epitrochlearis (0.51 +/- 0.05 vs. 0.17 +/- 0.02 mumol.g-1.10 min-1) muscles. The ability of insulin to enhance glucose transport in fast- and slow-twitch muscles from both lean and obese rats corresponded directly with changes in cell surface GLUT-4 protein. Muscle contraction elicited similar increases in glucose transport in lean and obese rats, with the effect being more pronounced in fast-twitch (0.70 +/- 0.07 and 0.77 +/- 0.04 mumol.g-1.10 min-1 for obese and lean, respectively) than in slow-twitch muscle (0.36 +/- 0.03 and 0.40 +/- 0.02 mumol.g-1.10 min-1 for obese and lean, respectively). The contraction-induced changes in glucose transport directly corresponded with the observed changes in cell surface GLUT-4 protein. Thus the reduced glucose transport response to insulin in skeletal muscle of the obese Zucker rat appears to result directly from an inability to effectively enhance cell surface GLUT-4 protein.

Expression and insulin-regulated distribution of caveolin in skeletal muscle. Caveolin does not colocalize with GLUT4 in intracellular membranes

Caveolin is believed to play an important role in sorting processes, vesicular trafficking, transmembrane signaling, and molecular transport across membranes. In this study we have evaluated the expression and distribution of caveolin in skeletal muscle and its interaction with GLUT4 glucose carriers. Caveolin was expressed to substantial levels in muscle and its expression was regulated in muscle; aging and high fat diet enhanced caveolin expression in skeletal muscle and inversely, myogenesis down-regulated caveolin in L6E9 cells. Under fasting conditions, most of caveolin was found in intracellular membranes and the caveolin present in the cell surface was found in both sarcolemma and T-tubules. Insulin administration led to a redistribution of caveolin from intracellular high density membrane fractions to intracellular lighter density fractions and to the cell surface; this pattern of insulin-induced redistribution was different to what was shown by GLUT4. These results suggests that caveolin is a component of an insulin-regulated machinery of vesicular transport in muscle. Quantitative immunoisolation of GLUT4 vesicles obtained from different intracellular GLUT4 populations revealed the absence of caveolin which substantiates the lack of colocalization of intracellular GLUT4 and caveolin. This indicates that caveolin is not involved in intracellular GLUT4 trafficking in skeletal muscle.

A new procedure for the isolation of plasma membranes, T tubules, and internal membranes from skeletal muscle

A new subcellular fractionation procedure for the simultaneous isolation of plasma membranes and transverse (T) tubule membranes from a rat skeletal muscle was developed. This new technique allows the isolation and separation of plasma membranes and T tubules in distinct subcellular fractions, as revealed by the membrane distribution of enzymatic and immunologic markers of both cell surface compartments. The procedure also yields a novel membrane fraction that is devoid of markers of both surface domains but is markedly enriched with GLUT-4 glucose transporters, thus strongly suggesting that it represents an intracellular pool of GLUT-4. Using this new procedure, we found that acute in vivo insulin administration (30 min) increased GLUT-4 protein content in the plasma membrane and a T tubule fraction (by approximately 80%), whereas a smaller elevation (35%) was observed in another fraction enriched with T tubules. Insulin induced a concomitant reduction (approximately 40%) in GLUT-4 abundance in the intracellular fraction. These results further support the hypothesis that T tubules are involved in the regulation of glucose transport in skeletal muscle. This novel fractionation method will be useful in investigating the regulation of muscle GLUT-4 transporters in other physiological and disease states such as diabetes, where defective translocation of the transporter protein to either one or both cell surface domains is suspected to occur.

The T-tubule is a cell-surface target for insulin-regulated recycling of membrane proteins in skeletal muscle

(1) In this study we have determined the distribution of various membrane proteins involved in insulin-activated glucose transport in T-tubules and in sarcolemma from rat skeletal muscle. Two independent experimental approaches were used to determine the presence of membrane proteins in T-tubules: (i) the purification of T-tubules free from sarcolemmal membranes by lectin agglutination, and (ii) T-tubule vesicle immunoadsorption. These methods confirmed that T-tubules from rat skeletal muscle were enriched with dihydropyridine receptors and tt28 protein and did not contain the sarcolemmal markers dystrophin or beta 1-integrin. Both types of experiments revealed an abundant content of GLUT4 glucose carriers, insulin receptors and SCAMPs (secretory carrier membrane proteins) in T-tubule membranes. (2) Acute administration in vivo of insulin caused an increased abundance of GLUT4 in T-tubules and sarcolemma. On the contrary, insulin led to a 50% reduction in insulin receptors present in T-tubules and in sarcolemma, demonstrating that insulin-induced insulin receptor internalization affects T-tubules in the muscle fibre. The alteration in the content of GLUT4 and insulin receptors in T-tubules was a consequence of insulin-induced redistribution of these proteins. SCAMPs also redistributed in muscle membranes in response to insulin. They were recruited by insulin from intracellular high-density fractions to intracellular lighter-density fractions and to the cell surface, showing a pattern of insulin-induced cellular redistribution distinct from those of GLUT4 and the insulin receptor. (3) In conclusion, the T-tubule is a cell-surface target for membrane proteins involved in recycling such as SCAMPs or for membrane proteins that acutely redistribute in response to insulin such as GLUT4 or insulin receptors.

Marked depletion of GLUT4 glucose transporters in transverse tubules of skeletal muscle from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

The principal goal of the present study was to determine the subcellular content of GLUT4 in diabetic rat muscle, and to test the hypothesis that a reduced abundance of the transporter protein in transverse tubules is responsible for impaired glucose utilization in that tissue. GLUT4 protein levels were measured in hindlimb muscle homogenates as well as in subcellular membrane fractions enriched with either plasma membranes, transverse tubules, or GLUT4-containing intracellular membranes from control and diabetic (streptozotocin-induced) rats. GLUT4 protein contents in diabetic muscle homogenates was reduced by 30% as compared to control rats. Subcellular fractionation experiments revealed that GLUT4 contents in transverse tubules-enriched fractions was markedly decreased (by 55-60%) in skeletal muscle of diabetic animals whereas no significant reductions in GLUT4 abundance was observed in the plasma membrane fraction. Moreover, GLUT4 was markedly depleted (by 45%) in the GLUT4-enriched intracellular membrane fraction. These results indicate that GLUT4 is markedly depleted in both the intracellular pool and in the cell surface membranes in muscle of STZ-diabetic rats. Most strikingly, this study demonstrates that transverse tubules and not the plasma membrane are the main sites of cell surface GLUT4 depletion in diabetic muscle.

Isolation and characterization of distinct domains of sarcolemma and T-tubules from rat skeletal muscle

1. Several cell-surface domains of sarcolemma and T-tubule from skeletal-muscle fibre were isolated and characterized. 2. A protocol of subcellular fractionation was set up that involved the sequential low- and high-speed homogenization of rat skeletal muscle followed by KCl washing, Ca2+ loading and sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation. This protocol led to the separation of cell-surface membranes from membranes enriched in sarcoplasmic reticulum and intracellular GLUT4-containing vesicles. 3. Agglutination of cell-surface membranes using wheat-germ agglutinin allowed the isolation of three distinct cell-surface membrane domains: sarcolemmal fraction 1 (SM1), sarcolemmal fraction 2 (SM2) and a T-tubule fraction enriched in protein tt28 and the alpha 2-component of dihydropyridine receptor. 4. Fractions SM1 and SM2 represented distinct sarcolemmal subcompartments based on different compositions of biochemical markers: SM2 was characterized by high levels of beta 1-integrin and dystrophin, and SM1 was enriched in beta 1-integrin but lacked dystrophin. 5. The caveolae-associated molecule caveolin was very abundant in SM1, SM2 and T-tubules, suggesting the presence of caveolae or caveolin-rich domains in these cell-surface membrane domains. In contrast, clathrin heavy chain was abundant in SM1 and T-tubules, but only trace levels were detected in SM2. 6. Immunoadsorption of T-tubule vesicles with antibodies against protein tt28 and against GLUT4 revealed the presence of GLUT4 in T-tubules under basal conditions and it also allowed the identification of two distinct pools of T-tubules showing different contents of tt28 and dihydropyridine receptors. 7. Our data on distribution of clathrin and dystrophin reveal the existence of subcompartments in sarcolemma from muscle fibre, featuring selective mutually exclusive components. T-tubules contain caveolin and clathrin suggesting that they contain caveolin- and clathrin-rich domains. Furthermore, evidence for the heterogeneous distribution of membrane proteins in T-tubules is also presented.