ABSTRACT

To examine the cellular mechanism responsible for impaired insulin action in ageing, we determined various in-vitro parameters involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, i.e. basal and insulin-stimulated [¹⁴C]3-O-methylglucose transport (30MG), ¹²⁵I-labelled insulin binding, activation of insulin receptor kinase (IRKA) in intact cells, and number and subcellular distribution of glucose transporters in subcellular membrane fractions of adipocytes from 6- (FR-6) and 24- (FR-24) month-old Fischer rats. Ageing had no effect on basal 30MG (12±4 vs 13±3 fmol/5 × 10⁴ cells, means ± s.e.m.); in contrast, in FR-24 rats insulin-stimulated 30MG was markedly decreased by 43% when compared with that in FR-6 rats (158±14 vs 90±8 fmol/5 × 10⁴ cells; P < 0·01). Insulin binding to adipocytes from FR-6 rats was 2·40±0·38% compared with 2·28±0·47% in FR-24 (P not significant). Moreover, ageing had no significant effect on IRKA, as determined by insulin-stimulated (0, 1, 4 and 500 ng insulin/ml) ³²P-incorporation into histone 2B. In subcellular membrane fractions, low density microsomes and plasma membranes, glucose transporter numbers were determined using [³H]cytochalasin B binding and immunodetection using an antiserum against the C-terminal peptide of the hepatoma-G2-glucose transporter. Cytochalasin B binding revealed that in the basal state the intracellular pool of glucose transporters was depleted in FR-24 by about 39% compared with low density microsomes from FR-6: (48·6±7·2 vs 29·8±5·5 pmol/mg membrane protein; P < 0·01). In consequence, in FR-24 there were fewer glucose transporters available for insulin-induced translocation to the plasma membrane (insulin-treated plasma membrane: 23·9±4·2 (FR-6) vs 14·4±3·1 (FR-24) pmol/mg membrane protein; P < 0·01). These results were confirmed by immunoblotting.

In conclusion, (1) maximal insulin-stimulated 30MG was decreased by 43% in cells from FR-24 rats compared with those from FR-6 rats, while basal 30MG was similar in both groups, (2) neither insulin binding nor IRKA were significantly altered in cells from FR-24 rats, and (3) impaired insulin-stimulated 30MG was associated with reduced numbers of glucose transporters in the plasma membrane as a consequence of a depletion of the intracellular pool of glucose transporters in cells from FR-24 rats.

Journal of Endocrinology (1990) 126, 99–107

Abstract

To examine the effect of thyroid hormone status on insulin action in isolated rat adipocytes, age- and weight-matched Sprague–Dawley rats were rendered hypothyroid (h) by i.p. injection of 2 mCi [¹³¹I]/kg. Another group of rats was made hyperthyroid (H) by i.p. injection of 500 μg l-thyroxine/kg/day for 7 days. The T₄ levels in experimental groups were: controls, 33·5±0·95; h, 12·3±1·59: H, 133·2±8·8 μg/l. Adipocytes were isolated and 3-O-methylglucose transport (GT), insulin binding (IB) and insulin receptor kinase activity (IRKA) were determined. Subcellular membrane fractions (low-density microsomes, plasma membranes) were prepared and GLUT1 and GLUT4 glucose transporter immunodetected.

Hyperthyroidism caused no significant effect on either IB or IRKA but increased insulin-stimulated GT by 43·6%. This increase of GT was associated with an increase of primarily GLUT4 glucose transporters. Hypothyroidism was associated with both increased insulin receptor affinity and enhanced IRKA. Despite a marked reduction of primarily GLUT4 glucose transporters, basal and insulinstimulated GT was not reduced when compared with control.

These results suggest that (1) in hyperthyroidism, increased insulin-stimulated glucose transport is associated with an increase of primarily GLUT4 glucose transporters, which may be responsible for the increment of peripheral glucose utilization in hyperthyroidism, and (2) the effect of hypothyroidism on insulin action in adipocytes is characterized by a state of increased insulin sensitivity, as indicated by the increase in insulin receptor affinity and tyrosine kinase activity. Despite the marked reduction of primarily GLUT4 glucose transporters, insulin-stimulated glucose transport is not diminished, which may suggest that functional activity of plasma membrane glucose transporters is enhanced in hypothyroidism.

Journal of Endocrinology (1995) 144, 347–357