Effect of chronic undernutrition on hepatocyte insulin receptors in rats.

The effect of moderate chronic undernutrition on insulin receptors was studied in male rats, pair-fed 60% of the daily food intake of ad libitum-fed littermates, for 8 weeks. Body weights of undernourished rats were consistently found to be 35% to 40% less than control littermates, with no period of growth arrest at any point in the 8-week study. The binding-displacement curves of labeled insulin to hepatocyte receptors in the two groups in the presence of unlabeled insulin were significantly different (P = .0258 after repeated measures ANOVA). Significantly lower binding was observed in hepatocytes from the undernourished group (P less than .01) at all unlabeled insulin concentrations less than 20 nmol/L. In the absence of any unlabeled insulin, specific binding was reduced from 8.8% +/- 0.7%, (mean +/- SE) in controls, to 7.4% +/- 0.3% in undernourished rats (P less than .01). Half-maximal specific hormone binding to hepatocytes was achieved at a free insulin concentration of 362 nmol/L in the control group, compared with 447 nmol/L in the undernourished group, reflecting an increase of approximately 20%. The hypoglycemic response to intravenous insulin (0.1 U/kg body weight) was tested in a parallel experiment involving seven paired littermate rats, and found to be significantly impaired in the undernourished group (P = .0041 by repeated measures ANOVA).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The effect of menhaden oil on choline-deficiency-induced hepatic ornithine decarboxylase activity and hepatocyte insulin receptor binding.

The effects of menhaden oil on the choline-deficient (CD) diet tumor promotion regimen-induced alterations in hepatocyte insulin receptors and the cellular ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity have been investigated in this study. Male Sprague-Dawley rats exposed to the tumor-promoting regimen of a CD diet for 10 days showed increases in hepatic ODC activity from 2.68 +/- 0.42 pmol 14CO2/mg protein/h in the animals fed basal control chow (C) to 13.54 +/- 2.38 (P less than 0.02) in the rats fed CD diet. These changes in ODC occur simultaneously with the alterations in hormone receptor binding as reported previously for insulin. Replacement of the lipid present in the control diet with 15% menhaden oil (CMO) had no significant effect on ODC activity (0.91 +/- 0.21), or on the number of insulin receptors (206,000 +/- 37,000) and the Kd (7.4 +/- 1.6). Sequential treatment with 10 days of CD diet and then 10 days of the C diet, resulted in a reversal in the elevated, CD-induced hepatic ODC activity to the control levels; however, substituting 15% menhaden oil for the fat present in the CD diet (CDMO) enhanced this enzymatic activity. In contrast, both sequential and CDMO treatments prevented the insulin receptor alterations induced by the CD diet. These data demonstrate that the CD diet-induced insulin receptor alterations occur concurrently with the induction of ODC activity. But insulin receptor changes and the increased ODC activity are affected differently by CDMO treatment, suggesting that their induction by the CD diet is through distinct mechanisms and only the receptor alterations correspond with the tumor-promoting action of CD diet regimen.

Alterations induced by phenobarbital, a liver tumor promoter, in hepatocyte receptors for insulin and glucagon and glycogen metabolism.

Exposure of rats to phenobarbital (PB), a tumor promoter in the two-stage hepatocarcinogenesis model, in their diet (0.06%) induces alterations in insulin receptors in the hepatocytes. There is a decrease both in the number of receptors and the dissociation constant (Kd) when compared with animals fed control laboratory diet. The number of insulin receptors/cell and the Kd were respectively: 183,000 +/- 19,000 and 15.3 +/- 2.5 nM for controls; 47,000 +/- 5000 and 2.8 +/- 0.3 nM for PB. The glycogen synthesis in response to insulin was found to be unresponsive in the hepatocytes from rats exposed to PB. Glucagon receptors on hepatocytes, however, were unaltered in animals treated with PB or fed a choline-deficient (CD) diet and the glucagon-stimulated glycogenolytic responses were also comparable to the controls. There is, therefore, a selective alteration in the hepatocyte surface membrane receptors. Both PB and CD have been shown to reduce the hepatic cell membrane receptors for epidermal growth factor, indicating that the two different tumor promoters alter peptide receptors with endogenous protein kinase activities. This similar though selective effect of the tumor promoters on cell surface receptors may be of significance in their action in carcinogenesis by having an effect on the alteration of regulation of cell growth and metabolism.

Modulation of epidermal growth factor receptors in rat hepatocytes by two liver tumor-promoting regimens, a choline-deficient and a phenobarbital diet.

The effect of two liver tumor-promoting regimens, a choline-deficient (CD) and a phenobarbital (.06% PB) diet, on the level of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor in rat hepatocytes was examined at 3, 10, and 28 days of feeding. Both diets produced a significant decrease in the number of cell surface receptors at 10 and 28 days of treatment. When PB was included in a CD diet, the decrease in the receptor number was evident even after 3 days feeding of the combined diet. Neither diet alone had any effect on the binding at that time. Along with the changes in the receptor number, the binding affinity of EGF to its receptor was also altered by these diets. Furthermore, PB and PB plus CD diets also decreased the EGF binding at the intracellular sites whereas CD diet showed no effects indicating that the decrease in surface binding of EGF by the promoter-treated hepatocytes was not due to rapid internalization of the receptors. The reduced level of hepatocyte surface EGF receptors represents the common property shared by two diverse types of the liver tumor promoters, and may thus be related to the tumor-promoting ability of these agents.

Free radical injury and liver tumor promotion.

One of the underlying mechanisms of tumor promotion both in the skin and liver involves free radical mediated injury to informational macromolecules of target cells. A choline-deficient (CD) diet, which is an efficient liver tumor promoter, induces peroxidative damage of liver cell membrane lipids. By modifying components of a CD diet, we have shown that the efficacy of the promotion is correlated with the extent of lipid peroxidation. The substitution of fats in a CD diet with predominantly polyunsaturated fat and the addition of methapyrilene to a CD diet enhances membrane lipid peroxidation and the promoting effects. An antioxidant (BHT) and hypolipidemic peroxisome proliferators (BR931 and DEHP) suppress both of these effects. Contrary to these findings, phenobarbital did not induce membrane lipid peroxidation, and its addition to a CD diet inhibited the diet-induced lipid peroxidation, though such a combination exerted a stronger promoting action. Thus, a CD diet and phenobarbital exert their promoting actions through different mechanisms. The consequence of membrane lipid peroxidation in the liver cells induced by a CD diet may be multiple. Our recent study of surface membrane insulin receptors of liver cells of rats fed a CD diet showed a decrease in number and an enhanced binding affinity leading to altered responsiveness of liver cells to insulin mediated glycogen synthesis. It is suggested that CD diet-induced lipid peroxidation leads to functional alterations of membrane receptors involved in cell growth control and may thereby exert its promoting action.

Alterations in hepatocyte insulin receptors in rats fed a choline-deficient diet.

Specific insulin binding and glycogen synthesis were studied in control hepatocytes, hepatocytes from rats fed a choline-deficient (CD) diet for 7 to 14 days, and hepatoma cells induced with a CD diet and DL-ethionine in culture. Both the binding affinity and the number of receptors were affected in hepatocytes by the CD diet. The number of receptor sites was 26,000/cell and the dissociation constant (Kd) for the high affinity binding site was 2.6 nM at 30 degrees C, in contrast to the control values of 205,000 sites/cell and 23.2 nM, respectively. In the hepatoma cells, receptor cell number and Kd were further diminished to 6,400 sites/cell and Kd = 1.1 nM. The basal level of glycogen synthesis in control hepatocytes and in CD hepatocytes was similar; however, the basal rate of glycogen synthesis in hepatoma cells was only 16% of that in the control cells. The glycogen synthesis in hepatoma cells was stimulated by insulin, but at a 3-log higher concentration compared to the control cells. This loss of sensitivity to insulin is consistent with the marked decrease in insulin receptors. CD hepatocytes had a decrease in insulin receptors with a concurrent decrease in Kd (increase in binding affinity), such that, sensitivity to insulin did not differ significantly from that of control hepatocytes. However, the maximal stimulation of glycogen synthesis was only 27% that of the control cells. The changes in receptor number and Kd of hepatocytes from rats fed a CD diet may be due to alterations in cell membrane lipid composition and this alteration may be responsible for the enhanced sensitivity of hepatocytes to chemical carcinogens and for the tumor promoting effect of the diet.

Hormone-induced actin polymerization in rat hepatoma cells and human leucocytes.

Treatment of rat hepatoma cells with insulin, glucagon, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) caused a concentration-dependent decrease in the monomeric actin content as measured by the deoxyribonuclease-I inhibition assay. Similarly, human peripheral blood neutrophils responded with a decrease in monomeric actin content when stimulated with T4, T3 and the adrenergic agonists phenylephrine and isoprenaline. The effect of phenylephrine could be blocked by phentolamine, demonstrating the specificity of the interaction. These observations suggest that hormone-induced actin changes might be an important event in response to both cell-surface-reactive hormones, such as insulin, glucagon and adrenergic agents, and those hormones that act through intracellular receptors, such as thyroid hormones. It is suggested that changes in actin state may have a role in metabolic regulation and cell growth.