Cholera and pertussis toxins modify regulation of glucose transport activity in rat adipose cells: evidence for mediation of a cAMP-independent process by G-proteins.

Adenylyl cyclase in rat adipose cells is stimulated by ligands for Rs receptors (e.g. isoproterenol) and inhibited by ligands for Ri receptors (e.g. adenosine). In contrast, Rs receptors mediate inhibition and Ri receptors mediate augmentation of insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity by a process independent of changes in cellular cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity [Kuroda M., Honnor R. C., Cushman S. W., Londos C. and Simpson I. A. (1987) J. biol. Chem. 262, 245-253]. The present study examines the possible role of G-proteins in the regulation of insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity by Rs and Ri receptors. First, conditions were established that permit intoxication of isolated rat adipocytes by cholera and pertussis toxins without compromising cell integrity. Effectiveness of toxin treatment was monitored by examining adenylyl cyclase activity in isolated plasma membranes. Secondly, neither toxin interfered with the ability of a maximal concentration insulin to initiate the glucose transport response. Thirdly, pertussis toxin eliminated the augmenting effects of adenosine on insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity, but enhanced the inhibitory effects of isoproterenol. Findings with ligands for other Ri receptors (nicotinic acid and prostaglandin E2) mirrored those with adenosine. Finally, cholera toxin elicited a modest depression of transport activity, and only in the absence of an Ri ligand (e.g. adenosine). Furthermore, in contrast to the enhanced stimulation of adenylyl cyclase by isoproterenol and GTP, cholera toxin eliminated the inhibitory effect of isoproterenol on transport activity. The augmentative effects of adenosine on transport activity were unchanged. Measurements of (-/+cAMP) cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity ratios reinforce the notion that modulation of glucose transport activity is independent of changes in cAMP. We conclude that regulation of glucose transport activity by Rs and Ri receptors is mediated by the G-proteins, Gs and Gi (or other toxin substrates), respectively. Inasmuch as such regulation occurs at the plasma membrane and appears to be cAMP-independent, it is suggested that glucose transporters may be direct targets for receptor: G-protein interactions.

Insulin-induced dephosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase. Correlation with lipolysis and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity.

The effect of insulin on the state of phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase, cellular cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity and lipolysis was investigated in isolated adipocytes. Increased phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase in response to isoproterenol stimulation was closely paralleled by increased lipolysis. Maximal phosphorylation and lipolysis was obtained when the cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity ratio was greater than or equal to 0.1, and this corresponded to a 50% increase in the state of phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase. Insulin (1 nM) reduced cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity and also reduced lipolysis with both cAMP-dependent and cAMP-independent antilipolytic effects up to an activity ratio of approximately 0.4, above which the antilipolytic effect was lost. Insulin caused a decrease in the state of phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase at all levels of cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity. Under basal conditions, with cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity at a minimum, this reflected a dephosphorylation of the basal phosphorylation site of hormone-sensitive lipase in a manner not mediated by cAMP. When the cAMP-dependent protein kinase was stimulated to phosphorylate the regulatory phosphorylation site of hormone-sensitive lipase, the insulin-induced dephosphorylation occurred both at the basal and regulatory sites. At low levels of cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity ratios (0.05-0.1), dephosphorylation of the regulatory site correlated with reduced cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity, but not at higher activity ratios (greater than 0.1). Stimulation of cells with isoproterenol produced a transient (1-5 min) peak of cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity and of phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase. The state of phosphorylation also showed a transient peak when the protein kinase was maximally and constantly activated. In the presence of raised levels of cellular cAMP, insulin (1 nM) caused a rapid (t1/2 approximately 1 min) dephosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase. In unstimulated cells the reduction in phosphorylation caused by insulin was distinctly slower (t1/2 approximately 5 min). These findings are interpreted to suggest that insulin affects the state of phosphorylation of hormone-sensitive lipase and lipolysis through a cAMP-dependent pathway, involving reduction of cAMP, and through a cAMP-independent pathway, involving activation of a protein phosphatase activity that dephosphorylates both the regulatory and basal phosphorylation sites of hormone-sensitive lipase.

Effects of the tumour promoter okadaic acid on intracellular protein phosphorylation and metabolism.

Okadaic acid is a polyether derivative of 38-carbon fatty acid, and is implicated as the causative agent of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning. It is a potent tumour promoter that is not an activator of protein kinase C, but is a powerful inhibitor of protein phosphatases-1 and -2A (PP1 and PP2A) in vitro. We report here that okadaic acid rapidly stimulates protein phosphorylation in intact cells, and behaves like a specific protein phosphatase inhibitor in a variety of metabolic processes. Our results indicate that PP1 and PP2A are the dominant protein phosphatases acting on a wide range of phosphoproteins in vivo. We also find that okadaic acid mimics the effect of insulin on glucose transport in adipocytes, which suggests that this process is stimulated by a serine/threonine phosphorylation event.

Adenosine effects on hormone-stimulated steroidogenesis in isolated bovine adrenal zona fasciculata cells.

In isolated bovine adrenal zona fasciculata cells, the use of adenosine deaminase to remove endogenous adenosine had no effect on basal or angiotensin II-stimulated steroidogenesis but enhanced ACTH1-24-stimulated steroidogenesis over the entire dose response range without appreciable change in potency of ACTH1-24. 8-Phenyl-theophylline, an adenosine antagonist, mimicked all of the actions of adenosine deaminase. High concentrations (greater than 1 microM) of N6-phenylisopropyl-adenosine (PIA) increased basal, angiotensin II and cyclic AMP-stimulated steroidogenesis, whilst inhibiting the ACTH1-24-stimulated condition. PIA also increased the potency of angiotensin II approx 20-fold. These observations are consistent with the possibility that adenosine exerts effects on two different signalling systems within zona fasciculata cells.

Regulation of insulin-stimulated glucose transport in the isolated rat adipocyte. cAMP-independent effects of lipolytic and antilipolytic agents.

This paper examines the modulation of insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity in rat adipose cells by ligands for receptors (R) that mediate stimulation (Rs; lipolytic) or inhibition (Ri; antilipolytic) of adenylate cyclase. The changes in glucose transport activity and cAMP, as assessed by 3-O-methylglucose uptake and (-/+) cAMP-dependent protein kinase (A-kinase) activity ratios, respectively, were monitored under conditions that maintain steady-state A-kinase activity ratios (Honnor, R. C., Dhillon, G. S., and Londos, C. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 15122-15129). Removal of endogenous adenosine with adenosine deaminase decreased insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity by approximately 30%, which was prevented or restored with Ri agonists such as phenylisopropyladenosine, nicotinic acid, and prostaglandin E1. These changes in transport activity were not accompanied by changes in A-kinase activity ratios, indicating that Ri-mediated effects on transport are independent of cAMP changes. Addition of an Rs ligand, isoproterenol, in the presence of adenosine increased kinase activity but did not change glucose transport activity. Conversely, upon removal of adenosine, addition of Rs ligands such as isoproterenol, adrenocorticotropic hormone, or glucagon strongly inhibited transport (approximately 50%) and stimulated kinase activity. However, subsequent addition of phenylisopropyladenosine nearly restored transport activity without alteration of A-kinase activity. These data and additional kinetic experiments suggest that Rs-mediated glucose transport modulations are also independent of cAMP. The interchangeability of ligands for both Rs and Ri receptors in modulating transport activity suggests that these cAMP-independent effects are mediated by the stimulatory (Ns) and inhibitory (Ni) guanyl nucleotide-binding regulatory proteins of adenylate cyclase. All Rs-and Ri-induced changes in transport activity occurred without a change in glucose transporter distribution, as assessed by D-glucose-inhibitable cytochalasin B binding, suggesting that Rs and Ri ligands modulate the intrinsic activity of the glucose transporter present in the plasma membrane.

cAMP-dependent protein kinase and lipolysis in rat adipocytes. I. Cell preparation, manipulation, and predictability in behavior.

With the use of -cAMP/+cAMP activity ratios of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (A-kinase) in fat cell extracts as an index of cellular cAMP concentrations, it is apparent from both the current literature and from data presented in this paper that classical cell isolation procedures yield cells whose behavior is unpredictable from day to day. Herein, procedures are described for isolating adipocytes, preparing cytosolic extracts, and assaying A-kinase that result in kinase activity ratios in isolated cells equal to those in the fat pad from which cells are derived, approximately 0.05. An important modification in the procedure is the inclusion of 200 nM exogenous Ado in all cell manipulation media, and the data indicate that variable removal of contaminating endogenous Ado accounts for unpredictable results with standard cell isolation techniques. A further benefit of Ado inclusion is greatly reduced cell lysis. Acute removal of Ado with adenosine deaminase results in rapid elevation of A-kinase activity ratios and lipolysis which, in fasted animals, equals that achieved with lipolytic hormones. Cells from fed animals exhibit poor predictability in behavior. Moreover, A-kinase activity ratios exhibit seasonal tendencies in response to Ado removal, with cells isolated in spring being more activated than cells isolated later in the year. The information and procedures in this paper form the basis for succeeding papers on the regulation of adipocyte metabolism by hormones.

cAMP-dependent protein kinase and lipolysis in rat adipocytes. III. Multiple modes of insulin regulation of lipolysis and regulation of insulin responses by adenylate cyclase regulators.

The relationship between cAMP-dependent protein kinase (A-kinase) activity ratios and lipolysis in the presence of insulin was compared to the standard relationship between these two parameters established with a variety of adenylate cyclase modulators (Honnor, R. C., Dhillon, G., and Londos, C. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 15130-15138). Three phases of insulin action were observed. First, when tested in control cells exhibiting A-kinase activity ratios up to approximately 0.25, insulin inhibition of lipolysis could be accounted for by the decrease in A-kinase activity. Second, in cells exhibiting A-kinase activity ratios greater than 0.3, the decrease in kinase activity by insulin did not account for the decrease in lipolysis. Finally, as the A-kinase activity ratio approached 0.6 the insulin effect on lipolysis was lost. The data suggest that protein phosphatase activation accounts for the cAMP-independent insulin action. Moreover, the insulin effect not accounted for by a decrease in A-kinase activity appears to be elicited only upon elevation of A-kinase activity. The method by which cells were stimulated determined the IC50 for insulin inhibition of: 1) A-kinase activity ratios, 2) lipolysis explained by the decrease in A-kinase activity ratios, and 3) lipolysis not explained by a decrease in A-kinase activity ratios. For all three parameters, cells stimulated by lipolytic hormones were approximately 5 times more sensitive to insulin than cells stimulated by incubation in a ligand-free environment achieved with adenosine deaminase; insulin IC50 values were approximately 120 and 600 pM, respectively. Such data establish a link between insulin actions in modifying cAMP concentrations and in modifying events apparently independent of changes in cAMP. It is proposed that the receptors and regulatory components associated with adipocyte adenylate cyclase are associated also with components of the insulin response system separate from cyclase.

cAMP-dependent protein kinase and lipolysis in rat adipocytes. II. Definition of steady-state relationship with lipolytic and antilipolytic modulators.

The steady-state relationship between the activation state of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (A-kinase) and lipolysis has been defined quantitatively. A-kinase activation was assessed by measuring the ( +/- cAMP) activity ratio in adipocyte extracts, and lipolysis was determined by measuring glycerol release from cells. Both processes were stimulated either by incubating cells in a ligand-free environment achieved with adenosine deaminase or by addition of lipolytic hormones. A response spectrum was obtained with a variety of adenylate cyclase stimulators and inhibitors, both receptor- and nonreceptor-mediated. Regardless of the ligands used to manipulate adipocyte activity, lipolysis varied from nil to maximal as the A-kinase activity ratio varied from approximately 0.05 to 0.3-0.35. These data provide a quantitative description of the steady-state relationship between A-kinase activity and lipolysis and indicate that the various lipolytic and antilipolytic agents tested act on the lipolytic process exclusively by altering adenylate cyclase activity and, thus, cellular cAMP concentrations. The data reveal also that transient "peaking" of cAMP, as measured by A-kinase activity ratios, is not an inherent feature of adipocyte metabolism. Moreover, the concentration requirements for lipolytic hormone action are critically dependent on the ambient concentration of antilipolytic agents, and t concentration requirements for antilipolytic agents are dependent on the extent to which cells are stimulated. The data in this paper provide the basis for assessing the relationship between A-kinase activity ratio and lipolysis in the presence of insulin (Londos, C., Honnor, R. C., and Dhillon, G. S. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 15139-15145).

Altered lipolytic response to glucagon and adenosine deaminase in adipocytes from starved rats.

1. Adipocytes isolated from epididymal adipose tissue of fed or 24 h-starved rats were incubated with a range of glucagon concentrations in the presence and absence of adenosine deaminase (4 munits/ml). 2. With adenosine deaminase present, the lipolytic response to low concentrations of glucagon (1-6 ng/ml) was considerably enhanced in cells from starved rats. 3. The effect of adenosine deaminase on basal lipolysis was altered after starvation. 4. D-3-Hydroxybutyrate (5 mM) decreased the sensitivity of lipolysis to glucagon. 5. The possible involvement of glucagon-stimulated lipolysis in the regulation of ketogenesis is briefly discussed.