Insulin stimulation of glutamine: fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase occurs via an insulin-like growth factor-1 pathway in rat fibroblasts.

The biosynthetic pathway for hexosamine mediates some of the adverse effects of high glucose. The rate limiting enzyme in this pathway is glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFA). Using HPLC, the regulation of GFA activity by glucose and insulin was studied in wild type and rat-1 fibroblasts overexpressing human insulin receptors (HIRcB cells). In wild type cells only maximal doses of insulin (580 ng/ml) resulted in an increase in GFA activity (51.0 +/- 40.6%). In HIRcB cells insulin led to a dose dependent increase in GFA activity that was enhanced when compared to wild type (89 +/- 5% (p<0.001) increase at 580 ng/ml). Insulin's action was glucose dependent and required prolonged serum deprivation. HIRcB's cultured in 0 mM glucose had a 58.2% (p<0.001) decrease in insulin stimulation. However, when present the concentration of glucose (2-20 mM) did not affect insulin stimulation of GFA activity. Most of insulin's effects occur by way of the IGF-1 receptor as a two-fold stimulation of GFA activity was seen with significantly lower doses (10 ng/ml) of IGF-1. We conclude that GFA enzyme activity is upregulated by insulin and this may occur via a IGF-1 receptor mediated pathway.

Consumption and mortality of the white-footed mouse (Rodentia: Muridae) and Ord's kangaroo rat (Rodentia: Heteromyidae) when fed carbaryl-bran grasshopper (Orthoptera) bait.

Two species of wild rodents (Ord's kangaroo rat, Dipodomys ordii Woodhouse, and the white-footed mouse, Peromyscus leucopus Rafinesque) were fed 0, 2, and 20% (AI) by weight concentrations of carbaryl-bran grasshopper bait in the laboratory to determine whether the bait would be consumed, the total quantity of bait consumed within a specified period, whether mortality would occur, and whether bait would be consumed if other foods were readily available. Consumption tests showed that bait ingestion was inversely proportional to concentration. No mortalities occurred at the 0% level, whereas the 2 and 20% concentration treatments resulted in 18.8 and 97.0% mortality, respectively. The apparent repellency of 20% bait indicated that starvation may have caused the deaths. Food preference tests disclosed that D. ordii and P. leucopus preferred natural forage rather than treated and untreated wheat bran in the laboratory.