Effects of stanniocalcin hormones on rat hepatic glucose homeostasis under fed and fasted conditions.

To test the hypothesis of conservation of stanniocalcin 1 and 2 (STC-1; STC-2) metabolic functions in vertebrates, we performed an in vitro study to determine if these hormones are implicated in regulation of the gluconeogenesis pathway, glycogen synthesis, and 14C-glucose conversion to 14CO2 in livers from fed and fasting rats (Rattus norvegicus). Stc1 and Stc2 gene expressions increased in the liver after fasting. STC-1 participated in the regulation of the hepatic gluconeogenesis pathway in rats when the precursor was 14C-lactate. STC-2 demonstrated variational signaling on rat hepatic gluconeogenesis activity and Pck1 gene expression, decreasing levels in the fed state when the substrate was 14C-alanine and increasing levels during fasting when the substrate was 14C-lactate. At the concentrations used in this study, STC-1 and STC-2 did not affect glycogen concentration and synthesis from 14C-glucose or 14C-glucose conversion to 14CO2 in the livers from fed or fasting rats. These findings highlight the role of stanniocalcins in the hepatic gluconeogenesis pathway in mammals and confirm the conservation of STC-1 and STC-2 metabolic functions in the vertebrates.

Estrus cycle effect on muscle tyrosine kinase activity in bitches.

Estrus cycle is a well recognized cause of insulin resistance in bitches. The insulin receptor (IR) as well as the insulin-like growth factor-I receptor belong to the same subfamily of tyrosine kinase (TK) receptors. The objective of this study was to evaluate basal TK activity in muscle tissue of bitches during the estrus cycle. Twenty-four bitches were used in the study (7 in anestrus, 7 in estrus, and 10 in diestrus). Muscle samples, taken after spaying surgery to determine TK activity, were immediately frozen in liquid nitrogen and then stored at -80°C until the membranes were prepared by sequential centrifugation after being homogenized. TK activity was determined by Poly (Glu 4:Tyr 1) phosphorylation and expressed in cpm/µg of protein. TK activity was significantly lower (P < 0.001) in the animals in estrus (104.5 ± 11.9 cpm/µg of protein) and diestrus (94.5 ± 16.9 cpm/µg of protein) when compared with bitches in anestrus (183.2 ± 39.2 cpm/µg of protein). These results demonstrate, for the first time, lower basal TK activity in the muscle tissue of female dogs during estrus and diestrus, which may represent lower insulin signaling capacity, opening a new field of investigation into the molecular mechanisms of insulin resistance in dogs.