Increased glucose transport in response to phorbol ester growth factors, and insulin: relationship to phosphorylation of the glucose transporter

The authors have examined the relationship between the increase in glucose transport induced by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), EGF, PDGF, and insulin and the phosphorylation state of the glucose transporter in human fibroblasts. To assay transport, cells were cultured in medium with 10% serum for 5 days and then for 2 days in phosphate-free medium with 5% serum. Exposure to each agonist stimulated transport, as measured by the uptake of 3H-2-deoxyglucose over a 2 min period. Values for maximal percent stimulation, time needed to reach maximal stimulation, and concentration required to achieve half-maximal stimulation were as follows: PMA, 80%, 30 min, 2 nM; EGF, 30%, 10 min, 0.2 nM; Insulin, 45%, 10 min, 17 nM. In the case of PDGF, uptake was stimulated 65% by treatment with 0.7 or 1.4 nM for 20 min. Phosphorylation of the glucose transporter was measured in cells cultured for 5-7 days in medium with 10% serum and exposed to 670 μCi/ml 32P/sub i/ for 100 min. The agonist was then added at a saturating dose for 20 min, and the glucose transporter was immunoprecipitated from cell lysates using a monoclonal antibody. Under these conditions, no basal phosphorylation of the transporter was detected, and only phorbol ester stimulated significant incorporation of phosphate into the transport protein. Experiments are currently in progress to quantitate transporter phosphorylation under conditions identical to those used for the assay of transport. These results suggest that while the transporter is a substrate for protein kinase C in vivo, phosphorylation of the transporter is not required for increased transport in response to growth factors and insulin