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D E James

Publications and source records attributed to D E James.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Novel isoform of syntaxin 1 is expressed in mammalian cells.

Syntaxin 1A has been identified previously as a neural-cell-specific, membrane-anchored receptor protein required for docking and fusion of synaptic vesicles with the presynaptic plasma membrane. Syntaxin 1A consists of 288 amino acid residues including a 265-residue N-terminal region exposed to the cytoplasm and a C-terminal hydrophobic stretch of 23 residues believed to anchor syntaxin to the plasma membrane. Using a human fat-cell library we have isolated a novel cDNA clone of syntaxin 1A containing an insert of 91 bp in codon 226. This insert and subsequent frame shift generated a cDNA that codes for a truncated protein of 260 residues without the C-terminal transmembrane domain characteristic of the syntaxin family. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence of the new cDNA clone, termed syntaxin 1C, showed that it was identical for the first 226 residues with the previously described neural syntaxin 1A, and diverged thereafter. The truncated protein lacked the botulinum neurotoxin C cleavage site (Lys253-Ala254), a feature of the syntaxin 1A protein, because of the novel C-terminal domain of 34 residues. The new C-terminal region contained a single cysteine residue and was moderately rich in proline, with three repeats of a PXP motif. The insert occurred within the region encoding the coiled-coil motifs required for interactions with synaptobrevin, alpha-SNAP (SNAP being soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein) and n-Sec1/Munc-18 (n-Sec1 being the rat brain homologue of yeast Sec1p and Munc-18 the mammalian homologue of Caenorhabditis elegans unc-18, but five residues outside the domain previously mapped as being required for binding SNAP-25. Interaction studies in vitro suggested that unlike syntaxin 1A, which binds to both Munc-18a and- 18b, syntaxin 1C binds only to Munc-18b. The new isoform syntaxin 1C, which might be generated by alternative splicing of the syntaxin 1 gene, was expressed in several human tissues, including brain. Immuno-precipitation and immunoblotting with the monoclonal antibody HPC-1 and a polyclonal antibody raised against a peptide corresponding to the unique C-terminal 35 residues of syntaxin 1C failed to detect syntaxin 1C at the protein level in extracts of muscle, fat or brain.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Insulin-regulatable phosphoproteins in 3T3-L1 adipocytes form detergent-insoluble complexes not associated with caveolin.

Whole body glucose homeostasis is dependent on the action of insulin. In muscle and adipose tissues, insulin stimulates glucose uptake by inducing the translocation of vesicles containing the glucose transporter GLUT4 to the cell surface. While the mechanisms of insulin-regulated GLUT4 translocation are not fully understood, some signaling intermediates have been implicated in this process. Interestingly, some of these intermediates, including IRS-1 and PI3K, have been localised to the same intracellular membrane fraction as the GLUT4 storage pool, designated here as the high-speed pellet (HSP) fraction. This raises the possibility that many of the downstream insulin signaling intermediates may be located within close proximity to intracellular GLUT4. The goal of this study was to test this hypothesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. A large proportion of adipocyte phosphoproteins co-fractionated in the HSP fraction. In an attempt to resolve insulin-regulatable phosphoproteins, we subjected 32P-labeled subcellular fractions to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). Insulin reproducibly stimulated the phosphorylation of 12 spots in the HSP fraction. Most of the HSP phosphoproteins were insoluble in the nonionic detergent Triton X-100, whereas integral membrane proteins such as GLUT4 and intracellular caveolin were soluble under the same conditions. These results suggest that insulin-regulatable phosphoproteins in adipocytes may be organized in microdomains within the cell and that this assembly may act as an efficient conductor of the signaling proteins to rapidly facilitate downstream biological responses. Further study is required to establish the molecular basis for these detergent-insoluble signaling complexes.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1997

The glucose transporter GLUT4 and the aminopeptidase vp165 colocalise in tubulo-vesicular elements in adipocytes and cardiomyocytes.

The aminopeptidase vp165 is one of the major polypeptides enriched in GLUT4-containing vesicles immuno-isolated from adipocytes. In the present study we have confirmed and quantified the high degree of colocalisation between GLUT4 and vp165 using double label immuno-electron microscopy on vesicles isolated from adipocytes and heart. The percentage of vp165-containing vesicles that also contained GLUT4 was 91%, 76%, and 86% in rat adipocytes, 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and rat heart, respectively. Internalisation of a transferrin/HRP (Tf/HRP) conjugate by 3T3-L1 adipocytes, followed by diaminobenzidine treatment in intact cells, resulted in ablation of only 41% and 45% of GLUT4 and vp165, respectively, whereas endosomal markers are almost quantitatively ablated. Using immuno-electron microscopy on cryosections it was determined that in atrial cardiomyocytes GLUT4 and vp165 colocalised in a population of tubulo-vesicular (T-V) elements that were often found close to the plasma membrane. Double label immunocytochemistry indicated a high degree of overlap in these T-V elements between GLUT4 and vp165. However, in atrial cardiomyocytes a large proportion of GLUT4 was also present in secretory granules containing atrial natriuretic factor (ANF). In contrast, very little vp165 was detected in ANF granules. These data indicate that GLUT4 and vp165 are colocalised in an intracellular, post-endocytic, tubulo-vesicular compartment in adipocytes and cardiomyocytes suggesting that both proteins are sorted in a similar manner in these cells. However, GLUT4 but not vp165 is additionally localised in the regulated secretory pathway in atrial cardiomyocytes.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1997

Moving GLUT4: the biogenesis and trafficking of GLUT4 storage vesicles.

The GLUT4 system in muscle and fat cells plays an important role in whole-body glucose homeostasis. Insulin stimulates the translocation of GLUT4 from an intracellular storage compartment to the cell surface. The nature of this compartment remains largely unknown. We review recent studies describing the biogenesis and molecular constituents of the GLUT4 storage compartment and conclude that it is segregated from the endosomal and biosynthetic pathways. Further, we present evidence to suggest that the GLUT4 storage compartment moves directly to the plasma membrane in response to insulin and, hence, is analogous to small synaptic vesicles in neurons. We propose that the GLUT4 storage compartment be referred to as GLUT4 storage vesicles or GSVs.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Compartment ablation analysis of the insulin-responsive glucose transporter (GLUT4) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

The translocation of a unique facilitative glucose transporter isoform (GLUT4) from an intracellular site to the plasma membrane accounts for the large insulin-dependent increase in glucose transport observed in muscle and adipose tissue. The intracellular location of GLUT4 in the basal state and the pathway by which it reaches the cell surface upon insulin stimulation are unclear. Here, we have examined the colocalization of GLUT4 with the transferrin receptor, a protein which is known to recycle through the endosomal system. Using an anti-GLUT4 monoclonal antibody we immunoisolated a vesicular fraction from an intracellular membrane fraction of 3T3-L1 adipocytes that contained > 90% of the immunoreactive GLUT4 found in this fraction, but only 40% of the transferrin receptor (TfR). These results suggest only a limited degree of colocalization of these proteins. Using a technique to cross-link and render insoluble ("ablate') intracellular compartments containing the TfR by means of a transferrin-horseradish peroxidase conjugate (Tf-HRP), we further examined the relationship between the endosomal recycling pathway and the intracellular compartment containing GLUT4 in these cells. Incubation of non-stimulated cells with Tf-HRP for 3 h at 37 degrees C resulted in quantitative ablation of the intracellular TfR, GLUT1 and mannose-6-phosphate receptor and a shift in the density of Rab5-positive membranes. In contrast, only 40% of intracellular GLUT4 was ablated under the same conditions. Ablation was specific for the endosomal system as there was no significant ablation of either TGN38 or lgp120, which are markers for the trans Golgi reticulum and lysosomes respectively. Subcellular fractionation analysis revealed that most of the ablated pools of GLUT4 and TfR were found in the intracellular membrane fraction. The extent of ablation of GLUT4 from the intracellular fraction was unchanged in cells which were insulin-stimulated prior to ablation, whereas GLUT1 exhibited increased ablation in insulin-stimulated cells. Pretreatment of adipocytes with okadaic acid, an inhibitor of Type-I and -IIa phosphatases, increased GLUT4 ablation in the presence of insulin, consistent with okadaic acid increasing the internalization of GLUT4 from the plasma membrane under these conditions. Using a combination of subcellular fractionation, vesicle immunoadsorption and compartment ablation using the Tf-HRP conjugate we have been able to resolve overlapping but distinct intracellular distributions of the TfR and GLUT4 in adipocytes. At least three separate compartments were identified: TfR-positive/GLUT4-negative. TfR-negative/GLUT4-positive, and TfR-positive/GLUT4-positive, as defined by the relative abundance of these two markers. We propose that the TfR-negative/GLUT4-positive compartment, which contains approximately 60% of the intracellular GLUT4, represents a specialized intracellular compartment that is withdrawn from the endosomal system. The biosynthesis and characteristics of this compartment may be fundamental to the unique insulin regulation of GLUT4.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1996

The glucose transporter (GLUT-4) and vesicle-associated membrane protein-2 (VAMP-2) are segregated from recycling endosomes in insulin-sensitive cells.

Insulin stimulates glucose transport in adipocytes by translocation of the glucose transporter (GLUT-4) from an intracellular site to the cell surface. We have characterized different synaptobrevin/vesicle-associated membrane protein (VAMP) homologues in adipocytes and studied their intracellular distribution with respect to GLUT-4. VAMP-1, VAMP-2, and cellubrevin cDNAs were isolated from a 3T3-L1 adipocyte expression library. VAMP-2 and cellubrevin were: (a) the most abundant isoforms in adipocytes, (b) detectable in all insulin responsive tissues, (c) translocated to the cell surface in response to insulin, and (d) found in immunoadsorbed GLUT-4 vesicles. To further define their intracellular distribution, 3T3-L1 adipocytes were incubated with a transferrin/HRP conjugate (Tf/HRP) and endosomes ablated following addition of DAB and H2O2. While this resulted in ablation of > 90% of the transferrin receptor (TfR) and cellubrevin found in intracellular membranes, 60% of GLUT-4 and 90% of VAMP-2 was not ablated. Immuno-EM on intracellular vesicles from adipocytes revealed that VAMP-2 was colocalized with GLUT-4, whereas only partial colocalization was observed between GLUT-4 and cellubrevin. These studies show that two different v-SNAREs, cellubrevin and VAMP-2, are partially segregated in different intracellular compartments in adipocytes, implying that they may define separate classes of secretory vesicles in these cells. We conclude that a proportion of GLUT-4 is found in recycling endosomes in nonstimulated adipocytes together with cellubrevin and the transferrin receptor. In addition, GLUT-4 and VAMP-2 are selectively enriched in a postendocytic compartment. Further study is required to elucidate the function of this latter compartment in insulin-responsive cells.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1996

Differential targeting of facilitative glucose transporters in polarized epithelial cells.

We have examined the intracellular localization of five facilitative glucose transporter proteins, one endogenous (GLUT-1) and four exogenous (GLUT-2, -3, -4, and -5), in polarized epithelial cells. GLUT-2, -3, -4, and -5 were stably transfected into Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells, and peptide-specific antibodies were used to establish their distribution by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron-microscopic techniques. GLUT-1 and -2 were predominantly targeted to the basolateral domain of the cell, whereas GLUT-3 and -5 were targeted to the apical plasma membrane. The insulin-regulatable glucose transporter GLUT-4 was found in intracellular tubulovesicular structures beneath the surface of the cell. Vectorial 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake measurements revealed that approximately 95% of glucose entry into wild-type MDCK cells occurs via the basolateral membranes. In GLUT-3-transfected cells, however, apical glucose uptake increased to approximately 55%; this was not observed in cells expressing the other GLUT isoforms. The discrete and differential intracellular localizations of the various GLUTs, in addition to the high level of sequence homology and predicted secondary structure similarity, render the GLUT family ideal for the study of intrinsic targeting motifs involved in the establishment and maintenance of cellular polarity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Requirement for phosphoinositide 3-kinase in insulin-stimulated GLUT4 translocation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Insulin stimulates glucose transport in muscle and fat cells by inducing the redistribution of a specific glucose transporter, GLUT4, from intracellular vesicles to the cell surface. Phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase has been implicated as a key intermediate in insulin-stimulated glucose transport by studies that have examined the effects of wortmannin and LY294002, which are thought to be specific inhibitors of this enzyme. However, the specificity of these compounds for PI 3-kinase has recently been questioned. Epidermal growth factor, which activates mitogen-activated protein kinase in mouse 3T3-L1 adipocytes, has now been shown to have no effect on PI 3-kinase activity or GLUT4 translocation in these cells. Furthermore, microinjection of a dominant negative mutant of the 85-kDa subunit of PI 3-kinase, which lacks a binding site for the catalytic 110-kDa subunit, inhibited GLUT4 translocation induced by insulin in 3T3-L1 adipocytes; microinjection of the wild-type protein had no effect. These observations indicate that PI 3-kinase is necessary for insulin-induced GLUT4 translocation and glucose transport in adipocytes.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1995

Molecular identification of two novel Munc-18 isoforms expressed in non-neuronal tissues.

Munc-18, also known as n-Sec1 or rbSec1, is a syntaxin-binding protein thought to play a role in regulating synaptic vesicle exocytosis. Although a gene family of syntaxins has been identified, only a limited subset bind to Munc-18. This implicates the existence of other mammalian Munc-18 homologues that may be involved in a range of vesicle transport reactions. The purpose of the present study was to identify other members of the Munc-18 family by cDNA cloning. Three distinct Munc-18 isoforms, Munc-18a, previously identified in neuronal tissue, and two novel isoforms, Munc-18b and Munc-18c, were isolated from a 3T3-L1 adipocyte cDNA library by screening with a rat brain Munc-18 DNA probe. Munc-18a is identical to Munc-18 and by Northern analysis is expressed predominantly in brain and to a lesser extent in testis and 3T3-L1 cells. Munc-18b is 62% identical to Munc-18 at the amino acid level and is expressed in testis, intestine, kidney, rat adipose tissue, and 3T3-L1 cells. Munc-18c is 51% identical to Munc-18 and is ubiquitously expressed. It is likely, based on these findings, that unique Munc-18/syntaxin interactions may play an important role in generating a combinatorial mechanism for the regulation of vesicle transport in mammalian cells.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1995

Molecular regulation of GLUT-4 targeting in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Insulin stimulates glucose transport in muscle and adipose tissue by triggering the movement of the glucose transporter GLUT-4 from an intracellular compartment to the cell surface. Fundamental to this process is the intracellular sequestration of GLUT-4 in nonstimulated cells. Two distinct targeting motifs in the amino and carboxy termini of GLUT-4 have been previously identified by expressing chimeras comprised of portions of GLUT-4 and GLUT-1, a transporter isoform that is constitutively targeted to the cell surface, in heterologous cells. These motifs-FQQI in the NH2 terminus and LL in the COOH terminus-resemble endocytic signals that have been described in other proteins. In the present study we have investigated the roles of these motifs in GLUT-4 targeting in insulin-sensitive cells. Epitope-tagged GLUT-4 constructs engineered to differentiate between endogenous and transfected GLUT-4 were stably expressed in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Targeting was assessed in cells incubated in the presence or absence of insulin by subcellular fractionation. The targeting of epitope-tagged GLUT-4 was indistinguishable from endogenous GLUT-4. Mutation of the FQQI motif (F5 to A5) caused GLUT-4 to constitutively accumulate at the cell surface regardless of expression level. Mutation of the dileucine motif (L489L490 to A489A490) caused an increase in cell surface distribution only at higher levels of expression, but the overall cells surface distribution of this mutant was less than that of the amino-terminal mutants. Both NH2- and COOH-terminal mutants retained insulin-dependent movement from an intracellular to a cell surface locale, suggesting that neither of these motifs is involved in the insulin-dependent redistribution of GLUT-4. We conclude that the phenylalanine-based NH2-terminal and the dileucine-based COOH-terminal motifs play important and distinct roles in GLUT-4 targeting in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1994

Insulin stimulation of GLUT-4 translocation: a model for regulated recycling.

Insulin stimulates glucose transport in muscle and fat cells by causing the redistribution of a facilitative glucose transporter, GLUT-4, from an intracellular compartment to the cell surface. But what is this intracellular GLUT-4 compartment? It may be a specialized compartment, perhaps analogous to synaptic vesicles, or may simply be part of the endosomal system. Other constituents of this compartment might be regulators of GLUT-4 movement to the cell surface, and their identification should make it possible to find the link between the insulin signal transduction pathway and GLUT-4 translocation.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

The amino terminus of GLUT4 functions as an internalization motif but not an intracellular retention signal when substituted for the transferrin receptor cytoplasmic domain.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the amino-terminal cytoplasmic domain of GLUT4 contains a phenylalanine-based targeting motif that determines its steady state distribution between the surface and the interior of cells (Piper, R. C., C. Tai, P. Kuleza, S. Pang, D. Warnock, J. Baenziger, J. W. Slot, H. J. Geuze, C. Puri, and D. E. James. 1993. J. Cell Biol. 121:1221). To directly measure the effect that the GLUT4 amino terminus has on internalization and subsequent recycling back to the cell surface, we constructed chimeras in which this sequence was substituted for the amino-terminal cytoplasmic domain of the human transferrin receptor. The chimeras were stably transfected into Chinese hamster ovary cells and their endocytic behavior characterized. The GLUT4-transferrin receptor chimera was recycled back to the cell surface with a rate similar to the transferrin receptor, indicating that the GLUT4 sequence was not promoting intracellular retention of the chimera. The GLUT4-transferrin receptor chimera was internalized at half the rate of the transferrin receptor. Substitution of an alanine for phenylalanine at position 5 slowed internalization of the chimera by twofold, to a level characteristic of bulk membrane internalization. However, substitution of a tyrosine increased the rate of internalization to the level of the transferrin receptor. Neither of these substitutions significantly altered the rate at which the chimeras were recycled back to the cell surface. These results demonstrate that the major function of the GLUT4 amino-terminal domain is to promote the effective internalization of the protein from the cell surface, via a functional phenylalanine-based internalization motif, rather than retention of the transporter within intracellular structures.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1993

Mitogen-activated protein kinase activation is not sufficient for stimulation of glucose transport or glycogen synthase in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

The role of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in the regulation of glucose metabolism has been investigated by comparing the effects of insulin and epidermal growth factor (EGF) on MAP kinase activation, glucose transport, and glycogen synthase in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Insulin or EGF treatment for 5 min increased p42mapk and p44mapk activity to the same extent as determined by myelin basic protein kinase activity measurements and phosphotyrosine immunoblotting. The profiles of myelin basic protein kinase activity following MonoQ chromatography of extracts obtained from cells incubated with insulin or EGF were almost identical. Insulin increased glucose transport and GLUT4 translocation to the cell surface by 15- and 7-fold, respectively. EGF had no significant effect on these processes. Insulin increased the glycogen synthase ratio (-Glc-6-P/+Glc-6-P) by 7.5- and 3.5-fold in the presence and absence of glucose, respectively. EGF increased the ratios by only 2- and 1.3-fold, respectively. EGF did not appear to inhibit downstream of MAP kinase, because when adipocytes were incubated with insulin plus EGF, the stimulation of glucose transport and glycogen synthase was similar to that observed with insulin alone. These findings indicate that activation of the MAP kinase isoforms p42mapk and p44mapk is not sufficient for the activation of glucose transport and glycogen synthase in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

3T3 Cells↗