New-onset diabetes mellitus associated with protease inhibitor therapy in an HIV-positive patient: case report and review.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to I G Fantus.
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BACKGROUND: High glucose causes glomerular mesangial growth and increased matrix synthesis contributing to diabetic glomerulopathy. Our purpose was to determine if high glucose alters endothelin-1 (ET-1) or platelet-derived growth factor-B activation of mesangial cell diacylglycerol-sensitive protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms and subsequent stimulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK; p42, p44). METHODS: Rat mesangial cells in primary culture were growth arrested for 48 hours in glucose 5.6 mM (NG) or 30 mM (HG). PKC-alpha, PKC-delta, and PKC-epsilon translocation from the cytosol-to-membrane and cytosol-to-particulate (cytoskeleton, nucleus) cellular fractions were measured by immunoblot using isoform-specific monoclonal antibodies. PKC isoforms were visualized also by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. MAPK activation was measured by immunoblot using phospho-MAPK antibody and by detection of Elk-1 fusion protein phosphorylation following phospho-MAPK immunoprecipitation. RESULTS: In NG, ET-1 stimulated cytosol-to-membrane translocation of PKC-delta and PKC-epsilon but not PKC-alpha. In HG, the pattern of ET-1-stimulated PKC-delta and PKC-epsilon changed to a cytosol-to-particulate distribution, which was confirmed by confocal immunofluorescence imaging. Platelet-derived growth factor-B did not cause translocation of PKC-alpha, PKC-delta, or PKC-epsilon in either NG or HG. In HG, both basal and ET-1-stimulated MAPK activities were increased significantly. In HG, down-regulation of PKC isoforms with phorbol ester prevented the increased stimulation of MAPK by ET-1. CONCLUSION: In HG, the enhanced activation of mesangial cell MAPK by ET-1 is PKC dependent and associated with altered translocation of PKC-delta and PKC-epsilon. Enhanced mesangial cell signaling responsiveness to vasoactive peptides in HG may constitute an important mechanism contributing to diabetic nephropathy.
Recent research suggests that tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) may play an important role in obesity-associated insulin resistance and diabetes. We studied the relationship between TNF alpha and the anthropometric and physiological variables associated with insulin resistance and diabetes in an isolated Native Canadian population with very high rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). A stratified random sample (n = 80) of participants was selected from a population-based survey designed to determine the prevalence of type 2 DM and its associated risk factors. Fasting blood samples for glucose, insulin, triglyceride, leptin, and TNF alpha were collected; a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test was administered, and a second blood sample was drawn after 120 min. Insulin resistance was estimated using the homeostasis assessment (HOMA) model. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP), height, weight, and waist and hip circumferences were determined, and percent body fat was estimated using biological impedance analysis. The relationship between circulating concentrations of TNF alpha and the other variables was assessed using Spearman correlation coefficients, analysis of covariance, and multiple linear regression. The mean TNF alpha concentration was 5.6 pg/mL (SD = 2.18) and ranged from 2.0-12.9 pg/mL, with no difference between men and women (P = 0.67). There were moderate, but statistically significant, correlations between TNF alpha and fasting insulin, HOMA insulin resistance (HOMA IR) waist circumference, fasting triglyceride, and systolic BP (r = 0.23-0.34; all P < 0.05); in all cases, coefficients for females were stronger than those for males. Individuals with normal glucose tolerance had lower log TNF alpha concentrations than those with impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 DM (both P = 0.03, adjusted for age and sex), although differences were not significant after adjustment for HOMA IR (both P > 0.25). Regression analysis indicated that log HOMA IR and log systolic BP were significant independent contributors to variations in log TNF alpha concentration (model r2 = 0.32). We conclude that in this homogeneous Native Canadian population, circulating TNF alpha concentrations are positively correlated with insulin resistance across a spectrum of glucose tolerance. The data suggest a possible role for TNF alpha in the pathophysiology of insulin resistance.
Vanadium compounds have been documented to stimulate a number of insulin biological effects in vitro and in vivo. We previously demonstrated stimulation of glucose transport and insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) binding in rat adipocytes. These actions are associated with translocation of glucose transporters and IGF-II receptors from an intracellular compartment to the plasma membrane. The transferrin receptor is also recruited to the plasma membrane in response to insulin. Freshly isolated rat adipocytes were incubated with vanadate and insulin at 37 degrees C, and after treating the cells with KCN to inhibit further receptor movement, diferric 125I-transferrin binding was assayed. Vanadate stimulated a dose- and time-dependent increase in 125I-transferrin binding, reaching maximum (approximately threefold) stimulation at 1 mmol/L after a 4-hour incubation. This was equivalent to the maximum insulin effect that was obtained with 10(-8) mol/L after 30 minutes. A similar degree of stimulation was achieved with 0.1 mmol/L vanadate after 8 hours of exposure. Dose-response data showed that the apparent sensitivity to vanadate was time-dependent and increased with the duration of exposure (EC50: 30 minutes, 1 mmol/L; 3 hours, 0.35 mmol/L). Scatchard analysis of 125I-transferrin binding showed that both insulin and vanadate increased receptor binding capacity with no effect on receptor affinity. Total cellular transferrin receptor content measured by immunoblotting with monoclonal anti-transferrin receptor antibody (OX-26) was not altered by insulin or vanadate, consistent with receptor translocation. Assessment of 59Fe uptake from 59Fe-labeled diferric transferrin showed that vanadate augmented 59Fe uptake in a dose-dependent manner to an extent similar to insulin, demonstrating the functional activity of the receptors (percent of control: 10(-8) mol/L insulin, 175% +/- 23.8%, P < .02; 0.3 mmol/L vanadate, 188% +/- 17.3%, P < .01). We conclude that vanadate mimics insulin to augment cell surface transferrin receptors and increase Fe uptake in rat adipocytes. The time-dependent apparent increase in sensitivity is consistent with the effectiveness of very low concentrations of vanadate in vivo after several days of administration, and suggests a requirement for vanadate entry into cells to mediate this biological response.
BACKGROUND: Insulin and insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) are important mitogens in vitro and in vivo. It has been hypothesized that these factors may play an important role in the development of breast cancer. METHODS: A case-control study comparing plasma insulin levels in 99 premenopausal women with newly diagnosed node-negative invasive carcinoma of the breast and 99 age-matched controls with incident biopsied non-proliferative breast disease (NP) was conducted. Women with known diabetes were excluded. RESULTS: For the entire study group, mean age was 42.6 +/- 5.1 years and mean weight was 62.9 +/- 10.3 kg. After adjustment for age and weight, elevated insulin levels were significantly associated with breast cancer, Odds Ratio (OR) for women in the highest insulin quintile versus the lowest quintile = 2.83 (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.22-6.58). There were no statistically significant differences between cases and controls for IGF-I and IGFBP-1 levels. However, after adjustment for age, the association between plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) and breast cancer approached statistical significance; OR for highest quintile versus lowest quintile of IGFBP-3 being 2.05 (95% CI, 0.93-4.53). All results were independent of diet and other known risk factors for breast cancer. CONCLUSION: Circulating insulin levels and possibly IGFBP-3 levels are elevated in women with premenopausal breast cancer. This association may reflect an underlying syndrome of insulin resistance that is independent of obesity.
Vanadate and pervanadate (pV) are protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) inhibitors that mimic insulin to stimulate glucose transport. To determine whether phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase is required for vanadate and pV, as it is for insulin, cultured L6 myotubes were treated with vanadate and pV. The two compounds stimulated glucose transport to levels similar to those stimulated by insulin; however, while PI 3-kinase activity and the increase in the lipid products PI 3,4-bisphosphate and PI 3,4,5-trisphosphate were inhibited by wortmannin after stimulation by all three agents--insulin, vanadate, and pV--wortmannin blocked glucose transport stimulated by insulin but not vanadate or pV. Vanadate and pV stimulated the translocation of GLUTs from an intracellular compartment to the plasma membrane; this stimulation was not blocked by wortmannin, but insulin-induced GLUT translocation was inhibited. Similar results were obtained in cultured H9c2 cardiac muscle cells in which wortmannin did not inhibit glucose transport or the vanadate-induced translocation of GLUT4 in c-myc-GLUT4 transfected cells. The ser/thr kinase PKB (Akt/PKB/RAC-PK) is activated by insulin, lies downstream of PI 3-kinase, and has been implicated in signaling of glucose transport. Insulin and pV stimulated PKB activity, and both were inhibited by wortmannin. In contrast, vanadate, at concentrations that maximally stimulated glucose transport, did not significantly increase PKB activity. To determine the potential role of protein kinase C (PKC), L6 cells were incubated chronically with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or acutely with the PKC inhibitors calphostin C and bisindolylmaleimide. There was no inhibition of glucose transport stimulation by insulin, vanadate, or pV, and a combination of wortmannin and PKC inhibitors also failed to block the effect of vanadate and pV. In contrast, disassembly of the actin network with cytochalasin D blocked the stimulation of glucose transport by all three agents. In conclusion, vanadate and pV are able to stimulate glucose transport and GLUT translocation by a mechanism independent of PI 3-kinase and PKC. Similar to that by insulin, glucose transport stimulation by vanadate and pV requires the presence of an intact actin network.
The pathophysiologic importance of insulin resistance in diseases such as obesity and diabetes mellitus has led to great interest in defining the mechanism of insulin action as well as the means to overcome the biochemical defects responsible for the resistance. Vanadium compounds have been discovered to mimic many of the metabolic actions of insulin both in vitro and in vivo and improve glycemic control in human subjects with diabetes mellitus. Apart from its direct insulinmimetic actions, we found that vanadate modulates insulin metabolic effects by enhancing insulin sensitivity and prolonging insulin action. All of these actions appear to be related to protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) inhibition. However, in contrast to its stimulatory effects, vanadate inhibits basal and insulin-stimulated system A amino acid uptake and cell proliferation. The mechanism of these actions also appears to be related to PTP inhibition, consistent with the multiple roles of PTPs in regulating signal transduction. While the precise biochemical pathway of vanadate action is not yet known, it is clearly different from that of insulin in that the insulin receptor and phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase do not seem to be essential for vanadate stimulation of glucose uptake and metabolism. The ability of vanadium compounds to 'bypass' defects in insulin action in diseases characterized by insulin resistance and their apparent preferential metabolic versus mitogenic signaling profile make them attractive as potential pharmacological agents.
BACKGROUND: Pituitary dysfunction caused by intracranial aneurysms is rare. We report a patient with the unique feature of hyperprolactinemia to a degree previously seen only with prolactin-secreting tumours. METHOD: Case report. RESULT: A 42-year-old woman had a galactorrhea, left-sided headache, reduced vision in the left eye and a left temporal hemianopsia. Serum prolactin was elevated (365 micrograms/L). Cranial computed tomography (CT) revealed a suprasellar mass, which carotid angiography showed to be a left internal carotid artery aneurysm. At craniotomy, this aneurysm and a smaller one of the ophthalmic artery were repaired, and the patient's vision returned to normal. The prolactin level fell to normal. Follow-up CT showed no evidence of pituitary adenoma or hypothalamic lesion. CONCLUSIONS: Carotid aneurysm can cause reversible pituitary dysfunction. A prolactin level > 300 micrograms/L is not a reliable cut-off for distinguishing prolactin-secreting adenomas from other causes of elevated prolactin. A co-existing prolactinoma was felt to be ruled out by both a normal CT scan and normal prolactin levels following aneurysm repair. Patients with marked hyperprolactinemia should be considered for angiography or MRI to rule out carotid aneurysm, since the consequences of pituitary exploration in this setting are potentially grave.
The protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) inhibitors vanadate and pervanadate (pV) exert insulin-like biologic effects. In cultured differentiated rat L6 skeletal muscle cells, vanadate and pV stimulated 2-deoxy-D-[3H]glucose uptake in a dose- and time-dependent manner. There was no increase in maximum stimulation by additional insulin. In contrast, whereas insulin stimulated [14C]methylaminoisobutyric acid (MeAIB) uptake, basal uptake was inhibited by vanadate and pV. Insulin-stimulated MeAIB uptake was also inhibited in a dose-dependent manner and completely abolished by 5 mM vanadate or 0.1 mM pV. The inhibitory effect on basal MeAIB uptake was associated with a decrease in transporter affinity and a small decrease in maximum transport capacity, whereas the insulin-stimulated increase in maximum transport capacity was completely inhibited. Inhibition of MeAIB uptake by vanadate and pV was not blocked by cycloheximide, and oubain did not inhibit uptake. Vanadate also inhibited amino acid deprivation-stimulated MeAIB uptake. Insulin-stimulated MeAIB uptake was also inhibited in rat hepatoma cells. Thus vanadate and pV mimic insulin to stimulate glucose uptake but inhibit system A amino acid uptake. The relative inhibitory concentrations of vanadate and pV suggest that the mechanism may involve PTP inhibition.
Vanadate (sodium orthovanadate) is an insulin-mimetic agent and phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitor that has been proposed as a potential therapeutic agent for diabetes. We previously reported that vanadate decreased the number of cell-surface insulin receptors but inhibited receptor degradation in cultured lymphocytes (IM-9) (1). To determine whether vanadate affected receptors without intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity, its effects on LDL and transferrin receptors and their ligands were examined. Vanadate exposure resulted in a dose- and time-dependent decrease in LDL binding to cultured human fibroblasts associated with a decrease in cell surface receptor number while total solubilized cell LDL receptors increased. Vanadate also inhibited the LDL-mediated downregulation of total cellular LDL receptors in the absence and presence of cycloheximide consistent with an inhibition of LDL receptor degradation. In the case of the ligand, vanadate augmented the accumulation of intact 125I-LDL associated with an inhibition of up to 80% of the ability of LDL to decrease cholesterol synthesis. Since these actions were similar to the effects of lysosomotropic agents, we examined the effect of vanadate on intraendosomal pH using the fluorescent probe acridine orange. In contrast with chloroquine and NH4Cl, vanadate did not neutralize the pH of the acidic intracellular compartment. Furthermore, after a transient insulin-like effect, chronic exposure to vanadate diminished 125I-diferric transferrin binding to rat adipocytes. In contrast with the inhibitory action of NH4Cl, intracellular 59Fe uptake remained unaffected and was proportional to cell-surface binding capacity in the presence of vanadate. These data demonstrate a chronic effect of vanadate to promote the accumulation of intracellular receptors and to inhibit ligand and receptor degradation. The latter effect is not mediated by pH changes, appears to be localized to a late endosomal/lysosomal compartment, and suggests a possible role for tyrosine dephosphorylation in the regulation of receptor-ligand degradation.
Insulin binding has been reported to be decreased in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Although elevated basal insulin concentrations have been correlated with decreased insulin binding in obesity, this relationship has not been found in NIDDM. To determine the potential cause(s) of the decrease, we measured 125I-insulin binding to circulating monocytes isolated from 31 non-insulin-treated patients with NIDDM who had a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) concentration greater than 7.8 mmol/L and 13 control subjects. We examined the influence of obesity, insulin concentration, glycemic control, and treatment with oral hypoglycemic agents on insulin binding in a cross-sectional study. Insulin binding was significantly decreased in the entire NIDDM group (mean +/- SEM, %/10(7) monocytes: 4.65 +/- 0.33) as compared with controls (6.45 +/- .70, P < .02). Subgroups defined by obesity (relative body weight > 1.2) and poor glycemic control (FPG > 11.1 mmol/L) and those not taking oral hypoglycemic agents had significantly lower insulin binding (P < .02). However, neither relative body weight nor insulin concentrations (basal or stimulated) correlated with insulin binding. Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that only FPG significantly correlated with insulin binding (r = -.45, P = .002) even when oral hypoglycemic agent-treated patients were removed from the analysis (r = -.50, P = .003). There was no significant contribution to explain insulin binding by the other variables, including diagnosis of diabetes, obesity, insulin concentration, or treatment with oral hypoglycemic agents. We conclude that poor metabolic control is associated with an alteration in insulin receptor regulation in NIDDM.
Many studies suggest that sulfonylureas (SUs) have direct extrapancreatic actions. The action of gliclazide, a new SU, was examined and compared to that of glyburide in L6 myotubes, a model of skeletal muscle. Gliclazide and glyburide increased 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) uptake in a time- and dose-dependent fashion after 24 h to a maximum of 179% and 202% of the basal value, respectively (P < 0.001). Acute (30-min) insulin (10(-7) M) stimulated 2DG uptake to similar levels (203% of basal), but this effect was absent after maximum stimulation by SU. SU action did not require insulin and was not blocked by the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. To investigate the mechanism of stimulation of 2DG uptake, cells were fractionated, and total plasma membrane and internal membrane levels of glucose transporter (GLUT) isoforms were determined by immunoblotting. Both drugs significantly increased the total content (1.7-fold) and plasma membrane level (1.8-fold) of GLUT1, with no change in internal membrane. Total content and plasma membrane levels of GLUT4 and GLUT3 did not change or showed a small decrease. We conclude that the stimulation of glucose uptake in L6 cells by gliclazide and glyburide is associated not with a redistribution but, rather, with an increase in the total membrane content and plasma membrane level of GLUT1, which is independent of protein synthesis. These data suggest a novel action of SU to stabilize GLUT1 protein at the plasma membrane.
Twelve peroxovanadium (pV) compounds, each containing an oxo ligand, one or two peroxo anions, and an ancillary ligand in the inner coordination sphere of V, were synthesized, crystallized, and characterized by 51V NMR as > 95% pure. These compounds activated the insulin receptor kinase (IRK) of cultured hepatoma cells, stimulated lipogenesis in adipocytes, and inhibited the in situ dephosphorylation of autophosphorylated IRs and epidermal growth factor receptors of rat liver endosomes. The phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitory and IRK activating potencies of these compounds were linearly correlated (r = 0.74; p < 0.003), decayed in parallel in solution, and varied considerably with the ancillary ligands within these compounds. In vivo administration activated rat liver IRK in parallel with its tyrosine phosphorylation. Co-administration of insulin plus pV was markedly synergistic in both respects. pV administration significantly decreased circulating insulin and plasma glucose concentrations; the latter to levels seen after a dose of insulin yielding > or = 50% occupancy of IRs in vivo. Two compounds (mpV(pic) and mpV(2,6-pdc)) displayed relative specificity as phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitors by inhibiting IR dephosphorylation to a significantly greater degree than epidermal growth factor receptor dephosphorylation. Thus, pV compounds are the most potent phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitors described to date. Their capacity to activate IRK appears to derive from their phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitory activity. Their hypoglycemic action is due to a direct tissue effect.
Vanadate, a protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, preserves insulin-stimulated lipogenesis after removal of insulin. To investigate the mechanism of this action of vanadate, lipogenesis was studied in isolated rat adipocytes exposed to vanadate for 60 min followed by insulin for 15 min at 37 degrees C. Vanadate (10-50 microM) prolonged insulin-stimulated lipogenesis. The half-time (t1/2) of the decay in insulin (0.34 nM)-stimulated lipogenesis after removal of insulin by washing in pH 7.0 followed by pH 7.6 buffer was 21 min in the absence and 59 min in the presence of vanadate. During these conditions, vanadate did not alter insulin binding nor the removal of insulin by the series of washes. In contrast to lipogenesis, the t1/2 of the decay in insulin receptor tyrosine kinase (IRK) activity, assayed with the artificial substrate Poly[Glu:Tyr] (4:1), was not significantly prolonged by vanadate (6 vs. 6.8 min). However, insulin-stimulated IRK activity was markedly augmented by vanadate to 319 +/- 19% of insulin alone, associated with a similar augmentation of phosphotyrosine incorporation into the insulin receptor beta-subunit determined by Western blotting with antiphosphotyrosine antibodies. To determine the relationship between prolongation of lipogenesis and the increase in IRK, adipocytes were exposed to 17.2 nM insulin to activate the IRK to the same extent as insulin (0.34 nM) plus vanadate (maximum activation). During these two conditions, the decay of lipogenesis was similar and after stimulation with 17.2 nM insulin was not prolonged by vanadate. We conclude that vanadate prolongs insulin action at insulin concentrations that do not maximally activate the IRK by augmenting IRK activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Exposure of cells to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) has been reported to result in resistance to the acute biological effects of insulin and an associated reduction in insulin-receptor tyrosine kinase activity. To investigate the relationship of insulin receptor autophosphorylation with a longer-term action of insulin the effect of PMA on insulin-stimulated receptor down-regulation was examined in cultured human lymphocytes (IM-9). Lymphocytes bound [3H]phorbol dibutyrate specifically with characteristics typical of binding to protein kinase C (PKC). Acute exposure (30 min) to PMA resulted in a transient decrease of insulin binding which is consistent with a decrease in receptor number. Chronic (18 h) exposure to PMA (5 nM) resulted in inhibition of insulin-induced down-regulation of its cognate receptor. Sphingosine, an inhibitor of PKC, or chronic pre-exposure to a high concentration of PMA (1 microM), which is known to inactivate PKC, blocked the effect of PMA. PMA inhibited insulin-stimulated receptor internalization by 26% and receptor degradation by 82%. Exposure of intact cells to PMA followed by insulin treatment inhibited insulin-receptor autophosphorylation subsequently assayed in vitro, as well as beta-subunit tyrosine phosphorylation in situ. In summary, PMA inhibited insulin-stimulated receptor down-regulation via activation of PKC. This was associated with an inhibition of both receptor internalization and receptor degradation. There was a concomitant inhibition of receptor tyrosine autophosphorylation consistent with a requirement of receptor kinase activation for both short-term and long-term biological effects of insulin.
Friedreich's ataxia is associated with a high incidence of diabetes mellitus. We have previously demonstrated that insulin resistance is present in nondiabetic patients with Friedreich's ataxia. This was associated with a reduction in the affinity of insulin receptors on freshly isolated monocytes. In this study we investigated the ability of the monocyte insulin receptor to acutely alter its affinity in response to oral glucose. Glucose and insulin concentrations were higher in the patients with Friedreich's ataxia after an oral glucose load, consistent with the presence of insulin resistance. The normal increase in the affinity of insulin receptors on monocytes 5 h after oral glucose was absent in the five patients with Friedreich's ataxia. Receptor affinity actually decreased in three of the five patients. These findings support the concept that a membrane abnormality that alters the binding function of the insulin receptor is present in these patients.
Multiple and different genetic defects may be associated with the development of diabetes mellitus. Friedreich's ataxia (FA) is an autosomal recessively inherited neurologic disease associated with a high prevalence of diabetes. We previously demonstrated that patients with FA have insulin resistance prior to the development of overt diabetes mellitus. To determine if insulin resistance is an inherited characteristic in this group, we performed oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) on first-degree relatives, 21 parents and 17 siblings, of patients with FA. While fasting concentrations were normal, both glucose and insulin concentrations in response to oral glucose were significantly elevated compared with controls. Corrected insulin responses, CIR = I x 100/G (G-70) (I = insulin, G = glucose), were not different from controls, whereas peripheral insulin activities, A = 10(4)/Ip Gp (p = values of I and G at peak glucose concentration), were significantly decreased (FA, 0.66 +/- 0.11, P less than .001; parents, 0.63 +/- 0.06, P less than .001; siblings, 0.72 +/- 0.09, P less than .01; v controls, 1.52 +/- 0.19), indicating the presence of insulin resistance in patients and first-degree relatives. Multiple discriminant analysis was used to separate patients with FA from controls. The combination of GLUT (sum of glucose values 0 to 3 hours of the OGTT) and CIR achieved significant separation (P less than .0004). Subsequent assignment of the relatives showed that 17 of 18 parents and 11 of 16 siblings (69%) fell in the range of FA, rather than with controls. These data suggest that insulin resistance is an inherited trait in this group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Vanadate has been documented to inhibit tyrosine phosphatase activity and to have insulin-mimetic effects. However, oral administration to hypoinsulinemic diabetic rats in vivo lowers blood glucose at serum concentrations of vanadate that have minimal insulin-like effects in vitro. We, therefore, investigated the effect of low concentrations of vanadate on insulin binding, processing, and action. Preincubation of rat adipocytes for 2 h at 37 C with 10-200 microM vanadate resulted in a dose-dependent increase in [125I]insulin binding at 37 C to a maximum of 45% above the control value. Total cell-associated radioactivity and internalized (acid-resistant) hormone were similarly increased. Binding studies at 15 C in the presence of potassium cyanide revealed that this effect was associated with an increase in insulin receptor affinity. Consistent with these results, vanadate affected binding at 37 C only at low concentrations of insulin. Preloading adipocytes for 8 min with 0.4 ng/ml [125I]insulin revealed that vanadate slowed the rate of release of internalized hormone (50% release; 9.0 min vs. 12.5 min). The proportion of [125I]insulin released in intact form (trichloroacetic acid precipitable) was significantly increased by vanadate up to 15 min. Preincubation of adipocytes with vanadate resulted in an apparent increased sensitivity, with a shift to the left in the dose-response curve of insulin-stimulated lipogenesis (ED50, 0.2 vs. 0.08 ng/ml). Furthermore, vanadate maintained maximum insulin-stimulated lipogenesis after extensive washing to remove insulin. These effects could not be accounted for by the insulin-mimetic effect of vanadate alone. We conclude that 1) low concentrations of vanadate (less than 200 microM) increase insulin receptor affinity and consequent insulin uptake in rat adipocytes; 2) the excess cell-associated insulin exists largely as intact hormone; and 3) the increased binding at low insulin concentrations results in an apparent increase in insulin sensitivity. Vanadate at low concentrations also prolongs insulin action. Whether tyrosine phosphatase inhibition is the basic biochemical mechanism remains to be determined.