Skeletal Muscle Glucose Uptake During Exercise: How is it Regulated?

Physiology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 260-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam J. Rose ◽  
Erik A. Richter

The increase in skeletal muscle glucose uptake during exercise results from a coordinated increase in rates of glucose delivery (higher capillary perfusion), surface membrane glucose transport, and intracellular substrate flux through glycolysis. The mechanism behind the movement of GLUT4 to surface membranes and the subsequent increase in transport by muscle contractions is largely unresolved, but it is likely to occur through intracellular signaling involving Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, 5′-AMP-activated protein kinase, and possibly protein kinase C.

2001 ◽  
Vol 280 (5) ◽  
pp. E677-E684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Musi ◽  
Tatsuya Hayashi ◽  
Nobuharu Fujii ◽  
Michael F. Hirshman ◽  
Lee A. Witters ◽  
...  

The AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has been hypothesized to mediate contraction and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide 1-β-d-ribonucleoside (AICAR)-induced increases in glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether treadmill exercise and isolated muscle contractions in rat skeletal muscle increase the activity of the AMPKα1 and AMPKα2 catalytic subunits in a dose-dependent manner and to evaluate the effects of the putative AMPK inhibitors adenine 9-β-d-arabinofuranoside (ara-A), 8-bromo-AMP, and iodotubercidin on AMPK activity and 3- O-methyl-d-glucose (3-MG) uptake. There were dose-dependent increases in AMPKα2 activity and 3-MG uptake in rat epitrochlearis muscles with treadmill running exercise but no effect of exercise on AMPKα1 activity. Tetanic contractions of isolated epitrochlearis muscles in vitro significantly increased the activity of both AMPK isoforms in a dose-dependent manner and at a similar rate compared with increases in 3-MG uptake. In isolated muscles, the putative AMPK inhibitors ara-A, 8-bromo-AMP, and iodotubercidin fully inhibited AICAR-stimulated AMPKα2 activity and 3-MG uptake but had little effect on AMPKα1 activity. In contrast, these compounds had absent or minimal effects on contraction-stimulated AMPKα1 and -α2 activity and 3-MG uptake. Although the AMPKα1 and -α2 isoforms are activated during tetanic muscle contractions in vitro, in fast-glycolytic fibers, the activation of AMPKα2-containing complexes may be more important in regulating exercise-mediated skeletal muscle metabolism in vivo. Development of new compounds will be required to study contraction regulation of AMPK by pharmacological inhibition.


2015 ◽  
Vol 118 (9) ◽  
pp. 1113-1121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yet Hoi Hong ◽  
Tony Frugier ◽  
Xinmei Zhang ◽  
Robyn M. Murphy ◽  
Gordon S. Lynch ◽  
...  

Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) significantly attenuates the increase in skeletal muscle glucose uptake during contraction/exercise, and a greater attenuation is observed in individuals with Type 2 diabetes compared with healthy individuals. Therefore, NO appears to play an important role in mediating muscle glucose uptake during contraction. In this study, we investigated the involvement of neuronal NOSμ (nNOSμ), the main NOS isoform activated during contraction, on skeletal muscle glucose uptake during ex vivo contraction. Extensor digitorum longus muscles were isolated from nNOSμ−/−and nNOSμ+/+mice. Muscles were contracted ex vivo in a temperature-controlled (30°C) organ bath with or without the presence of the NOS inhibitor NG-monomethyl-l-arginine (L-NMMA) and the NOS substrate L-arginine. Glucose uptake was determined by radioactive tracers. Skeletal muscle glucose uptake increased approximately fourfold during contraction in muscles from both nNOSμ−/−and nNOSμ+/+mice. L-NMMA significantly attenuated the increase in muscle glucose uptake during contraction in both genotypes. This attenuation was reversed by L-arginine, suggesting that L-NMMA attenuated the increase in muscle glucose uptake during contraction by inhibiting NOS and not via a nonspecific effect of the inhibitor. Low levels of NOS activity (∼4%) were detected in muscles from nNOSμ−/−mice, and there was no evidence of compensation from other NOS isoform or AMP-activated protein kinase which is also involved in mediating muscle glucose uptake during contraction. These results indicate that NO regulates skeletal muscle glucose uptake during ex vivo contraction independently of nNOSμ.


1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (6) ◽  
pp. E1107-E1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. F. Merrill ◽  
E. J. Kurth ◽  
D. G. Hardie ◽  
W. W. Winder

5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleoside (AICAR) has previously been reported to be taken up into cells and phosphorylated to form ZMP, an analog of 5′-AMP. This study was designed to determine whether AICAR can activate AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in skeletal muscle with consequent phosphorylation of acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), decrease in malonyl-CoA, and increase in fatty acid oxidation. Rat hindlimbs were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit bicarbonate containing 4% bovine serum albumin, washed bovine red blood cells, 200 μU/ml insulin, and 10 mM glucose with or without AICAR (0.5–2.0 mM). Perfusion with medium containing AICAR was found to activate AMPK in skeletal muscle, inactivate ACC, and decrease malonyl-CoA. Hindlimbs perfused with 2 mM AICAR for 45 min exhibited a 2.8-fold increase in fatty acid oxidation and a significant increase in glucose uptake. No difference was observed in oxygen uptake in AICAR vs. control hindlimb. These results provide evidence that decreases in muscle content of malonyl-CoA can increase the rate of fatty acid oxidation.


2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (9) ◽  
pp. E1065-E1076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidemitsu Sakagami ◽  
Yuichi Makino ◽  
Katsutoshi Mizumoto ◽  
Tsubasa Isoe ◽  
Yasutaka Takeda ◽  
...  

Defects in glucose uptake by the skeletal muscle cause diseases linked to metabolic disturbance such as type 2 diabetes. The molecular mechanism determining glucose disposal in the skeletal muscle in response to cellular stimuli including insulin, however, remains largely unknown. The hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is a transcription factor operating in the cellular adaptive response to hypoxic conditions. Recent studies have uncovered pleiotropic actions of HIF-1α in the homeostatic response to various cellular stimuli, including insulin under normoxic conditions. Thus we hypothesized HIF-1α is involved in the regulation of glucose metabolism stimulated by insulin in the skeletal muscle. To this end, we generated C2C12myocytes in which HIF-1α is knocked down by short-hairpin RNA and examined the intracellular signaling cascade and glucose uptake subsequent to insulin stimulation. Knockdown of HIF-1α expression in the skeletal muscle cells resulted in abrogation of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake associated with impaired mobilization of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) to the plasma membrane. Such defect seemed to be caused by reduced phosphorylation of the protein kinase B substrate of 160 kDa (AS160). AS160 phosphorylation and GLUT4 translocation by AMP-activated protein kinase activation were abrogated as well. In addition, expression of the constitutively active mutant of HIF-1α (CA-HIF-1α) or upregulation of endogenous HIF-1α in C2C12cells shows AS160 phosphorylation comparable to the insulin-stimulated level even in the absence of insulin. Accordingly GLUT4 translocation was increased in the cells expressing CA-HIF1α. Taken together, HIF-1α is a determinant for GLUT4-mediated glucose uptake in the skeletal muscle cells thus as a possible target to alleviate impaired glucose metabolism in, e.g., type 2 diabetes.


2006 ◽  
Vol 291 (3) ◽  
pp. E557-E565 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Yu ◽  
Michael F. Hirshman ◽  
Nobuharu Fujii ◽  
Jason M. Pomerleau ◽  
Lauren E. Peter ◽  
...  

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a heterotrimeric complex that works as an energy sensor to integrate nutritional and hormonal signals. The naturally occurring R225Q mutation in the γ3-subunit in pigs is associated with abnormally high glycogen content in skeletal muscle. Becauses skeletal muscle accounts for most of the body's glucose uptake, and γ3 is specifically expressed in skeletal muscle, it is important to understand the underlying mechanism of this mutation in regulating glucose and glycogen metabolism. Using skeletal muscle-specific transgenic mice overexpressing wild type γ3 (WTγ3) and R225Q mutant γ3 (MUTγ3), we show that both WTγ3 and MUTγ3 mice have 1.5- to 2-fold increases in muscle glycogen content. In WTγ3 mice, increased glycogen content was associated with elevated total glycogen synthase activity and reduced glycogen phosphorylase activity, whereas alterations in activities of these enzymes could not explain elevated glycogen in MUTγ3 mice. Basal, 5-aminoimidazole- AICAR- and phenformin-stimulated AMPKα2 isoform-specific activities were decreased only in MUTγ3 mice. Basal rates of 2-DG glucose uptake were decreased in both WTγ3 and MUTγ3 mice. However, AICAR- and phenformin-stimulated 2-DG glucose uptake were blunted only in MUTγ3 mice. In conclusion, expression of either wild type or mutant γ3-subunit of AMPK results in increased glycogen concentrations in muscle, but the mechanisms underlying this alteration appear to be different. Furthermore, mutation of the γ3-subunit is associated with decreases in AMPKα2 isoform-specific activity and impairment in AICAR- and phenformin-stimulated skeletal muscle glucose uptake.


2008 ◽  
Vol 294 (5) ◽  
pp. E889-E897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasuki Higaki ◽  
Toshio Mikami ◽  
Nobuharu Fujii ◽  
Michael F. Hirshman ◽  
Katsuhiro Koyama ◽  
...  

We determined the acute effects of oxidative stress on glucose uptake and intracellular signaling in skeletal muscle by incubating muscles with reactive oxygen species (ROS). Xanthine oxidase (XO) is a superoxide-generating enzyme that increases ROS. Exposure of isolated rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles to Hx/XO (Hx/XO) for 20 min resulted in a dose-dependent increase in glucose uptake. To determine whether the mechanism leading to Hx/XO-stimulated glucose uptake is associated with the production of H2O2, EDL muscles from rats were preincubated with the H2O2 scavenger catalase or the superoxide scavenger superoxide dismutase (SOD) prior to incubation with Hx/XO. Catalase treatment, but not SOD, completely inhibited the increase in Hx/XO-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) uptake, suggesting that H2O2 is an intermediary leading to Hx/XO-stimulated glucose uptake with incubation. Direct H2O2 also resulted in a dose-dependent increase in 2-DG uptake in isolated EDL muscles, and the maximal increase was threefold over basal levels at a concentration of 600 μmol/l H2O2. H2O2-stimulated 2-DG uptake was completely inhibited by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor wortmannin, but not the nitric oxide inhibitor N G-monomethyl-l-arginine. H2O2 stimulated the phosphorylation of Akt Ser473 (7-fold) and Thr308 (2-fold) in isolated EDL muscles. H2O2 at 600 μmol/l had no effect on ATP concentrations and did not increase the activities of either the α1 or α2 catalytic isoforms of AMP-activated protein kinase. These results demonstrate that acute exposure of muscle to ROS is a potent stimulator of skeletal muscle glucose uptake and that this occurs through a PI3K-dependent mechanism.


2013 ◽  
Vol 455 (2) ◽  
pp. e1-e3
Author(s):  
James S. V. Lally ◽  
Gregory R. Steinberg

Skeletal muscle is critical for whole-body glucose homoeostasis. Insulin and muscle contractions induced by exercise can increase glucose uptake through distinct intracellular signalling pathways involving PKB (protein kinase B)/Akt and AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) respectively. Whereas the proximal events governing these processes are becoming well understood, less is known about the regulation of the complex events necessary for the control of glucose uptake at the plasma membrane. In recent years, a number of common targets of AMPK and PKB/Akt have emerged as important components controlling glucose uptake, but the necessary phosphorylation events required for the control of glucose uptake have remained more elusive. In the current issue of the Biochemical Journal, Liu et al. identify that PIKfyve, a phosphoinositide phosphate kinase, is required for contraction-stimulated glucose uptake. They demonstrate that AMPK directly phosphorylates PIKfyve at Ser307, the same site as PKB/Akt, and that phosphorylation is increased in response to muscle contractions. These data provide compelling evidence for a new AMPK substrate that converges with PKB/Akt signalling and may be critical for the control of glucose uptake in skeletal muscle.


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