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Krüppel-like factor 15 (KLF15), a member of the Krüppel-like factor family of transcription factors, has been found to play diverse roles in adipocytes in vitro. However, little is known of the function of KLF15 in adipocytes in vivo. We have now found that the expression of KLF15 in adipose tissue is down-regulated in obese mice, and we therefore generated adipose tissue-specific KLF15 transgenic (aP2-KLF15 Tg) mice to investigate the possible contribution of KLF15 to various pathological conditions associated with obesity in vivo. The aP2-KLF15 Tg mice manifest insulin resistance and are resistant to the development of obesity induced by maintenance on a high fat diet. However, they also exhibit improved glucose tolerance as a result of enhanced insulin secretion. Furthermore, this enhancement of insulin secretion was shown to result from down-regulation of the expression of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) in white adipose tissue and a consequent reduced level of oxidative stress. This is supported by the findings that restoration of SCD1 expression in white adipose tissue of aP2-KLF15 Tg mice exhibited increased oxidative stress in white adipose tissue and reduced insulin secretion with hyperglycemia. Our data thus provide an example of cross-talk between white adipose tissue and pancreatic β cells mediated through modulation of oxidative stress.

Atypical protein kinase C (PKC) isotype-specific interacting protein (ASIP) specifically interacts with the atypical protein kinase C isozymes PKClambda and PKCzeta. ASIP and atypical PKC, as well as their Caenorhabditis elegans counterparts (PAR-3 and PKC-3, respectively), are thought to coordinately participate in intracellular signaling that contributes to the maintenance of cellular polarity and to the formation of junctional complexes. The potential role of ASIP in other cellular functions of atypical PKC was investigated by examining the effect of overexpression of ASIP on insulin-induced glucose uptake, previously shown to be mediated through PKClambda, in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. When overexpressed in these cells, which contain PKClambda but not PKCzeta, ASIP was co-immunoprecipitated with endogenous PKClambda but not with PKCepsilon or with Akt. The subcellular localization of PKClambda was also altered in cells overexpressing ASIP. Overexpression of ASIP inhibited insulin stimulation of both glucose uptake and translocation of the glucose transporter GLUT4 to the plasma membrane, but it did not inhibit glucose uptake induced by either growth hormone or hyperosmolarity both of which promote glucose uptake in a PKClambda-independent manner. Moreover, glucose uptake stimulated by a constitutively active mutant of PKClambda, but not that induced by an active form of Akt, was inhibited by ASIP. Insulin-induced activation of PKClambda, but not that of phosphoinositide 3-kinase or Akt, was also inhibited by overexpression of ASIP. These data suggest that overexpression of ASIP inhibits insulin-induced glucose uptake by specifically interfering with signals transmitted through PKClambda.

Both syntaxin4 and VAMP2 are implicated in insulin regulation of glucose transporter-4 (GLUT4) trafficking in adipocytes as target (t) soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNARE) and vesicle (v)-SNARE proteins, respectively, which mediate fusion of GLUT4-containing vesicles with the plasma membrane. Synaptosome-associated 23-kDa protein (SNAP23) is a widely expressed isoform of SNAP25, the principal t-SNARE of neuronal cells, and colocalizes with syntaxin4 in the plasma membrane of 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In the present study, two SNAP23 mutants, SNAP23-ΔC8 (amino acids 1 to 202) and SNAP23-ΔC49 (amino acids 1 to 161), were generated to determine whether SNAP23 is required for insulin-induced translocation of GLUT4 to the plasma membrane in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Wild-type SNAP23 (SNAP23-WT) promoted the interaction between syntaxin4 and VAMP2 both in vitro andin vivo. Although SNAP23-ΔC49 bound to neither syntaxin4 nor VAMP2, the SNAP23-ΔC8 mutant bound to syntaxin4 but not to VAMP2. In addition, although SNAP23-ΔC8 bound to syntaxin4, it did not mediate the interaction between syntaxin4 and VAMP2. Moreover, overexpression of SNAP23-ΔC8 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by adenovirus-mediated gene transfer inhibited insulin-induced translocation of GLUT4 but not that of GLUT1. In contrast, overexpression of neither SNAP23-WT nor SNAP23-ΔC49 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes affected the translocation of GLUT4 or GLUT1. Together, these results demonstrate that SNAP23 contributes to insulin-dependent trafficking of GLUT4 to the plasma membrane in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by mediating the interaction between t-SNARE (syntaxin4) and v-SNARE (VAMP2).

Transcriptional regulation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), the rate-limiting enzyme in hepatic gluconeogenesis, by insulin was investigated with the use of adenovirus vectors encoding various mutant signaling proteins. Insulin inhibited transcription induced by dexamethasone and cAMP of a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene fused with the PEPCK promoter sequence in HL1C cells stably transfected with this construct. A dominant negative mutant of phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase blocked insulin inhibition of transcription of the PEPCK-CAT fusion gene, whereas a constitutively active mutant of PI 3-kinase mimicked the effect of insulin. Although a constitutively active mutant of Akt (protein kinase B) inhibited PEPCK-CAT gene transcription induced by dexamethasone and cAMP, a mutant Akt (Akt-AA) in which the phosphorylation sites targeted by insulin are replaced by alanine did not affect the ability of insulin to inhibit transcription of the fusion gene. Akt-AA almost completely inhibited insulin-induced activation of both endogenous and recombinant Akt in HL1C cells. Furthermore, neither a kinase-defective mutant protein kinase Clambda (PKClambda), which blocked insulin-induced activation of endogenous PKClambda, nor a dominant negative mutant of the small GTPase Rac prevented inhibition of PEPCK-CAT gene transcription by insulin. These data suggest that phosphoinositide 3-kinase is important for insulin-induced inhibition of PEPCK gene transcription and that a downstream effector of phosphoinositide 3-kinase distinct from Akt, PKClambda, and Rac may exist for mediating the effect of insulin.

The roles of Akt (protein kinase B) and the atypical lambda isoform of protein kinase C (PKClambda), both of which act downstream of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, in the activation of glycogen synthase and phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 (PHAS-1) in response to insulin were investigated. A mutant Akt (Akt-AA) in which the phosphorylation sites targeted by growth factors are replaced by alanine was shown to inhibit insulin-induced activation of both Akt and glycogen synthase in L6 myotubes. Expression of a mutant Akt in which Lys179 in the kinase domain was replaced by aspartate also inhibited insulin-induced activation of glycogen synthase but had no effect on insulin activation of endogenous Akt. A kinase-defective mutant of PKClambda (lambdaDeltaNKD), which prevents insulin-induced activation of PKClambda, did not affect the activation of glycogen synthase by insulin. Insulin-induced phosphorylation of 4E-BP1 was inhibited by Akt-AA in Chinese hamster ovary cells. However, lambdaDeltaNKD had no effect on 4E-BP1 phosphorylation induced by insulin. These data suggest that Akt, but not PKClambda, is required for insulin activation of glycogen synthase and for insulin-induced phosphorylation of 4E-BP1.

Insulin induces the translocation of vesicles containing the glucose transporter GLUT4 from an intracellular compartment to the plasma membrane in adipocytes. SNARE proteins have been implicated in the docking and fusion of these vesicles with the cell membrane. The role of Munc18c, previously identified as an n-Sec1/Munc18 homolog in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, in insulin-regulated GLUT4 trafficking has now been investigated in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. In these cells, Munc18c was predominantly associated with syntaxin4, although it bound both syntaxin2 and syntaxin4 to similar extents in vitro. In addition, SNAP-23, an adipocyte homolog of SNAP-25, associated with both syntaxins 2 and 4 in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Overexpression of Munc18c in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by adenovirus-mediated gene transfer resulted in inhibition of insulin-stimulated glucose transport in a virus dose-dependent manner (maximal effect, approximately 50%) as well as in inhibition of sorbitol-induced glucose transport (by approximately 35%), which is mediated by a pathway different from that used by insulin. In contrast, Munc18b, which is also expressed in adipocytes but which did not bind to syntaxin4, had no effect on glucose transport. Furthermore, overexpression of Munc18c resulted in inhibition of insulin-induced translocation of GLUT4, but not of that of GLUT1, to the plasma membrane. These results suggest that Munc18c is involved in the insulin-dependent trafficking of GLUT4 from the intracellular storage compartment to the plasma membrane in 3T3-L1 adipocytes by modulating the formation of a SNARE complex that includes syntaxin4.

SHPS-1 is a receptor-like glycoprotein that undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation and binds SHP-2, an Src homology 2 domain containing protein tyrosine phosphatase, in response to various mitogens. Cell adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin and laminin also induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of SHPS-1 and its association with SHP-2. These responses were markedly reduced in cells overexpressing the Csk kinase or in cells that lack focal adhesion kinase or the Src family kinases Src or Fyn. However, unlike Src, focal adhesion kinase did not catalyze phosphorylation of the cytoplasmic domain of SHPS-1 in vitro. Overexpression of a catalytically inactive SHP-2 markedly inhibited activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase in response to fibronectin stimulation without affecting the extent of tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase or its interaction with the docking protein Grb2. Overexpression of wild-type SHPS-1 did not enhance fibronectin-induced activation of MAP kinase. These results indicate that the binding of integrins to the extracellular matrix induces tyrosine phosphorylation of SHPS-1 and its association with SHP-2, and that such phosphorylation of SHPS-1 requires both focal adhesion kinase and an Src family kinase. In addition to its role in receptor tyrosine kinase-mediated MAP kinase activation, SHP-2 may play an important role, partly through its interaction with SHPS-1, in the activation of MAP kinase in response to the engagement of integrins by the extracellular matrix.

SHPS-1 is a receptor-like protein that undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation and binds SHP-2, an SH2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase, in response to insulin and other mitogens. The overexpression of wild-type SHPS-1, but not of a mutant SHPS-1 in which all four tyrosine residues in its cytoplasmic region were mutated to phenylalanine, markedly enhanced insulin-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase in Chinese hamster ovary cells that overexpress the human insulin receptor. Mutation of each tyrosine residue individually revealed that the major sites of tyrosine phosphorylation of SHPS-1 in response to insulin are Tyr449 and Tyr473. In addition, mutation of either Tyr449 or Tyr473 abolished the insulin-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of SHPS-1 and its association with SHP-2. Surface plasmon resonance analysis showed that glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins containing the NH2-terminal or COOH-terminal SH2 domains of SHP-2 bound preferentially to phosphotyrosyl peptides corresponding to the sequences surrounding Tyr449 or Tyr473, respectively, of SHPS-1. Furthermore, phosphotyrosyl peptides containing Tyr449 or Tyr473 were effective substrates for the phosphatase activity of recombinant SHP-2 in vitro. Together, these results suggest that insulin may induce phosphorylation of SHPS-1 at Tyr449 and Tyr473, to which SHP-2 then binds through its NH2-terminal and COOH-terminal SH2 domains, respectively. SHPS-1 may play a crucial role both in the recruitment of SHP-2 from the cytosol to a site near the plasma membrane and in increasing its catalytic activity, thereby positively regulating the RAS-mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascade in response to insulin.

The proteins eIF-4E BP1 and p70 S6 kinase each undergo an insulin/mitogen-stimulated phosphorylation in situ that is partially inhibited by rapamycin. Previous work has established that the protein known as mTOR/RAFT-1/FRAP is the target through which the rapamycin.FKBP12 complex acts to dephosphorylate/deactivate the p70 S6 kinase; thus, some mTOR mutants that have lost the ability to bind to the rapamycin.FKBP12 complex in vitro can protect the p70 S6 kinase against rapamycin-induced dephosphorylation/deactivation in situ. We show herein that such mTOR mutants also protect eIF-4E BP1 against rapamycin-induced dephosphorylation, and for both p70 S6 kinase and eIF-4E BP1, such protection requires that the rapamycin-resistant mTOR variant retains an active catalytic domain. In contrast, mutants of p70 S6 kinase rendered intrinsically resistant to inhibition by rapamycin in situ are not able to protect coexpressed eIF-4E BP1 from rapamycin-induced dephosphorylation. We conclude that mTOR is an upstream regulator of eIF-4E BP1 as well as the p70 S6 kinase; moreover, these two mTOR targets are regulated in a parallel rather than sequential manner.

Previous studies suggested that the interaction between proteins modified by advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and cells, such as macrophages, may be involved in diabetic angiopathy. Pyrraline is one of the AGEs and known to be elevated in plasma of diabetic rats and humans, and is present in vascular lesions of diabetic and elderly subjects. We examined whether modification of albumin by pyrraline influences its degradation by macrophage-like cell line, P388D1 cells. Degradation of pyrraline-modified albumin by these cells was diminished, causing accumulation of the albumin in these cells. The susceptibility of pyrraline-modified albumin to lysosomal proteolytic enzymes was reduced by approximately 40% in vitro, while lysosomal activity in the cells per se was not affected. This phenomenon was also observed when human monocytes were used instead of P388D1 cells. Our results suggest that accumulation of pyrraline-modified albumin in P388D1 cells is due to the reduced susceptibility of the protein to lysosomal enzymatic degradation. Such alterations in the interaction between AGEs-modified protein and phagocytes may contribute to angiopathy in elderly subjects and patients with diabetes.

SH-PTP2, a non-transmembrane-type protein-tyrosine phosphatase with two Src homology 2 domains, was previously shown to play a positive signaling role in the insulin-induced activation of Ras and mitogen-activated protein kinase. SH-PTP2 was shown to associate with a 115-kDa tyrosine-phosphorylated protein (pp115), as well as with insulin receptor substrate 1, in insulin-stimulated Chinese hamster ovary cells that overexpress human insulin receptors (CHO-IR cells). In vivo and in vitro binding experiments revealed that SH-PTP2 bound to pp115 through one or both of its SH2 domains. The pp115 protein was partially purified from insulin-stimulated CHO-IR cells that overexpress a catalytically inactive SH-PTP2 by a combination of immunoaffinity and lectin-affinity chromatography. A monoclonal antibody to pp115 was then generated by injecting the partially purified protein into mice. Experiments with this monoclonal antibody revealed that pp115 is a transmembrane protein with a domain exposed on the cell surface and that it binds to SH-PTP2 in response to insulin. The insulin receptor kinase appeared to phosphorylate pp115 on tyrosine residues both in vivo and in vitro. The extent of tyrosine phosphorylation of pp115 associated with SH-PTP2 was greatly increased in CHO-IR cells that overexpress catalytically inactive SH-PTP2 compared with that observed in CHO-IR cells overexpressing wild-type SH-PTP2. Furthermore, recombinant SH-PTP2 preferentially dephosphorylated pp115 in vitro, indicating that SH-PTP2 may catalyze the dephosphorylation of phosphotyrosine residues in pp115 after it binds to this protein. These results suggest that pp115 may act as a transmembrane anchor to which SH-PTP2 binds in response to insulin. Furthermore, pp115 may be a physiological substrate for both the insulin receptor kinase and SH-PTP2.

Activation of glycogen synthase is one of the major metabolic events triggered by exposure of cells to insulin. The molecular mechanism by which insulin activates glycogen synthase was investigated. The possible role of Ras and mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade was investigated with a stable cell line, CHO-IR-C/S 46, that overexpresses insulin receptors and a catalytically inactive SH-PTP 2 protein phosphatase and in which insulin does not induce the formation of the Ras-GTP complex or the subsequently activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade. Insulin activated glycogen synthase in this cell line to a similar extent as in parental CHO-IR cells. The importance of heteromeric phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase in insulin activation of glycogen synthase was examined in a stable cell line, CHO- IR/delta p85, that overexpresses insulin receptors and a dominant negative mutant (delta p85) of the 85-kDa subunit of PI 3-kinase that lacks the binding site for the catalytic 110-kDa subunit. Insulin- dependent activation of PI-3 kinase and glucose transport, but not the formation of the Ras-GTP complex, are markedly attenuated in this cell line. In CHO-IR/delta p85 cells, insulin activated glycogen synthase to a similar extent as in parental CHO-IR cells. The failure of overproduction of the mutant (delta p85) protein to inhibit insulin activation of glycogen synthase was also confirmed by transient expression in Rat 1 cells with the use of a recombinant vaccinia virus. However, wortmannin abolished insulin activation of glycogen synthase in all cell lines. These data suggest that existence of a Ras- independent and wortmannin-sensitive pathway for activation of glycogen synthase by insulin.

The activation of receptor tyrosine kinases generates tyrosine-phosphorylated recognition motifs for the binding of signaling proteins containing Src homology 2 domains. We determined the binding sites of Grb2/Ash, an Src homology 2 domain-containing adaptor protein, within epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors, using Chinese hamster ovary cells overexpressing human EGF receptor mutants in which one of the autophosphorylation sites was retained. In intact cells, the amount of Grb2/Ash coimmunoprecipitated with mutant receptors retaining tyrosines 992, 1068, 1086, 1148, or 1173 was approximately 10, 85, 55, 50, or 20% of wild-type levels, respectively. The association of Grb2/Ash with in vitro autophosphorylated EGF receptor mutants was detectable in those retaining either tyrosines 1068 or 1086 but not in other mutants including those retaining tyrosine 1148. In peptide inhibition assay, phosphorylated peptides representing tyrosines 1068 and 1086 inhibited the binding of Grb2/Ash to in vitro autophosphorylated wild-type EGF receptors, whereas the other peptides representing tyrosines 992, 1148, and 1173 failed to inhibit the binding. Given that tyrosine 1148 of the activated EGF receptor is a major binding site of Shc (Okabayashi, Y., Kido, Y., Okutani, T., Sugimoto, Y., Sakaguchi, K., and Kasuga, M. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 18674-18678), these results indicate that tyrosines 1068 and 1086 of activated human EGF receptors are direct high affinity binding sites of Grb2/Ash and that tyrosine 1148 is an indirect binding site through Shc in intact cells.

Autophosphorylation of receptor tyrosine kinases provides binding sites for signaling proteins containing Src homology 2 (SH2) domains. We determined the binding sites of Shc, SH2-containing adaptor protein, within epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors, using Chinese hamster ovary cells overexpressing EGF receptor mutants in which autophosphorylation sites, either alone or in combination, were replaced by phenylalanine. Binding of Shc to EGF receptor mutants lacking single tyrosine residues at 1148 or 1173 decreased by approximately 60 or approximately 15%, respectively, whereas other single point mutants bound the wild-type level of Shc. Binding of Shc markedly decreased in mutants lacking both tyrosine residues at 1148 and 1173. In peptide inhibition assay, phosphorylated nonameric peptide representing tyrosine 1148, DNPDpYQQDF, but not pentameric peptide, pYQQDF, inhibited the binding of glutathione S-transferase-Shc SH2 domain fusion protein to in vitro autophosphorylated EGF receptors, suggesting that N-terminal sequences adjacent to phosphotyrosine are necessary for the association of Shc. Based on results of peptide inhibition assays in which phosphorylated peptides representing tyrosines 992, 1148, and 1173 inhibited Shc binding to the receptor, we constructed another EGF receptor mutant in which one of these tyrosine residues was retained. The amount of Shc bound to mutant receptors retaining tyrosines 1148, 1173, or 992 was approximately 80, approximately 40, or approximately 10% of wild-type level, respectively. These results indicate that tyrosine 1148 of activated human EGF receptors is a major binding site of Shc and tyrosine 1173 is a secondary binding site in intact cells.

We studied a patient with severe insulin resistance and a remarkable decrease in the in vivo autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor. Using a polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism method and direct sequencing, we identified a heterozygous mutation substituting Gln for Arg1131 in the putative "catalytic loop" of the tyrosine kinase domain of the insulin receptor gene. The Gln1131 mutant receptor was expressed by transfection in Chinese hamster ovary cells and compared with cells expressing the wild-type insulin receptor. Both mutant and wild-type receptors were expressed on the cell surface and displayed similar insulin-binding affinity. The Gln1131 mutation impaired the activity of the receptor tyrosine kinase and inhibited the ability of insulin to phosphorylate the endogenous substrate insulin receptor substrate-I. In addition, the Gln1131 mutant receptor exhibited diminished tyrosine-phosphorylated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and myelin basic protein kinase activities compared with the wild-type cells. It also demonstrated a defective mediation of the insulin signal stimulating 2-deoxy-D-glucose transport and thymidine incorporation, resistance to endocytosis, and insulin-induced down-regulation. Unlike a previously described mutation in the putative catalytic loop of the receptor that substituted Glu for Ala1135, the Gln1131 mutation retained proteolytic cleavage of the proreceptor into separate subunits. Our results demonstrate that a naturally occurring mutation (R1131Q) in the putative catalytic loop of the insulin receptor results in severe impairment of the tyrosine kinase function in our patient. In addition, our results indicate that Arg1131 is important for receptor-mediated insulin action in vivo and suggest that the amino acids constituting the catalytic loop of protein kinases may possess different modes in order to retain kinase function.

PTP1C is a non-transmembrane protein-tyrosine phosphatase and contains two Src homology-2 (SH2) domains. Insulin stimulated the tyrosine phosphorylation of PTP1C in human 1M-9 lymphoblast cells, in rat H35 hepatoma cells and in Chinese hamster ovary cells over-expressing both insulin receptors and PTP1C. Insulin also stimulated the tyrosine phosphorylation of a mutant PTP1C lacking SH2 domains in Chinese hamster ovary cells, suggesting that the SH2 domains are not required for insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of PTP1C. The insulin receptor tyrosine kinase catalyzed the tyrosine phosphorylation of PTP1C in a cell-free system. Peptide mapping of phosphorylated PTP1C showed that Tyr538 in the C-terminal region was phosphorylated in response to insulin. The tyrosine phosphorylation of PTP1C by the insulin receptor kinase increased phosphatase activity. Furthermore, PTP1C was shown to bind to autophosphorylated insulin receptors through its C-terminal region, but PTP1C did not bind to unphosphorylated receptors. These results suggest that PTP1C is a target protein for the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase and that the C-terminal region of PTP1C may function both in the regulation of phosphatase activity and in the association of PTP1C with autophosphorylated insulin receptors.

We have examined the phosphorylation of the serine threonine kinase, the product of c-raf proto-oncogene in response to insulin or platelet-derived growth factor in intact cells. Both insulin and platelet-derived growth factor stimulated phosphorylation of the c-raf protein about 2- to 3-fold. The phosphorylation occurred exclusively on serine and threonine residues; phosphotyrosine was not detected. In immune-complex kinase assays, treatment with insulin, and platelet-derived growth factor increased autophosphorylation of the c-raf kinase, suggesting activation of its kinase activity. To investigate whether the phosphorylation of the c-raf protein in intact cells results from an autophosphorylation event or from the phosphorylation by other cellular kinase(s), we replaced lysine 375 in the putative ATP-binding domain of the c-raf protein with alanine using oligonucleotide site-directed mutagenesis and expressed the mutated protein in NIH3T3 cells. The substitution resulted in the inactivation of the serine/threonine-specific autophosphorylation in immune-complex kinase assays. In intact cells, however, although phosphorylation of the mutant protein in response to insulin and platelet-derived growth factor occurred to a lesser extent than that of the wild-type protein, the phosphopeptide maps were indistinguishable. These results suggest that serine threonine phosphorylation might be responsible for the activation of c-raf kinase upon treatment of cells with insulin and platelet-derived growth factor, and most of the phosphate associated with the c-raf protein results from its phosphorylation by as yet uncharacterized cellular serine/threonine kinase(s).

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell transfectants that expressed human insulin receptors whose glycine 996 was substituted by valine were studied. Receptor processing and insulin binding were unaffected by this mutation; however, this mutant insulin receptor had little or no tyrosine kinase activity. Nevertheless, the Val996 mutant exhibited seryl and threonyl phosphorylation in both the basal and insulin-stimulated state in intact cells. This is in contrast to the Lys----Ala1018 tyrosine kinase deficient mutant (Russell, D. S., Gherzi, R., Johnson, E. L., Chou, C-K., and Rosen, O. M. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 11833-11840). Cells expressing the normal human receptor were 10-fold more sensitive to insulin than the untransfected CHO cells with respect to phosphorylation of a cellular substrate (pp 185) on tyrosyl residues, glucose incorporation into glycogen, thymidine incorporation into DNA, and phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6. Cells expressing the mutant receptor exhibited the same insulin sensitivity as the untransfected CHO cells. Insulin was rapidly internalized in cells expressing the normal human receptor and the number of receptors expressed on the cell surface was decreased in response to exposure to insulin. However, little insulin was internalized in cells expressing the mutant receptor, and the number of receptors on the cell surface was not significantly diminished in response to exposure to insulin. It is concluded that despite the occurrence of seryl and threonyl phosphorylations, post-receptor effects of insulin described above are not mediated by the tyrosine kinase-deficient receptor, Val996.

It has been documented that streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats is associated with diminished effects of insulin despite increased insulin binding to its receptor. This paradox led us to examine whether any alterations of insulin receptor-kinase activities occur in this type of insulin resistance. Insulin binding capacity/mg of protein of solubilized, wheat germ agglutinin-purified preparations from livers was increased by 1.8-fold in the streptozotocin (65 mg/kg) diabetic rats. This increase was associated with a parallel increase in receptor protein as measured by an immunoblotting method using anti-insulin receptor antibody. Moreover, no apparent change was observed in the stoichiometry of alpha and beta subunits of the insulin receptor between diabetic and control rats. Insulin-stimulated (10(-7) M) phosphorylation of the beta subunit of the insulin receptor was decreased by 40% in diabetic rats when equal quantities of insulin binding capacity were compared. Phosphorylation of an exogenously added synthetic peptide (similar in sequence to the tyrosine phosphorylation site in pp60src) by the insulin receptor-kinase was also decreased by 25% in diabetic rats. These abnormalities were partially restored by in vivo insulin treatment. These data suggest that diminished insulin receptor autophosphorylation and kinase activity could provide a possible mechanism for the "post-binding insulin resistance" in diabetic rats.

We have examined the effect of tyrosine phosphorylation of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) by the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor kinase on its functions. Incubation of MAP2 with the EGF receptor in the presence of ATP resulted in a great decrease in the ability of MAP2 to promote tubulin polymerization. Under a variety of conditions, the decrease in the ability correlated with the extent of phosphorylation of MAP2. Furthermore, another function of MAP2, the actin filament cross-linking activity, was also inactivated by the incubation of MAP2 with the EGF receptor and ATP. The loss of this activity also correlated well with the extent of phosphorylation. These data indicate that tyrosine phosphorylation of MAP2 by the EGF receptor kinase inactivates both the tubulin polymerizing activity and actin filament cross-linking activity of MAP2. Thus, this study has clearly shown that tyrosine phosphorylation could modify the function of a cytoskeletal protein.

An insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II) receptor was purified from rat chondrosarcoma cells by Triton X-100 solubilization of a 100,000 X g membrane preparation and affinity chromatography on a multiplication-stimulating activity (MSA)-Sepharose column. Analysis of the purified receptor by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis and silver staining showed a major band of Mr = 210,000 (Mr = 250,000 after reduction with dithiothreitol). When 125I-MSA was chemically cross-linked to the purified receptor and analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis (with and without dithiothreitol) and autoradiography, the radioactive bands coincided with the Mr = 210,000 and 250,000 bands identified by silver staining. The purified receptor also appeared to contain an Mr = less than 68,000 species identified by silver staining in addition to the Mr = 250,000 binding component. IGF-I, IGF-II, and MSA-II inhibited binding of 125I-MSA to the purified receptor with the same relative potency as for binding to the intact chondrosarcoma cell (IGF-II greater than MSA-II greater than IGF-I), and insulin did not inhibit binding. The association constant (K alpha) for MSA-II binding to the purified receptor was 2 X 10(9) M-1. The purified receptor bound to concanavalin A-Sepharose and wheat germ lectin-Sepharose columns and was eluted with alpha-methyl-D-mannoside and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, respectively, showing that the receptor is a glycoprotein.

Autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor was studied using a glycoprotein fraction solubilized and purified partially from the rat hepatoma cell line, Fao. Incubation of this receptor preparation with [gamma-32P] ATP, Mn2+, and insulin yielded a single insulin-stimulated phosphoprotein of Mr = 95,000 which corresponds to the beta-subunit of the insulin receptor. At 22 degrees C, incorporation of 32P was half-maximal at 30 s and about 90% complete after 2 min. At steady state, about 200 pmol of 32P were incorporated per mg of protein; this value corresponded to about 2 molecules of phosphate per insulin binding site estimated from Scatchard plots. Insulin increased the Vmax for autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor kinase nearly 20-fold with no effect on the Km for ATP. Mn2+ stimulated autophosphorylation by decreasing the Km of the kinase for ATP, whereas Mg2+ had no effect. Dilution of the insulin receptor over a 10-fold concentration range did not decrease the rate of autophosphorylation suggesting that it may occur by an intramolecular mechanism. When the phosphorylated beta-subunit of the insulin receptor was digested with trypsin, at least 5 phosphopeptides could be separated by high performance liquid chromatography on a mu Bondapak C18 reverse-phase column. Insulin stimulated the phosphorylation of all sites. These phosphate acceptor sites varied in their rate and degree of phosphorylation. Phosphopeptides pp4 and pp5 were phosphorylated very rapidly and reached steady state within 20 s, whereas phosphorylation of pp1 and pp2 required several minutes to reach steady state.

The insulin receptor purified from human placenta by sequential affinity chromatography on wheat germ agglutinin- and insulin-Sepharose to near homogeneity retained tyrosine-specific protein kinase activity. This purified insulin receptor kinase specifically catalyzed the incorporation of 32P from [gamma-32P]ATP into not only the beta-subunit of the insulin receptor but also histone H2B, a synthetic peptide which is sequentially similar to the site of tyrosine phosphorylation in pp60src (a gene product of the Rous sarcoma virus) and antibodies to pp60src present in the sera obtained from three rabbits bearing tumors induced by the Rous sarcoma virus. In each case, phosphorylation occurred exclusively on tyrosine residues. Insulin stimulated phosphorylation of these substrates 3- to 5-fold. Kinetic analysis using the synthetic peptide indicated that insulin acted by increasing the Vmax of peptide phosphorylation from about 3.1 to 9.5 nmol X mg-1 of protein X min-1, whereas the value of the Km for the peptide, about 1.5 mM, was not significantly changed. This kinase acted weakly on casein, alpha-S-casein, actin, and a tyrosine-containing peptide analogue of a serine-containing peptide used commonly as a substrate for the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinases. These data show that the insulin receptor kinase displays specificity toward exogenous substrates similar to the substrate specificity observed for pp60src and the protein kinase activity associated with the receptor for epidermal growth factor. The data suggest that the catalytic sites of these three tyrosine kinases are similar and that insulin activates its receptor kinase by increasing the Vmax.

We have prepared site-specific antibodies toward human insulin, insulin-like growth factor-I, and epidermal growth factor receptors with chemically synthesized peptides derived from the cDNA-predicted amino acid sequences of these receptors. Two classes of antibodies were produced toward each receptor: one toward the carboxyl termini and the other against the kinase domains containing sequences homologous to the tyrosyl phosphorylation site of the product of src gene (pp60v-src). Both classes of antibodies specifically immunoprecipitated the appropriate 125I-ligand-receptor complexes and [35S]methionine-labeled receptors with almost equal potencies. Antibodies toward the kinase domains inhibited both autophosphorylation and tyrosine kinase activity of the corresponding receptors in a cell-free system, whereas antibodies toward the carboxyl termini did not. Microinjection of the kinase-inhibitory antibodies into the cytoplasm of human epidermoid carcinoma KB cells blocked the ability of the corresponding ligand to induce membrane ruffling. In contrast, these inhibitory antibodies did not block the ability of noncorresponding ligands to induce the same response. Furthermore, control immunoglobulin and antibodies toward the carboxyl termini did not block this biological response. These results support a role for the tyrosine-specific protein kinase activities of these growth factor receptors in mediating their biological effects and suggest that the regions homologous to the tyrosyl phosphorylation site of pp60v-src are important for these kinase activities both in cell-free and intact cell systems.

We have previously reported that fodrin (beta subunit), tubulin (alpha subunit) and microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs; MAP2 and tau) are good substrates for the purified insulin receptor kinase (Kadowaki, T., Nishida, E., Kasuga, M., Akiyama, T., Takaku, F., Ishikawa, M., Sakai, H., Kathuria, S., and Fujita-Yamaguchi, Y. (1985) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 127, 493-500 and Kadowaki, T., Fujita-Yamaguchi, Y., Nishida, E., Takaku, F., Akiyama, T., Kathuria, S., Akanuma, Y., and Kasuga, M. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 4016-4020). In this study, to investigate the substrate specificities of tyrosine kinases, we have examined the actions of the purified epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor kinase and Rous sarcoma virus src kinase on purified microfilament- and microtubule-related proteins. Among microfilament-related proteins examined, the purified EGF receptor kinase phosphorylated the beta subunit, but not the alpha subunit, of fodrin on tyrosine residues with a Km below the micromolar range. The fodrin phosphorylation by the EGF receptor kinase was markedly inhibited by F-actin. In contrast, the purified src kinase preferentially phosphorylated the alpha subunit of fodrin on tyrosine residues. Fodrin phosphorylation by the src kinase was not inhibited by F-actin. Among microtubule proteins examined, MAP2 was the best substrate for the EGF receptor kinase. By contrast, src kinase favored phosphorylation of tubulin as compared to MAP2. The peptide mapping of MAP2 phosphorylated by the EGF receptor kinase and by the insulin receptor kinase produced very similar patterns of phosphopeptides, while that of MAP2 phosphorylated by the src kinase gave a distinctly different pattern. When the phosphorylation of the tubulin subunits was examined, the EGF receptor kinase preferred beta subunit to alpha subunit, but the src kinase phosphorylated both alpha and beta subunits to a similar extent. These results, together with our previous results, indicate that the substrate specificities of the EGF receptor kinase and the insulin receptor kinase are very similar, but not identical, while that of the src kinase is distinctly different from that of these growth factor receptor kinases.

Insulin treatment of rat H-35 hepatoma cells causes rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of a high molecular weight protein termed pp185 besides autophosphorylation of the beta-subunit of the insulin receptor (IR) in an intact cell system. To elucidate the molecular basis for tyrosine phosphorylation of pp185, cell-free phosphorylation of pp185 was performed using phosphotyrosine-containing proteins (PYPs) purified from detergent-solubilized cell lysates by immunoprecipitation with anti-phosphotyrosine antibody. After insulin treatment of cells, marked increases of tyrosine phosphorylation of pp185 and IR were observed compared to noninsulin-treated cells. Site-specific antibodies that specifically inactivate IR kinase inhibited tyrosine phosphorylation of pp185 as well as the beta-subunit of IR. PYPs purified from detergent-free cell extracts contained pp185 but little IR; tyrosine phosphorylation of pp185 did not occur. Addition of IR kinase purified from human placenta to these PYPs restored insulin-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of pp185. These results suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation of pp185 is catalyzed directly by IR kinase in this cell-free system.