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Rats bred for a high-capacity to run (HCR) do not develop insulin resistance on a high-fat diet (HFD) vs. those bred for a low-capacity for running (LCR). Recently, a link between obesity and insulin resistance has been established via IKKbeta action and IRS-1 Ser (312/307) phosphorylation. This study measured IkappaBalpha and IRS-1 pSer (307) in mixed gastrocnemius muscle in HCR and LCR rats challenged with a 12-wk HFD. HFD treatment resulted in significantly higher glucose and insulin levels in LCR vs. HCR rats. IkappaBalpha levels, an inverse indicator of IKKbeta activity, were lower in LCR vs. HCR rats maintained on chow diet and were reduced further following HFD in LCR rats only. IRS-1 pSer (307) in the LCR rats increased on the HFD vs. chow. We conclude that differences in glucose tolerance between LCR and HCR rats are at least partly explained by differences in IKKbeta activity and pSer (307) levels.

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Females differ remarkably from males in the mechanisms that regulate substrate utilization and energy homeostasis. Females appear to be less affected in terms of growth and loss of body tissues when subjected to chronic periods of negative energy balance. The physiological trade-off appears to be a stronger propensity toward retention of fat mass during times of energy surfeit. The mechanism(s) that account for sex differences in energy metabolism are not known but most likely involve the sex steroids. Recent discoveries in the areas of endocrinology and metabolism may provide new insights into differences in the control of food intake and energy conservation between the sexes. Finally, the study of the mechanism(s) involved in the regulation of skeletal muscle lipid metabolism represents a new frontier in skeletal muscle bioenergetics, and new discoveries may provide further explanations for the observed sex differences in substrate utilization and response(s) to alterations in energy homeostasis.

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The obese Zucker rat is resistant to insulin for glucose disposal, but it is unknown whether this insulin resistance is accompanied by alterations of insulin-mediated muscle protein synthesis. We examined rates of muscle protein synthesis either with or without insulin in lean and obese Zucker rats with the use of a bilateral hindlimb preparation. Additional experiments examined insulin's effect on protein synthesis with or without rapamycin, an inhibitor of protein synthesis. Protein synthesis in red and white gastrocnemius was stimulated by insulin compared with control (no insulin) in obese (n = 10, P<0.05) but not in lean (n = 10, P>0.05) Zucker rats. In white gastrocnemius, rapamycin significantly reduced rates of protein synthesis compared with control in lean (n = 6) and obese (n = 6) rats; however, in red gastrocnemius, the attenuating effect of rapamycin occurred only in obese rats. The addition of insulin to rapamycin resulted in rates of synthesis that were similar to those for rapamycin alone for lean rats and to those for insulin alone (augmented) for obese rats in both tissues. Our results demonstrate that insulin enhances protein synthesis in muscle that is otherwise characterized as insulin resistant. Furthermore, rapamycin inhibits protein synthesis in muscle of obese Zucker rats; however, stimulation of protein synthesis by insulin is not via a rapamycin-sensitive pathway.

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There is good evidence from cell lines and rodents that elevated protein kinase C (PKC) overexpression/activity causes insulin resistance. Therefore, the present study determined the effects of PKC activation/inhibition on insulin-mediated glucose transport in incubated human skeletal muscle and primary adipocytes to discern a potential role for PKC in insulin action. Rectus abdominus muscle strips or adipocytes from obese, insulin-resistant, and insulin-sensitive patients were incubated in vitro under basal and insulin (100 nM)-stimulated conditions in the presence of GF 109203X (GF), a PKC inhibitor, or 12-deoxyphorbol 13-phenylacetate 20-acetate (dPPA), a PKC activator. PKC inhibition had no effect on basal glucose transport. GF increased (P < 0.05) insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose (2-DOG) transport approximately twofold above basal. GF plus insulin also increased (P < 0.05) insulin receptor tyrosine phosphorylation 48% and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) activity approximately 50% (P < 0.05) vs. insulin treatment alone. Similar results for GF on glucose uptake were observed in human primary adipocytes. Further support for the hypothesis that elevated PKC activity is related to insulin resistance comes from the finding that PKC activation by dPPA was associated with a 40% decrease (P < 0.05) in insulin-stimulated 2-DOG transport. Incubation of insulin-sensitive muscles with GF also resulted in enhanced insulin action ( approximately 3-fold above basal). These data demonstrate that certain PKC inhibitors augment insulin-mediated glucose uptake and suggest that PKC may modulate insulin action in human skeletal muscle.

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The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of short-term exercise training on insulin-responsive glucose transporter (GLUT-4) concentration and insulin sensitivity in young and older individuals. Young and older women [22.4 +/- 0.8 (SE) yr, n = 9; and 60.9 +/- 1. 0 yr, n = 10] and men (20.9 +/- 0.9, n = 9; 56.5 +/- 1.9 yr, n = 8), respectively, were studied before and after 7 consecutive days of exercise training (1 h/day, approximately 75% maximal oxygen uptake). The older groups had more adipose tissue, increased central adiposity, and a lower maximal oxygen uptake. Despite these differences, increases in whole body insulin action (insulin sensitivity index, determined with an intravenous glucose tolerance test and minimal-model analysis) with training were similar regardless of age, in both the women and men (mean increase of 2.2 +/- 0.3-fold). This was accompanied by similar relative increases in muscle (vastus lateralis) GLUT-4 protein concentration, irrespective of age (mean increase of 3.1 +/- 0.7-fold). Body mass did not change with training in any of the groups. These data suggest that older human skeletal muscle retains the ability to rapidly increase muscle GLUT-4 and improve insulin action with endurance training.

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The factors that regulate gene expression of uncoupling proteins 2 and 3 (UCP-2 and UCP-3) in skeletal muscle are poorly understood, but both genes are clearly responsive to the metabolic state of the organism. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that denervation and acute and/or chronic exercise (factors that profoundly affect metabolism) would alter UCP-2 and UCP-3 gene expression. For the denervation studies, the sciatic nerve of rat and mouse hindlimb was sectioned in one leg while the contralateral limb served as control. Northern blot analysis revealed that denervation was associated with a 331% increase (P < 0.001) in UCP-3 mRNA and a 200% increase (P < 0. 01) in UCP-2 mRNA levels in rat mixed gastrocnemius (MG) muscle. In contrast, denervation caused a 53% decrease (P < 0.001) in UCP-3 and a 63% increase (P < 0.01) in UCP-2 mRNA levels in mouse MG. After acute exercise (2-h treadmill running), rat UCP-3 mRNA levels were elevated (vs. sedentary control) 252% (P < 0.0001) in white gastrocnemius and 63% (P < 0.05) in red gastrocnemius muscles, whereas UCP-2 levels were unaffected. To a lesser extent, elevations in UCP-3 mRNA (22%; P < 0.01) and UCP-2 mRNA (55%; P < 0.01) levels were observed after acute exercise in the mouse MG. There were no changes in either UCP-2 or UCP-3 mRNA levels after chronic exercise (9 wk of wheel running). These results indicate that acute exercise and denervation regulate gene expression of skeletal muscle UCPs.

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Glucose transport in mammalian skeletal muscle is stimulated by insulin, hypoxia and tyrosine protein phosphatase inhibitors such as vanadate. However, it is unknown whether the vanadate signaling mechanism shares a common or separate pathway with insulin or hypoxia. Therefore, experiments were conducted on incubated human muscle strips to compare the effects of vanadate with insulin and hypoxia stimulated 2-deoxyglucose transport (2-DOG). We also used the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) inhibitor wortmannin to examine whether PI 3-kinase is a common step by which each stimulate glucose transport. Results demonstrate that whereas the effects of vanadate and hypoxia were additive with insulin stimulated glucose transport, the effect of vanadate plus hypoxia was not. In addition, wortmannin significantly (P < 0.05) reduced insulin but not vanadate or hypoxia stimulated 2-DOG transport. Moreover, PI 3-kinase activity was significantly elevated (P < 0.05) in the presence of insulin but not vanadate. In conclusion, these data suggest that vanadate and hypoxia stimulate glucose transport via a similar signaling pathway which is distinct from insulin and that the vanadate signaling pathway is not mediated by PI 3-kinase in human skeletal muscle.

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This study was designed to compare the estimated energy balance, linear growth (body and bone lengths) and body composition (all components including body mass, total body water, fat, protein and ash) response to daily spontaneous running (DSR) in young male and female rats. We tested the hypothesis that due to gender differences in energy efficiency, DSR would reduce linear growth and body composition more in male rats. Fourteen male and sixteen female weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to either a sedentary (SED) control (male 7, female 8) or DSR (male 7, female 8) group. The DSR rats were allowed to run spontaneously in running wheels while SED rats remained in standard rat cages for 9 weeks. Body mass, running distance and food intake were measured over the nine week period. Subsequently, chemical analysis was performed to measure carcass content of water, protein, fat and ash. Linear growth was assessed by measures of body and bone lengths. The estimated energy balance of the DSR rats was computed and compared between genders. Estimated energy balance was significantly more negative in females than males due to significantly greater DSR distance. Body and bone lengths were similar among the SED and DSR female and SED and DSR male rats. However, whole body mass, fat mass and protein mass were significantly lower only in DSR males. These results demonstrate that DSR reduced body mass, body fat and protein mass in male rats but not in female rats despite a more negative estimated energy balance in female rats. These findings suggest that females are better protected from an energy deficit due to DSR. Possible mechanisms include gender-specific hormonal responses.

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Insulin binding to its receptor activates a tyrosine kinase that initiates a cascade of signaling events, the initial step being the tyrosine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1). Subsequent IRS-1 association and activation of phosphatidylinositiol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) is believed to be involved in the events leading to the translocation of glucose transporters (GLUT4) to the plasma membrane resulting in uptake of glucose into the cell. Muscle contractions increase insulin sensitivity, but also stimulate muscle glucose uptake independent of insulin. The contraction signaling pathway is distinct from the insulin pathway because the effect of insulin and contractions on glucose uptake are additive, and contractions do not increase insulin receptor kinase or PI 3-kinase activity. In contrast, studies indicating that contractions cause the translocation of GLUT4 and that both contractions and insulin-stimulated glucose transport can be blocked by calcium channel blockers suggest that the two pathways may converge. However, the possibility that two distinct GLUT4 pools may be targeted, one by insulin the other by contractions, indicates that additional research is needed to better define the mechanisms by which glucose transport is stimulated in muscle.

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Food restriction and/or starvation has a consistently greater and more permanent effect on physical growth in males than in females. Because diabetes may be viewed as being analogous to starvation, we tested the hypothesis that diabetes would reduce growth more in male than in female rats. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin (65-125 mg/kg IP) at 3 weeks of age in 7 female and 10 male Lewis rats. Body weight (BW) and blood glucose (bGlc) were measured over the following 8 weeks. Subsequently, animals were assessed for body (ano-nasal; ANL) and bone length (tibia; TBL) and chemically analyzed for body composition. Results were compared to age-matched controls (male = 11; female = 9). A 2-way factorial analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with body weight as the covariate, was used to test for statistical significance for the effects of gender and diabetes on body composition (fat and protein mass) and linear growth because control males and females had significantly different body weights. There were no significant differences in bGlc between genders. However, males had a greater decrease from controls in BW (-45% vs. -13%), protein (-48% vs. -11%), fat (-89% vs. -65%), TBL (-13% vs. 0%), and ANL (-17% vs. -5%) compared to females. In addition, males had a greater absolute decrease from controls in protein (-40 g vs. -5 g) and fat (-39 g vs. -23 g) mass. These results suggest that male rats are more susceptible than females to the deleterious effects of diabetes on linear growth and body composition.

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Secondary hyperaldosteronism produced by Na+ depletion was associated with increases in salt and fluid absorption in both the small intestine and the distal colon but not in the cecum and the proximal colon. Because these changes had not been documented for the small intestine, this study focused on the regulation of this tissue. Increased NaCl and water absorption was expressed in vitro by increases in short-circuit current and transepithelial potential and in vivo by increased fluid absorption and a decreased luminal content of Na+ and water. For example, the short-circuit current in the ileum of Na+-depleted rats was 2-fold that of adrenalectomized and 1.3-fold that of adrenal-intact control animals. The short-circuit current was inhibitable 24 +/- 14% by micromolar concentrations of amiloride in Na+-deficient animals compared with 1 +/- 3% in control animals. Similarly, ileal fluid absorption in vivo was 2.3-fold higher in Na+-deficient relative to control animals. The additional fluid absorption was sensitive to 50 microM amiloride, whereas amiloride had no effect in control animals. Furthermore, the Na+ content of the chyme from the ileum of Na+-deficient animals was about half that of controls. These results suggest that mineralocorticoids can induce the amiloride-sensitive Na+ transporter in the small intestine and that this type of epithelial salt transport can become a major pathway for salt retention by the small intestine.

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The role of steroids in the regulation of colonic sodium transport was examined by infusing steroids into adrenalectomized (ADX) rats and evaluating the short-circuit current (ISC) in vitro. Amiloride-sensitive ISC was induced by aldosterone and corticosterone with half-maximal doses (ED50) of 2 and 260 micrograms X kg-1 X h-1), respectively. Synthetic glucocorticoids such as methylprednisolone (33 mg/kg) and dexamethasone (ED50 = 30 micrograms X kg-1 X h-1) were also effective. Supramaximal doses of aldosterone (7.5 times ED50) for 24 h increased the total ISC (7-fold), the amiloride-sensitive ISC (366-fold), and the conductance (2-fold), as well as the potassium-stimulated phosphatase activity (2-fold) (reported previously). Compared with aldosterone, supramaximal doses of dexamethasone (4 times ED50) produced greater increases in the total ISC (15-fold) and the amiloride-sensitive ISC (674-fold). In contrast to aldosterone, dexamethasone also increased the amiloride-insensitive ISC (3-fold). Glucocorticoid action was not mediated by insulin since the ISC from diabetic ADX rats was increased by dexamethasone to a similar extent (11-fold) as in nondiabetic rats. Estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone did not stimulate the colonic ISC of ADX rats. The ED50 values of corticosterone and aldosterone, measured in terms of amiloride-sensitive sodium transport, produced serum levels that were slightly above those of unstressed, adrenal-intact animals and thus must be considered physiological. It is concluded that at physiological levels both steroids may mediate amiloride-sensitive sodium transport in the rat colon. However, as judged from changes in serum steroid levels, aldosterone is the physiological regulator of elevated sodium absorption in sodium deficiency.

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