title: The role of glucose 6-phosphate in the control of glycogen synthase.
abstract: Elevated blood glucose concentrations result in increased intracellular levels of glucose 6-phosphate in liver, skeletal muscle, and adipose tissue. In liver, blood glucose concentrations are the main factor in control of the synthesis of glycogen; insulin has only a potentiating effect. In skeletal muscle and adipocytes, glucose alone has little effect on the activity of glycogen synthase, the limiting enzyme in glycogen synthesis. However, insulin released as a result of elevated blood glucose stimulates the translocation of specific glucose transporters to the cell membrane, increases the uptake of glucose, and causes the covalent, dephosphorylation-mediated activation of glycogen synthase. We present evidence that elevated intracellular contents of glucose 6-phosphate provoke the activation of glycogen synthase in liver, muscle, and adipose tissue. In addition, glucose 6-phosphate may inhibit the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase by cyclic AMP-stimulated protein kinase. We show that the stimulated glucose uptake and phosphorylation appear to play a major role in the control by insulin of the enzymes involved in glycogen synthesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 22908, USA.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Villar-Palasí
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Guinovart
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D019298:Glucose-6-Phosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D006006:Glycogen Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000201:enzymology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009121:Muscle Denervation; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000201:enzymology; D010766:Phosphorylation
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D019298:Glucose-6-Phosphate; D006006:Glycogen Synthase; D005947:Glucose