title: Amelioration of insulin resistance but not hyperinsulinemia in obese mice overexpressing GLUT4 selectively in skeletal muscle.
abstract: The effects of gold-thioglucose (GTG) treatment were examined in mice overexpressing GLUT4 selectively in skeletal muscle (MLC-GLUT4 mice) and in age-matched controls. Groups of MLC-GLUT4 and control mice were injected with GTG or saline at 5 weeks of age. At 12 weeks following the injections, GTG-treated control mice exhibited a 35% increase in body weight versus saline-treated controls. Similarly, a 30% increase in body weight was observed in GTG-treated MLC-GLUT4 mice compared with saline-treated MLC-GLUT4 mice 12 weeks after the injections. In saline-treated lean MLC-GLUT4 and control mice, intraperitoneal injection of insulin decreased blood glucose in 1 hour by 63% and 38%, respectively. Insulin also decreased blood glucose by 40% in GTG-treated obese MLC-GLUT4 mice after 1 hour. However, insulin did not reduce blood glucose levels in GTG-treated obese control mice. The ability of insulin to clear blood glucose in GTG-treated obese MLC-GLUT4 mice is associated with increased skeletal muscle GLUT4 content and white adipose tissue (WAT) GLUT4 content as compared with GTG-treated obese controls. However, fasting blood glucose levels in GTG-treated obese MLC-GLUT4 and control mice were elevated by approximately 30% compared with saline-treated groups. Lastly, although GTG-treated obese MLC-GLUT4 mice exhibited improved glucose clearance in response to insulin, they nevertheless remained as hyperinsulinemic as GTG-treated obese control mice. These results suggest that genetic overexpression of GLUT4 in skeletal muscle may ameliorate the development of insulin resistance associated with obesity but cannot restore normal glucose and insulin levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Tsao
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pommer
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Charron
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006051:Aurothioglucose / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D051275:Glucose Transporter Type 4; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009124:Muscle Proteins; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009765:Obesity / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019518:Postprandial Period
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D051275:Glucose Transporter Type 4; D007328:Insulin; D009004:Monosaccharide Transport Proteins; D009124:Muscle Proteins; C495693:Slc2a4 protein, mouse; D006051:Aurothioglucose