Glycogen synthase kinase‐3β: homologous regulation of cell surface insulin receptor level via controlling insulin receptor mRNA stability in adrenal chromaffin cells

Abstract

In cultured bovine adrenal chromaffin cells, 48 h-treatment with 20 mmol/L LiCl, 1 mmol/L valproic acid, 30 micromol/L SB216763, 30 micromol/L SB415286, or 100 nmol/L insulin, a condition that inhibits constitutive active glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), decreased cell surface (125)I-insulin binding capacity by approximately 39%, without altering the K(d) value; LiCl, SB216763 or insulin decreased insulin receptor (IR) and IR precursor levels, attenuating insulin-induced Tyr-autophosphorylation of IR. LiCl increased inhibitory Ser9-phosphorylation of GSK-3beta at 6 h, decreasing (125)I-insulin binding at 24 h. SB216763-induced (125)I-insulin binding reduction (IC(50) = 3 micromol/L) was preceded by beta-catenin level increase by SB216763 (EC(50) = 11 micromol/L), a hallmark of GSK-3 inhibition. Insulin-induced rapid (> 1 min) Ser9-phosphorylation of GSK-3beta (Nemoto et al. 2006) was followed by approximately 48% decrease of IR level. LiCl did not stimulate endocytosis, nor proteolysis of IR. LiCl destabilized IR mRNA (t(1/2) = 9.3 vs. 6.5 h), decreasing IR mRNA level by approximately 47%, without altering IR gene transcription. Decreases of (125)I-insulin binding and IR level, as well as increased Ser9-phosphorylation of GSK-3beta were restored to the control levels by washing the test compound-treated cells. Thus, GSK-3beta regulates IR level via controlling IR mRNA stability.