Regulation of glucose transporter synthesis in cultured human skin fibroblasts

Abstract

The present study was designed to see the effects of glucose on glucose transporter expression and glucose transport activity using cultured human skin fibroblasts. When the cells were incubated with various concentrations of glucose (11.1–44.4 mM), no differences were found in the HepG2 glucose transporter mRNA, protein levels and basal and insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose uptake. Glucose deprivation, however, resulted in approximately 4-fold increases in the mRNA and 3-fold increases in the protein and the basal 2-deoxyglucose uptake. Chronic exposure to insulin increased the glucose transporter protein levels to similar degrees in the cells incubated with 11.1, 22.2 and 44.4 mM glucose accompanied by increases in the glucose transport activity. Effects of insulin on the glucose transporter mRNA and protein levels, however, were not evident in the glucose-deprived cells. It is concluded that glucose transport activity correlates closely with HepG2 glucose transporter expression in cultured human fibroblasts and that glucose (11.1–44.4 mM) does not affect the glucose transporter expression and glucose transport activity.