125I-insulin Binding Research Articles

Analyses of RBC insulin receptor bindings in chronic liver disease.

125I-insulin binding to erythrocytes was measured to evaluate the role of insulin receptors in the mechanism of insulin resistance in partients with chronic liver disease (CLD). Patients with CLD were divided into two groups by the fasting plasma glucose level (FBS) and the glucose disappearance rate (k-glucose) during intravenous glucose tolerance tests: one with normal FBS and normal k-glucose (group I), and the other with higher FBS and lower k-glucose (group II). Insulin receptor bindings were reduced in group I patients compared with those of normal controls, but were not reduced in group II patients. Fasting insulin levels were significantly higher in group I patients than those in normal subjects, and down-regulation by hyperinsulinemia might be the cause of reduced insulin receptor bindings in these patients. However down-regulation of insulin receptors was not associated with glucose intolerance. So it is suggested that insulin resistance in CLD is not due to a primary defect of insulin receptors in peripheral tissues, and down-regulation of insulin receptors is an epiphenomenon of hyperinsulinemia.

Effects of anti-insulin antibody on insulin binding to liver membranes: evidence against antibody-induced enhancement of insulin binding to the insulin receptor.

In the presence of anti-insulin antibody, 2-to 3-fold enhancement of 125I-insulin binding to liver membranes was observed when binding was estimated by the radioactivity of 125I-insulin bound to the membrane pellets. However, after 125I-insulin was covalently cross-linked to liver membranes using disuccinimidyl suberate in the presence of anti-insulin antibody, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography showed that 125I-insulin bound to the alpha-subunit of the insulin receptor was inhibited by anti-insulin insulin antibody in an dose-dependent manner. More importantly, at an anti-insulin antibody dilution range between 1:50 and 1:5,000, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed two 125I-labelled bands of mol wt 62,000 and 27,000, while only one band of mol wt 130,000 was revealed in the absence of anti-insulin antibody. These Mr = 62,000 and Mr = 27,000 bands were found to be the heavy and the light chain of anti-insulin IgG molecules respectively. Pepsin digested anti-insulin serum had only an inhibitory effect on 125I-insulin binding to liver membranes. Non-immunized guinea pig serum or IgG completely abolished the enhanced effect of anti-insulin antibody. Further, this enhanced effect was inhibited by Fc fragment-specific anti-IgG serum or H&L-chain-specific anti-IgG serum in a dose-dependent manner. Protein A also inhibited the effect of anti-insulin antibody. In IM-9 lymphocytes and human red blood cell ghosts, which have no Fc gamma receptors, enhancement of insulin binding was not observed in the presence of anti-insulin antibody.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Insulin receptors in lizard brain and liver: structural and functional studies of alpha and beta subunits demonstrate evolutionary conservation.

Specific insulin receptors are present in the liver and brain of the lizard Anolis carolinesis. In this study, the specific binding of 125I-insulin to the receptors showed time, temperature and pH dependency. Specific binding to crude membranes prepared from brain was 1-2% of the total radioactivity added compared to 4-5% in the crude membranes prepared from liver. Solubilization and wheat germ agglutinin purification of the membranes resulted in an increase in the specific binding (per mg of protein) between 6 and 32 times for liver membranes and 13-186 for brain membranes. Binding inhibition of tracer insulin by unlabeled porcine insulin was characteristic for insulin receptors with 50% inhibition for liver crude membranes at 60 ng/ml of porcine insulin and 0.7 ng/ml for purified brain insulin receptors. Chicken insulin was 2- to 3-fold more potent and proinsulin about 100 times less potent than porcine insulin. The alpha-subunits of liver and brain had apparent molecular weights on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of 135 kDa and 120 kDa respectively. Apparent molecular weights of beta subunits were 92 kDa for both tissues. Insulin stimulated phosphorylation of the beta subunit of both brain and liver receptors. Both tissues demonstrated tyrosine-specific phosphorylation, which was stimulated by insulin, of exogenously added artificial substrates. In addition, purified brain insulin receptor preparations contained an endogenous protein with apparent molecular weight of 105 kDa, whose phosphorylation was stimulated by insulin (10(-7) mol/l). This phosphoprotein was not immunoprecipitated by anti-insulin receptor antibodies. These studies suggest that the structural differences between brain and liver receptors previously demonstrated in the rat are also present in the lizard, which is about 300,000,000 years older than the mammalian species. Thus, there is strong evolutionary conservation of the brain insulin receptor.

Insulin activation of glycogen synthase in cultured human fibroblasts is not mediated solely via the insulin receptor.

Insulin binds to its specific cell surface receptor in cultured human fibroblasts and also stimulates the conversion of glycogen synthase from the glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P) dependent to the G-6-P independent form. Although these two processes are tightly coupled in most target tissues for insulin action, in the fibroblast a variety of findings question the relationship of these two events to one another. In human fibroblasts the amount of insulin required to displace half of the 125I-insulin bound to the insulin receptor is 4 ng/ml (6.6 X 10(-10)M), but the activation of glycogen synthase is not maximal until 1-10 micrograms/ml with an ED50 of 30 ng/ml insulin. Antibodies directed against the insulin receptor, which activate glycogen synthase in both fat and muscle, do not stimulate the activation of glycogen synthase in the fibroblast. Fab fragments from anti-insulin receptor antibody compete for insulin binding, but do not inhibit the insulin-stimulated rise in independent activity. The insulin-like growth factor, MSA, which is 1% as potent as insulin in stimulating glucose oxidation in rat fat cells and in inhibiting 125I-insulin binding to human fibroblasts, is 25% as potent as insulin in stimulating glycogen synthase. Proinsulin is 2-10% as potent as insulin, but behaves as a "partial agonist" of insulin action in the fibroblast, i.e. proinsulin is able to elicit only 60% of the maximal response of insulin in the glycogen synthase assay, even at high concentrations. Finally, cell lines from patients with clearly defective insulin receptors exhibit normal insulin dose response curves for the activation of glycogen synthase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Monoclonal antibodies reacting with multiple epitopes on the human insulin receptor

Monoclonal antibodies for the human insulin receptor were produced following immunization of mice with IM-9 lymphocytes and/or purified placental receptor. Four separate fusions yielded 28 antibodies, all of which reacted with receptor from human placenta, liver and IM-9 cells. Some antibodies cross-reacted to varying degrees with receptor from rabbit, cow, pig and sheep, but none reacted with rat receptor. At least 10 distinct epitopes were recognized as indicated by species specificity and binding competition experiments. All of these epitopes appeared to be on extracellular domains of the receptor as shown by binding of antibodies to intact cells. In some cases the epitopes were further localized to alpha or beta subunits by immunoblotting. Several antibodies inhibited binding of 125I-insulin to the receptor, some had no effect on binding, and others enhanced the binding of 125I-insulin. It is concluded that these antibodies will be valuable probes of receptor structure and function.

Stabilization of insulin receptor subunit structure by glutathione-insulin transhydrogenase

A partially purified insulin receptor preparation from rat liver was incubated at 37°C with and without the protein-disulfide interchange enzyme, glutathione-insulin transhydrogenase (thiol: protein-disulfide oxidoreductase/isomerase, EC 1.8.4.2/5.3.4.1). Insulin-binding activity was then assessed by crosslinking receptor- 125 I-insulin complexes and subjecting them to electrophoresis on SDS-polyacrylamide gels in the absence and presence of reductant followed by autoradiography. Prior incubation of the receptor at 37°C in the absence of the enzyme markedly decreased the subsequent binding of 125I-insulin to the holoreceptor ( M r 350 000) and to its subunits ( M r 180 000 and 130 000), while addition of the enzyme to the preincubation medium served to substantially prevent this decrease. The loss in binding at 37°C was not restored by subsequent addition of the enzyme, nor was the loss prevented by any of the several known inhibitors of proteolysis. The apparent stabilization of receptor by transhydrogenase, as evidenced by the increase in binding above control levels, was proportional to both the enzyme concentration and the duration of incubation. These effects seem to be specific for transhydrogenase, since several other disulfide-containing proteins were found to be ineffective. These data suggest that the stabilization of the subunit structure of the insulin receptor at physiological temperatures may take place via a disulfide interchange reaction catalyzed by glutathione-insulin transhydrogenase.

An inexpensive microcomputer digital imaging system for densitometry: quantitative autoradiography of insulin receptors with 125I and LKB ultrofilm

This article describes a video digitizing system designed for measuring film optical density. The system, which is based on a 6-bit (64 gray level) digitizer, solid state video camera, and Apple II microcomputer, digitizes a rectangular area selected by the operator and converts the gray level values into preselected standard units. In order to develop autoradiographic standard curves for quantitative autoradiography with 125I-insulin, liver slices labeled with 125I-insulin and plastic sections containing known amounts of tritium were apposed to the same sheet of LKB Ultrofilm for exposures of 1–7 days. The results indicate that 3H plastic standards can be used to calibrate QAR of 125I-labeled ligands with LKB Ultrofilm. The Apple system was also used to measure binding of 125I-insulin to the external plexiform layer (EPL) in slices of the rat olfactory bulb. Results suggest that the EPL has two binding sites for insulin, a high affinity site with K d = 1.0 × 10 −8 M and a low affinity site having a K d = 1.4 × 10 −5 M.

Effects of monensin on insulin interactions with isolated hepatocytes. Evidence for inhibition of receptor recycling and insulin degradation.

Recent evidence suggests that, during endocytosis, receptors for many polypeptide ligands are spared degradation and are recycled to the plasma membrane for re-utilization. The univalent ionophore monensin was shown to inhibit membrane recycling. We therefore examined its effects on insulin interactions with isolated rat hepatocytes to characterize further receptor endocytosis and recycling in these cells. At 10 degrees C, in the absence of endocytosis, no change in insulin binding was observed. However, at 37 degrees C a concentration-dependent decrease in 125I-insulin binding was seen in the presence of insulin; this reached a maximum of 60% at 1 nM-insulin. Competitive binding studies showed this to be due to a 50-60% decrease in cell-surface insulin-receptor concentration, although the total cellular receptor concentration remained unchanged, suggesting that monensin causes the intracellular sequestration of receptors. Time-course studies of the processing of 2.5 nM-insulin showed that monensin produced a 50-60% decrease in surface binding, accompanied by a similar decrease in internalization and total inhibition of insulin degradation. When hepatocytes with 125I-insulin prebound to their surface receptors at 10 degrees C were warmed to 37 degrees C, monensin had no effect on internalization, but caused marked impairment of intracellular insulin degradation. It is concluded that monensin inhibits receptor recycling and cellular insulin degradation.

Erythrocyte Insulin Binding in Preterm Newborn Infants

To characterize the erythrocyte insulin receptor in newborn infants we studied the binding of 125I-insulin to the erythrocytes from 42 preterm infants (14 at birth, 14 aged 2-7 days, and 14 aged 8-16 days) with a mean gestational age of 34.1 wk, and from 32 term infants (16 at birth and 16 aged 2-7 days). The insulin binding to cord blood erythrocytes from preterm infants was significantly higher than that of cord blood cells from term infants and to postnatal cells from preterm as well as term infants. The erythrocytes from preterm infants aged 2-7 days bound more insulin than cells from preterm infants aged 8-16 days. The maximum insulin binding (specific insulin binding at tracer concentration of insulin) correlated negatively with the gestational age both at birth and over the 1st postnatal wk. In the preterm infants there was a strong negative correlation between the maximum insulin binding and postnatal age. The enhanced insulin binding to cord blood erythrocytes from preterm infants was due to both an increased receptor concentration and a high affinity for insulin. The increased affinity persisted over the 1st wk of life. In preterm infants older than 1 wk the insulin binding characteristics were basically similar to those in term newborn infants. In all infants studied the receptor concentration seemed to be postnatal age dependent while the receptor affinity was gestational age dependent. No correlation was found between the insulin binding data and the plasma concentrations of immunoreactive insulin or C-peptide.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Tumor-promoting phorbol esters increase the Km of the ATP-binding site of the insulin receptor kinase from rat adipocytes.

Phorbol ester treatment of isolated rat adipocytes inhibits insulin stimulation of the glucose transport system. We studied whether this effect is related to a modification of the insulin receptor kinase. Insulin receptor of tetradecanoyl-beta-phorbol acetate (TPA)-treated adipocytes was solubilized and partially purified, and its kinase activity was studied in vitro. We found that insulin (10(-7) M) increased the tyrosine autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor kinase from TPA-treated cells only 3-fold in contrast to a 12-fold stimulation in control cells. The rate of insulin-stimulated 32P incorporation into the receptor of TPA-treated cells at insulin concentrations between 10(-10) M and 10(-7) M and at nonsaturating [32P]ATP levels (5 microM) was reduced to only 5-8% of the values found with receptor from control cells. 125I-insulin binding to the solubilized receptor of TPA-treated cells was reduced as well, apparently due to a decreased affinity of the binding site. Decreased binding was however, not sufficient to explain the difference of kinase activity. The inhibition of kinase activity of the receptor from TPA-treated cells decreased when the concentration of [gamma-32P]ATP in the phosphorylation assay was increased. A Lineweaver-Burk analysis of receptor phosphorylation revealed that the Km for ATP of the receptor kinase from TPA-treated cells was increased to greater than 100 microM compared to 25 microM for the receptor of control cells. An analogous change of the Km for ATP was found when we studied the phosphorylation of a synthetic polymer of tyrosine and glutamic acid as a substrate of the receptor kinase. We conclude from the data that phorbol treatment of rat adipocytes modulates the kinase activity of the insulin receptor by increasing its Km for ATP and that this is part of a mechanism leading to insulin resistance in these cells.

Insulin receptor of human cerebral gliomas. Structure and function.

The insulin receptor from human brain tumors of glial origin was examined for the first time using intact cells (from an established cultured human glioblastoma cell line) and partially purified solubilized membranes (from cultured cells and freshly isolated human brain tumors). The structure of the glial insulin receptor subunits was assessed by affinity cross-linking of 125I-insulin with the alpha-subunit of the receptor, neuraminidase treatment of the cross-linked receptor, behavior of the receptor on lectin columns, and electrophoretic mobility of the phosphorylated beta-subunit. The functions of the insulin receptor were examined by measuring specific 125I-insulin binding (receptor concentration, affinity, specificity, pH-, time-, and temperature dependence), insulin-induced down-regulation of the receptor, insulin-stimulated autophosphorylation of the beta-subunit, and phosphorylation of exogenous substrates as well as insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in glioblastoma cells. All of these properties were typical for the insulin receptor from target tissues for insulin action. The insulin receptor of the normal human brain showed the altered electrophoretic mobility and lack of neuraminidase sensitivity of its alpha-subunit previously reported for the rat brain receptor. There was no difference, however, in the functions of the receptor subunits (binding, phosphorylation) from the normal brain tissue and the eight human gliomal tumors. Since the glial elements compose a majority of the brain cells, the "normal" structure and function of their insulin receptor might provide a key to understanding the role of insulin in the carbohydrate metabolism of the human central nervous system.

Decreased tyrosine kinase activity of insulin receptor isolated from rat adipocytes rendered insulin-resistant by catecholamine treatment in vitro.

Catecholamine treatment of isolated rat adipocytes decreases insulin binding and inhibits insulin stimulation of the glucose-transport system. There is increasing evidence that the insulin signal is transmitted after insulin is bound to the receptor via a tyrosine kinase, which is an intrinsic part of the receptor. To find whether the receptor kinase is modified by catecholamines, we solubilized and partially purified the insulin receptor of isoprenaline-treated adipocytes and studied the effect of insulin on its kinase activity. (1) Insulin increased the tyrosine autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor kinase from catecholamine-treated cells only 4-fold, compared with a 12-fold stimulation in control cells. (2) The rate of insulin-stimulated 32P incorporation into the receptor of isoprenaline-treated cells at non-saturating [32P]ATP concentrations (5 muM) was decreased to 5-8% of the values for receptor from control cells. (3) 125I-insulin binding to the partially purified receptor from catecholamine-treated cells was also markedly decreased. The insulin receptor from catecholamine treated cells bound 25-50% of the amount of insulin bound by the receptor from control cells at insulin concentrations of 10 pM-0.1 muM. Part of the impaired insulin-responsiveness of the receptor kinase of catecholamine-treated cells is therefore explained by impaired binding properties; however, an additional inhibition of the kinase activity of the insulin receptor from catecholamine-treated cells is evident. (4) This inhibition of kinase activity decreased when the concentration of [gamma-32P]ATP in the phosphorylation assay was increased. A Lineweaver-Burk analysis revealed that the Km for ATP of the receptor kinase from isoprenaline-treated cells was increased to approx. 100 muM, compared with approx. 25 muM for receptor of control cells. (5) We conclude from the data that catecholamine treatment of rat adipocytes modulates the kinase activity of the insulin receptor by increasing its Km for ATP and that this is part of the mechanism leading to insulin-resistance in these cells.

The role of cell surface sialic acid in insulin receptor function and insulin action.

Removal of cell surface sialic acid from adipocytes with neuraminidase inhibits insulin action. Here, we have examined the effects of mild neuraminidase treatment (5 milliunits/ml, 12 degrees C, 15 min) on insulin receptor structure and function. Neuraminidase treatment sufficient to cause greater than 90% loss of insulin stimulatable lipogenesis had no effect on 125I-insulin binding, tyrosine kinase activity of partially purified insulin receptors, insulin receptor phosphorylation in intact cells, or insulin-induced receptor internalization. However, recycling of the insulin receptor to the plasma membrane was inhibited by 50%. Recycled receptors in neuraminidase-treated cells were unable to mediate insulin action in contrast to recycled receptors from non-neuraminidase-treated cells. Furthermore, when insulin receptors were protected from exposure to neuraminidase, by inducing receptor internalization prior to neuraminidase treatment, the cells were still unable to respond to insulin. Analysis of the alpha and beta subunits of the receptor from neuraminidase-treated cells, affinity-labeled with 125I-insulin, or labeled by autophosphorylation, and subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis failed to indicate any changes in the holoreceptor or the individual subunits. This suggests there was no detectable release of sialic acid from the receptor. From this data we conclude that loss of sialic acid from nonreceptor glycoconjugates leads to loss of insulin action and inhibition of receptor recycling. The insulin receptor does not appear to be involved in this inhibitory effect. These findings suggest that an uncharacterized plasma membrane glycoprotein is essential in transmitting the "signal" of insulin binding to the cellular effector system.

Quantitative autoradiographic evidence for insulin receptors in the choroid plexus of the rat brain.

Techniques of in vitro receptor autoradiography were used to visualize binding of 125I-insulin on slices of frozen rat brain. Slide-mounted sections of frozen rat brain were incubated in 0.05 nM porcine 125I-monoiodoinsulin, alone or mixed with 1 microM unlabeled porcine insulin, ribonuclease, or glucagon, for 2 h at 22 degrees C. The labeled brain slices were apposed to LKB Ultrofilm to generate autoradiograms. The method permitted equal access of labeled insulin to both sides of the blood-brain barrier and localization of insulin binding sites in small anatomic regions. Quantitative estimates of specific iodoinsulin binding were made by computer digital image densitometry of the autoradiographic film images. High concentrations of specific binding sites for iodoinsulin were present in the choroid plexus of the lateral (26.9 +/- 2.0 X 10(-3) fmol/mm2), fourth (18.3 +/- 3.0 X 10(-3) fmol/mm2), and third (13.2 +/- 1.5 X 10(-3) fmol/mm2) ventricles (insulin binding is expressed per unit area of autoradiographic image). Binding to the third ventricular choroid plexus was similar to the concentrations observed for liver slices and the external plexiform layer of the olfactory bulb. Specific binding of iodoinsulin in the cingulate cortex and other surrounding regions was less than in choroid plexus. Ribonuclease or glucagon had no measurable effect on binding when mixed with labeled insulin. The results support the hypothesis that the choroid plexus has a high density of receptors for insulin, and suggests that the choroid plexus may be a target of CSF insulin action and/or a site of insulin transport into the CSF.

Receptors for insulin-like growth factors and insulin on murine fetal cortical brain cells

Fetal murine neuronal cells bear somatomedin receptors which can be classified according to their affinities for IGF-I, IGF-II and insulin. Binding of 125I-IGF-I is half-maximally displaced by 7 ng/ml IGF-I while 15- and 700-fold higher concentrations are required for, respectively, IGF-II and insulin. Linear Scatchard plots of competitive-binding data with IGF-I suggest one single class of type I IGF receptors (K a = 2.6 × 10 9 M −1; R O = 4500 sites per cell). The occurrence of IGF-II receptors appears from the specific binding of 125I-IGF-II and competition by unlabeled IGF-II; the IGF-II binding sites display a low affinity for IGF-II and no affinity for insulin. IGF-II also interacts with insulin receptors although 50- to 100-fold less potent than insulin in competing for 125I-insulin binding. The presence of distinct receptors for IGF-I, IGF-II and insulin on fetal neuronal cells is consistent with a role of these peptides in neuronal development, although our data also indicate that IGF-I receptors could mediate the growth promoting effects of insulin.

Tyrosine kinase activity of insulin receptors from human placenta. Effects of autophosphorylation and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase.

The kinase activity of partially purified insulin receptor obtained from human placenta was studied. When autophosphorylation of the beta-subunit of the receptor was initiated by ATP prior to the addition of the exogenous substrate, both basal and insulin-stimulated kinase activity was increased. However, half-maximum effective insulin concentrations were unchanged. Insulin receptor autophosphorylation as stimulated by ATP and insulin failed to affect significantly 125I-insulin binding to partially purified insulin receptor from human placenta. It is concluded that autophosphorylation of the insulin receptors regulates its kinase activity but not its affinity for insulin. The catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase failed to phosphorylate either subunit of the insulin receptor, and each kinase failed to affect the affinity of the other one. Thus no functional interaction between cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and insulin receptors was observed in the in vitro system.

Beta-adrenergic modulation of insulin binding in skeletal muscle.

Both a high physiological concentration (13.1 nM) of epinephrine (E) and acute exercise (AEx) have previously been shown to increase 125I-insulin binding in skeletal muscle. To investigate the site and mechanism of the effect of epinephrine on binding and the possible link between epinephrine- and AEx-enhanced insulin binding, we measured insulin binding in three different preparations: 1) crude membranes derived from whole soleus muscle incubated in vitro with 13.1 nM E, 2) crude membranes with E present in the binding assay, and 3) purified plasma membranes with E present. Epinephrine enhanced binding in all three preparations by 169, 144, and 164%, respectively, at low concentrations of insulin but had little effect at high concentrations. Epinephrine, therefore appears to have its effect at the plasma membrane. Propranolol (10 microM), a beta-adrenergic antagonist, blocked E-enhanced insulin binding and when added to crude membranes made from soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscle of AEx rats reversed the increase in binding seen with exercise. This indicates that E-enhanced insulin binding is mediated by beta-adrenergic receptors and that AEx enhances insulin binding via beta-adrenergic receptors. Sodium orthovanadate (3 mM), a phosphotyrosyl-protein phosphatase inhibitor, also inhibited the increase in insulin binding due to E, implying that E may increase insulin binding by activating a phosphotyrosyl-protein phosphatase which decreases the phosphorylation of a plasma membrane protein, presumably the insulin receptor.

Inhibitory effect of anoxia on 125I-insulin binding by rat hepatocytes

We have examined the possibility that 125I-insulin binding by isolated rat hepatocytes is modulated by cellular ATP levels. To avoid complications due to ATP-dependent internalization of bound insulin, 125I-insulin binding was determined at 10 degrees C; at this temperature, equilibrium binding was achieved after incubation for 4-6 h. When hepatocytes were incubated at 37 degrees C under anaerobic conditions, ATP levels and 125I-insulin binding were both lowered by about 65%. Anoxia inhibited the association of 125I-insulin with the hepatocyte receptor; the dissociation of insulin from hepatocytes was not affected. Cellular ATP levels and 125I-insulin binding were both restored when anaerobic cells were incubated further at 37 degrees C under aerobic conditions. When anaerobic cells were incubated in air at 10 degrees C during the insulin binding assay, 125I-insulin binding recovered completely, but ATP levels were unaffected. The inhibitory effect of anoxia on 125I-insulin binding was not due to any effect on 125I-insulin degradation or on cell viability. We conclude (1) that the ability of hepatocytes to bind insulin can be modulated on a short-term basis in response to the metabolic status of the cell, and (2) that modulation of the liver cell insulin receptor is not a function of cellular ATP levels.

Regulation of neonatal heart glycogen metabolism by thyroxine.

We investigated the effect of hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism on the myocardial glycogen metabolism by quantitating 125I-insulin binding, glycogen content, glycogen synthase and phosphorylase enzyme activities in the newborn rabbit. Although an increase in 125I-insulin binding was observed in response to hyperthyroidism (p less than 0.01), a decrease in myocardial glycogen (p less than 0.01) along with no change in the synthase and phosphorylase enzyme activity was demonstrated. On the other hand, propylthiouracil-induced hypothyroxinemia did not affect the 125I-insulin binding, glycogen content or the two enzyme systems. We conclude that the depletion of myocardial glycogen secondary to hyperthyroidism is independent of an increase in 125I-insulin binding or any change in the major glycogen enzyme activities (synthase and phosphorylase). We speculate that this decline in neonatal heart glycogen may be secondary to thyroxine-induced altered glucose uptake or modified postinsulin receptor events.

Insulin secretion and erythrocyte insulin binding in Cape coloured non-obese non-insulin-dependent diabetes in the young: effects of sulphonylurea therapy

Studies were performed on 10 Cape coloured non-obese NIDDY (non-insulin-dependent diabetes in the young) patients and 6 controls of similar age, sex and weight. Fasting plasma glucose, glucose assimilation rate, insulin secretion in response to an intravenous glucose tolerance test and percentage binding of radiolabelled 125I-insulin to red blood cells were assessed in all patients before and after one month of glibenclamide treatment. Both insulin secretion (P less than 0.01) and erythrocyte insulin receptor binding (P less than 0.01) were significantly reduced when compared to controls. Although glibenclamide markedly improved the second phase of insulin secretion, the intravenous glucose tolerance test stimulated the total insulin secretion to only 40% of control values. The percentage binding of 125I-insulin to red cell receptors improved considerably with therapy, and did not differ significantly from that of control values.