Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate Amidotransferase Research Articles

A Radiometric Assay for Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate Amidotransferase

Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) catalyzes the first step in the biosynthesis of amino sugars by transferring the amino group from l-glutamine to the acceptor substrate, fructose 6-phosphate, generating the products glucosamine 6-phosphate and glutamic acid. We describe a method for the synthesis and purification of the substrate, fructose 6-phosphate, and methods for a radiometric assay of human GFAT1 that can be performed in either of two formats: a small disposable-column format and a high-throughput 96-well-plate format. The method performed in the column format can detect 1 pmol of glucosamine 6-phosphate, much less than that required by previously published assays that measure GlcN 6-phosphate. The column assay demonstrates a broad linear range with low variability. In both formats, the assay is linear with time and enzyme concentration and is highly reproducible. This method greatly improves the sensitivity and speed with which GFAT1 activity can be measured and facilitates direct kinetic measurement of the transferase activity.

Adaptation and maladaptation of the heart in diabetes: Part II: potential mechanisms.

The prevailing concept of the heart’s response to changes in its environment is a complex network of inter-connecting signal transduction cascades.1 In such a scheme, the focus is on communication of various cell surface receptors, heterotrimeric G-proteins, protein kinases, and transcription factors.2–4⇓⇓ Diabetes is a disorder of metabolic dysregulation. At first glance it appears that metabolism and the metabolic consequences of diabetes do not fit into this signal-response coupling scheme. Two questions arise. First, is metabolism simply an “effect” rather than a “cause” of adaptation? Second, is metabolism only a by-product of signal transduction-induced adaptation, allowing equilibrium (and therefore maintenance of function) in the presence of the other adaptational responses? An alternative is to take a new, less restricted view of metabolism. Beyond its stereotypical function as a provider of ATP, alterations in metabolic flux within the cell create essential signals for the adaptation of the heart to situations such as diabetes. This concept is novel for the heart, but has already been considered in the liver. Like the phosphorylation events occurring in signal transduction cascades, changes in metabolic flux are extremely rapid. For example, translocation of GLUT4 to the cell surface in response to insulin occurs within a second.5 We have previously found that increases or decreases in workload also change metabolic fluxes in seconds.6,7⇓ Therefore, changes in metabolites are rapid enough to allow them to act as signaling molecules. Many of these acute changes in metabolic flux are brought about by the same signal transduction cascades believed to be involved in the adaptation of the heart to changes in its environment. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Ca2+, and protein kinase C, all of which play a role in cardiac adaptation, regulate metabolism in the heart.8,9⇓ Metabolic signals therefore provide a …

Kinetic Characterization of Human Glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate Amidotransferase I: POTENT FEEDBACK INHIBITION BY GLUCOSAMINE 6-PHOSPHATE

Glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) catalyzes the first committed step in the pathway for biosynthesis of hexosamines in mammals. A member of the N-terminal nucleophile class of amidotransferases, GFAT transfers the amino group from the L-glutamine amide to D-fructose 6-phosphate, producing glutamic acid and glucosamine 6-phosphate. The kinetic constants reported previously for mammalian GFAT implicate a relatively low affinity for the acceptor substrate, fructose 6-phosphate (Fru-6-P, K(m) 0.2-1 mm). Utilizing a new sensitive assay that measures the production of glucosamine 6-phosphate (GlcN-6-P), purified recombinant human GFAT1 (hGFAT1) exhibited a K(m) for Fru-6-P of 7 microm, and was highly sensitive to product inhibition by GlcN-6-P. In a second assay method that measures the stimulation of glutaminase activity, a K(d) of 2 microm was measured for Fru-6-P binding to hGFAT1. Further, we report that the product, GlcN-6-P, is a potent competitive inhibitor for the Fru-6-P site, with a K(i) measured of 6 microm. Unlike other members of the amidotransferase family, where glutamate production is loosely coupled to amide transfer, we have demonstrated that hGFAT1 production of glutamate and GlcN-6-P are strictly coupled in the absence of inhibitors. Similar to other amidotransferases, competitive inhibitors that bind at the synthase site may inhibit the synthase activity without inhibiting the glutaminase activity at the hydrolase domain. GlcN-6-P, for example, inhibited the transfer reaction while fully activating the glutaminase activity at the hydrolase domain. Inhibition of hGFAT1 by the end product of the pathway, UDP-GlcNAc, was competitive with a K(i) of 4 microm. These data suggest that hGFAT1 is fully active at physiological levels of Fru-6-P and may be regulated by its product GlcN-6-P in addition to the pathway end product, UDP-GlcNAc.

Flux through the hexosamine pathway is a determinant of nuclear factor kappaB- dependent promoter activation.

The hexosamine pathway may mediate some of the toxic effects of glucose. We hypothesized that flux through this pathway might regulate the activity of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB)-dependent genes in mesangial cells (MCs). In MCs, RT-PCR revealed that high glucose (30 mmol/l) and glucosamine (1 mmol/l) increased mRNA levels for vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1) and increased the activity of an NF-kappaB enhancer by 1.5- and 2-fold, respectively. Overexpression of glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT), the rate-limiting enzyme for flux through the hexosamine pathway, led to a 2.2-fold increase in NF-kappaB enhancer activity; the combination of GFAT overexpression and high glucose increased activity 2.8-fold, and these increases were prevented by 40 micromol/l O-diazoacetyl-L-serine (azaserine) or 6-diazo-5-oxonorleucine. High glucose, glucosamine, and GFAT overexpression increased binding of MC nuclear proteins to NF-kappaB consensus sequences. Immunoblotting revealed that the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB was O-glycosylated in MC cultured in physiologic glucose and that significant enhancement occurred with high glucose and glucosamine. Both glucose and glucosamine dose-dependently increased human VCAM-1 promoter activity. In addition, GFAT overexpression activated the VCAM-1 promoter (2.25-fold), with further augmentation by high glucose and abrogation by inhibitors of GFAT, NF-kappaB, and O-glycosylation. Inactivation of the two NF-kappaB sites in the VCAM-1 promoter abolished its response to high glucose, glucosamine, and GFAT overexpression. These results suggest that increased flux through the hexosamine pathway leads to NF-kappaB-dependent promoter activation in MCs.

Hexosamines as mediators of nutrient sensing and regulation in diabetes

High concentrations of glucose induce insulin resistance, impair insulin secretion, and affect hepatic glucose production in a manner that mirrors Type 2 diabetes, and hexosamines mimic many of these effects. This has led to the hypothesis that cells use hexosamine flux as a glucose- and satiety-sensing pathway. The hexosamine hypothesis for glucose sensing has been validated by overexpressing the rate-limiting enzyme for hexosamine synthesis, glutamine: fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFA) in several tissues including muscle, liver, fat, and beta cells. With overexpression of GFA in transgenic animals, skeletal muscle becomes insulin resistant, the liver synthesizes excess fatty acid, and the beta cell secretes excess insulin leading to hyperinsulinemia. Thus, excess hexosamine flux leads to a coordinated response whereby fuel is shunted toward long-term storage, mirroring the “thrifty phenotype.” Chronically, however, these same adaptive changes result ultimately in obesity, hyperlipidemia, beta cell failure, and Type 2 diabetes. These results suggest a mechanism by which chronic overnutrition leads to the phenotype of Type 2 diabetes.

Hexosamine-induced fibronectin protein synthesis in mesangial cells is associated with increases in cAMP responsive element binding (CREB) phosphorylation and nuclear CREB: the involvement of protein kinases A and C.

Hyperglycemia-induced alterations in mesangial (MES) cell function and extracellular matrix protein accumulation are seen in diabetic glomerulopathy. Recent studies have demonstrated that some of the effects of high glucose (HG) on cellular metabolism are mediated by the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP), in which fructose-6-phosphate is converted to glucosamine 6-phosphate by the rate-liming enzyme glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFA). In this study, we investigated the role of HBP on HG-stimulated fibronectin protein synthesis, a matrix component, in SV-40-transformed rat kidney MES cells. Treatment of MES cells with 25 mmol/l glucose (HG) for 48 h increases cellular fibronectin levels by two- to threefold on Western blots when compared with low glucose (5 mmol/l). Glucosamine (GlcN; 1.5 mmol/l), which enters the hexosamine pathway distal to GFA action, also increases fibronectin synthesis. Azaserine (AZA; 0.5 micromol/l), an inhibitor of GFA, blocks the HG- but not the GlcN-induced fibronectin synthesis. Fibronectin contains cAMP responsive element (CRE) consensus sequences in its promoter and the phosphorylation of CRE-binding protein (CREB) may regulate its expression. On Western blots, HG and GlcN stimulate two- to threefold the phosphorylation of CREB at Ser 133, whereas CREB protein content was unaltered by either HG or GlcN. In addition, nuclear CREB activity was increased by HG and GlcN on gel-shift assays using (32)P-CRE oligonucleotides. AZA impeded the HG-enhanced CREB phosphorylation and CRE binding but had no effect on GlcN-mediated CREB phosphorylation and CRE binding. Pharmacologic inhibition of protein kinase C (PKC) and protein kinase A (PKA), which are involved in hexosamine-mediated matrix production, blocked the CREB phosphorylation and fibronectin synthesis seen in HG and GlcN conditions. We conclude that the effects of HG on fibronectin synthesis in the mesangium are mediated by the HBP possibly via hexosamine regulation of CREB and PKC/PKA signaling pathways. These results support the hypothesis that the HBP is a sensor and regulator of the actions of glucose in the kidney.

Activation of the Hexosamine Pathway Leads to Deterioration of Pancreatic β-Cell Function through the Induction of Oxidative Stress

It is known well that activation of the hexosamine pathway causes insulin resistance, but how this activation influences pancreatic beta-cell function remains unclear. In this study, we found that in isolated rat islets adenovirus-mediated overexpression of glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT), the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the hexosamine pathway, leads to deterioration of beta-cell function, which is similar to that found in diabetes. Overexpression of GFAT or treatment with glucosamine results in impaired glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and reduction in the expression levels of several beta-cell specific genes (insulin, GLUT2, and glucokinase). Additionally, the DNA binding activity of PDX-1, an important transcription factor for these three genes, was markedly reduced. These phenomena were not mimicked by the induction of O-linked glycosylation with an inhibitor of O-GlcNAcase, PUGNAc. It was also found that glucosamine increases hydrogen peroxide levels and that several hexosamine pathway-mediated changes were suppressed by treatment with the antioxidant N-acetyl-l-cysteine. In conclusion, activation of the hexosamine pathway leads to deterioration of beta-cell function through the induction of oxidative stress rather than O-linked glycosylation. Thus, the hexosamine pathway may contribute to the deterioration of beta-cell function found in diabetes.

Glucose-induced insulin resistance of phosphatidylinositol 3′-OH kinase and AKT/PKB is mediated by the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway

Hyperglycemia is responsible for many of the vascular complications and metabolic derangements seen in diabetes. One potential regulator of the effects of glucose is the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP). Glutamine: fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFA), the first and rate-limiting enzyme in this pathway, catalyzes the transfer of an amino group from glutamine to fructose-6-phosphate to form glucosamine-6-phosphate. Overexpression of GFA in rat-1 fibroblasts results in insulin resistance for glycogen synthase (GS) activity, and renders these cells more sensitive to the effects of glucose. Using rat-1 cells, we examine further the mechanisms whereby hexosamines lead to insulin resistance. Insulin stimulated GS activity was found to occur via a PI-3 kinase (PI-3K)-dependent pathway as wortmannin, an inhibitor of PI-3K, blocked insulin's ability to stimulate GS activity. Subsequently, we examined the effects of hexosamines on PI-3K and Akt/PKB activity. Cells were cultured in 1 mM glucose (low glucose, LG), 20 mM glucose (high glucose, HG), or 1 mM glucose plus 3 mM glucosamine (GlcN) for 16–20 h. After treatment with insulin (100 nM) for 5 min, cell extracts were assayed for IRS-1 associated and total PI-3K activity. At LG, insulin increased PI-3K activity by 43%. There was no insulin stimulation of PI-3K activity in cells cultured in HG or GlcN. There was a trend for IRS-1 protein levels to decrease in HG but not GlcN. PI-3K protein levels were not altered by HG or GlcN. Finally PKB activity was assayed. At LG, insulin stimulated PKB activity. Again, both HG and GlcN significantly reduced insulin's ability to stimulate PKB activity. We conclude that the hexosamine-mediated insulin resistance of GS activity seen in rat-1 cells is mediated by hexosamine regulation of PI-3K and PKB.

Overexpression of glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate-amidotransferase induces transforming growth factor-β1 synthesis in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts

Increased flux through the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway with glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate-amidotransferase (GFAT) as rate-limiting enzyme has been linked to the enhanced bioactivity of the prosclerotic cytokine transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) in fibrotic complications, particularly in diabetic kidney disease. Here, we investigate in a stable transfection system the effect of overexpression of GFAT on TGF-β1 synthesis in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts. We demonstrate a 1.8-fold stimulation of TGF-β1 mRNA and a 1.9-fold increased protein expression, whereas TGF-β2 production was not upregulated. The 1.5-fold enhanced TGF-β1 promoter activity suggests a transcriptional regulation. The elevated TGF-β1 protein is biologically active since GFAT-overexpressing cells exhibit a 2-fold fibronectin production. The results indicate a GFAT-dependent induction of TGF-β1 synthesis.

Development of Glucose-induced Insulin Resistance in Muscle Requires Protein Synthesis

Muscles and fat cells develop insulin resistance when exposed to high concentrations of glucose and insulin. We used an isolated muscle preparation incubated with high levels of glucose and insulin to further evaluate how glucose-induced insulin resistance (GIIR) is mediated. Incubation with 2 milliunits/ml insulin and 36 mm glucose for 5 h resulted in an approximately 50% decrease in insulin-stimulated muscle glucose transport. The decrease in insulin responsiveness of glucose transport induced by glucose was not due to impaired insulin signaling, as insulin-stimulated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity and protein kinase B phosphorylation were not reduced. It has been hypothesized that entry of glucose into the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway with accumulation of UDP-N-acetylhexosamines (UDP-HexNAcs) mediates GIIR. However, inhibition of the rate-limiting enzyme GFAT (glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase) did not protect against GIIR despite a marked reduction of UDP-HexNAcs. The mRNA synthesis inhibitor actinomycin D and the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide both completely protected against GIIR despite the massive increases in UDP-HexNAcs and glycogen that resulted from increased glucose entry. Activation of AMP-activated protein kinase also protected against GIIR. These results provide evidence that GIIR can occur in muscle without increased accumulation of hexosamine pathway end products, that neither high glycogen concentration nor impaired insulin signaling is responsible for GIIR, and that synthesis of a protein with a short half-life mediates GIIR. They also suggest that dephosphorylation of a transcription factor may be involved in the induction of GIIR.

Cloning and characterization of mouse glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase 2 gene promoter

Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) is the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway, which plays an important role in glucose toxicity and cellular insulin resistance. Thus, the mechanisms by which GFAT expression is regulated under physiological and pathological conditions are of interest in connection with diabetes. In this study, we cloned the 5′-flanking region of the mouse GFAT2 gene and characterized its promoter activity. Sequence analysis revealed several putative regulatory elements Sp1, a CCAAT box, AP-1 and AP-2, but no TATA box. Transfection experiments showed that the 5′-flanking region between −2462 to +38 relative to the transcription start site of the GFAT2 gene drives transcription in NIH3T3 cells and that the fragment from −141 to −9 has the highest transcription activity. Reporter assays using deletion and mutant variants suggested that the Sp1 sites at positions −83 to −78 and −22 to −17 both play an important role in the basal promoter activity of the mouse GFAT2 gene. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed DNA-protein binding at both Sp1 sites. We also compared the promoter activities of mouse GFAT1 and GFAT2 in several cell lines.

Overexpression of GFAT activates PAI-1 promoter in mesangial cells.

Effects of hyperglycemia on glomerular cells may be mediated by glucose entry into the hexosamine pathway, and mesangial cell (MC) expression of the hexosamine pathway rate-limiting enzyme glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) is increased in diabetic glomerulosclerosis. We hypothesized that GFAT activity would be an important determinant of gene expression in glomerular MC. When overexpressed in primary MC, GFAT produced a two- to threefold increase in the activity of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) promoter. There was a 1.4-fold increase in PAI-1 promoter activity in cells exposed to high glucose (20 mM), whereas in MC overexpressing GFAT, exposure to high glucose caused a 3.5- to 4-fold increase in promoter activity. PAI-1 promoter activation was dependent on GFAT enzyme activity because o-diazoacetyly-L-serine and 6-diazo-5-oxonorleucine, inhibitors of GFAT enzyme activity, abrogated the activation of PAI-1 promoter in MC overexpressing GFAT. Glucosamine, which is downstream of GFAT in the hexosamine pathway, produced a 2.5-fold increase in the PAI-1 promoter activity. In addition to increasing the mRNA levels for transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), GFAT overexpression also increased mRNA levels for the TGF-beta type I and type II receptors. TGF-beta-neutralizing antibody did not normalize PAI-1 promoter activity in MC exposed to glucosamine or those overexpressing GFAT. We conclude that GFAT expression and activity are important determinants of gene expression in MC and that flux through the hexosamine pathway activates expression of genes implicated in vascular injury pathways.

Hexosamine regulation of glucose-mediated laminin synthesis in mesangial cells involves protein kinases A and C.

Hyperglycemia leads to alterations in mesangial cell function and extracellular matrix (ECM) protein accumulation. These adverse effects of glucose may be mediated by glucose metabolism through the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP). The HBP converts fructose-6-phosphate to glucosamine-6-phosphate via the rate-limiting enzyme, glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFA). We have investigated the effects of high glucose (HG, 25 mM) and glucosamine (GlcN, 1.5 mM) on the synthesis of the ECM protein laminin in a SV-40-transformed rat kidney mesangial (MES) cell line. The roles of protein kinases C (PKC) and A (PKA) in mediating laminin accumulation were also investigated. Treatment of MES cells with HG or GlcN for 48 h increased laminin levels in cellular extracts more than twofold compared with 5 mM glucose (low glucose; LG). The presence of the GFA inhibitor diazo-oxo-norleucine (DON, 10 microM) blocked HG but not GlcN-induced laminin synthesis. HG resulted in a time-dependent increase in total PKC and PKA activities, 57+/-11.3 (P < 0.01 vs. LG) and 85+/-17.4% (P < 0.01 vs. LG), respectively. GlcN had no effect on the total PKC activity; however, both glucose and glucosamine increased membrane-associated PKC activity by twofold compared with LG. GlcN stimulated total PKA activity by 47+/-8.4% (P < 0.01 vs. LG). Similarly, membrane- associated PKA activity was also increased by HG and GlcN approximately 1.8 and 1.5-fold, respectively. HG and GlcN increased cellular cAMP levels 2.2- and 3. 4-fold, respectively. Pharmacological downregulation of PKC by long-term incubation of MES cells with 0.5 microM phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or inhibition of PKA activity by 2 microM H-8 blocked the effects of HG and GlcN on laminin synthesis. These results demonstrate that glucose-induced laminin synthesis in MES cells is mediated by flux through the HBP and that this stimulation involves PKC and PKA signaling pathways.

Application of liquid chromatography–nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to the identification of natural products

LC–NMR combines the separation power of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with the superior structural information content of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). These two techniques traditionally have been the primary tools used by natural products chemists to isolate and determine the structures of molecules of interest. Recent advances in NMR technology have allowed the practical application of LC–NMR, thus providing natural products chemists with a hyphenated technique which combines the two most important tools in their field. A brief review of the literature describing how LC–NMR has been applied to natural products research is followed by a specific example illustrating how this technique was used to identify the marine alkaloid aaptamine ( 1). Aaptamine was identified as the active component in the crude dichloromethane extract of the sponge Aaptos sp. which had been determined to possess inhibitory activity against the enzyme glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) by a high throughput screening (HTS) effort. Isolated aaptamine ( 1) exhibited an IC 50=120 μ M against this enzyme. The experience gained from the identification of aaptamine was used to define a strategy for the use of LC–NMR in a natural products HTS program.

Role of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway in diabetic nephropathy

The hexosamine biosynthetic pathway has been hypothesized to be involved in the development of insulin resistance and diabetic vascular complications. In particular, it was demonstrated that hyperglycemia-induced production of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta1), a prosclerotic cytokine causally involved in the development of diabetic nephropathy. Several lines of evidence indicate that TGF-beta1 induction is mediated by the hexosamine pathway. In cultured mesangial cells, high glucose levels induce TGF-beta1 production. This effect is eliminated by inhibition of glutamine: fructose-6-phosphate-amidotransferase (GFAT), the rate-limiting enzyme of this pathway. Furthermore, stable overexpression of GFAT increased levels of TGF-beta1 protein, mRNA, and promoter activity. Inasmuch as stimulation or inhibition of GFAT increased or decreased high glucose-stimulated activity of protein kinase C (PKC), respectively, the observed effects appear to be transduced by PKC. In similar experiments, involvement of the hexosamine pathway in hyperglycemia-induced production of cytokines (TGF-alpha and basic fibroblast growth factor [bFGF]) was demonstrated in vascular smooth muscle cells. These studies also revealed a rapid increase in GFAT activity by treatment with agents that elevated levels of cyclic adenosine 3',5' monophosphate (cAMP), thus indicating that GFAT activity is tightly regulated by cAMP-dependent phosphorylation. Using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization, high expression of GFAT was found in human adipocytes, skeletal muscle, vascular smooth muscle cells, and renal tubular epithelial cells. whereas glomerular cells remained essentially unstained. However, significant staining occurred in glomerular cells of patients with diabetic nephropathy. Current data indicate that the flux through the hexosamine pathway, regulated by GFAT, may be causally involved in the development of diabetic vascular disease, particularly diabetic nephropathy.

Transgenic mice with increased hexosamine flux specifically targeted to beta-cells exhibit hyperinsulinemia and peripheral insulin resistance.

Hexosamines have been shown to mediate effects of hyperglycemia and so-called "glucose toxicity" in insulin-sensitive tissues. To determine the effects of hexosamines on insulin synthesis and secretion, transgenic mice were created to overexpress the rate-limiting enzyme for hexosamine synthesis, glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFA), specifically in beta-cells. GFA activity in islets of heterozygous transgenic mice was elevated 76% compared with littermate controls. The increased GFA activity led to 1.4- and 2.1-fold increased pancreatic insulin content in 2- and 10-month-old transgenic mice, respectively (P < 0.005). Fasting insulin levels were 1.6-fold higher than in littermate controls (P < 0.05). Hyperinsulinemia was evident despite a 28% reduction in insulin mRNA levels. The fasting glucose levels in the transgenic mice equaled that of controls aged 2-4 months but exceeded that of the controls aged 6-10 months (means +/- SE 6.9 +/- 0.2 vs. 5.9 +/- 0.2 mmol/l, P < 0.001). By 8 months, the males were overweight and mildly diabetic (fasting glucose 8.8 +/- 0.5 mmol/l) despite persistent hyperinsulinemia. Insulin resistance was confirmed in both males and females using the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique; glucose disposal rates decreased by 48% in transgenic mice (P < 0.01). Triglyceride levels did not differ, and free fatty acid levels were lower in the transgenic animals. ATP levels were unchanged in the transgenic islets. We conclude that hexosamine biosynthesis is involved in the regulation of insulin content in beta-cells by glucose. Increased hexosamine flux in the beta-cell results in hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and (in males) mild type 2 diabetes.

Phosphorylation of Human Glutamine:Fructose-6-phosphate Amidotransferase by cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase at Serine 205 Blocks the Enzyme Activity

Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT) is the rate-limiting enzyme in glucosamine synthesis. Prior studies from our laboratory indicated that activation of adenylate cyclase was associated with depletion of O-GlcNAc modification. This finding and evidence that human GFAT (hGFAT) might be regulated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) led us to investigate the role of PKA in hGFAT function. We confirmed that adenylate cyclase activation by forskolin results in diminished O-GlcNAc modification of several cellular proteins which can be overcome by exposure of the cells to glucosamine but not glucose, suggesting the PKA activation results in depletion of UDP-GlcNAc for O-glycosylation. To determine if GFAT is indeed regulated by PKA, we expressed the active form of the enzyme using a vaccinia virus expression system and showed that the activity of the enzyme was to decrease to undetectable levels by PKA phosphorylation. We mapped the PKA phosphorylation sites with the aid of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectroscopy and showed that the protein was stoichiometrically phosphorylated at serine 205 and also phosphorylated, to a lesser extent at serine 235. Mutagenesis studies indicated that the phosphorylation of serine 205 by PKA was necessary for the observed inhibition of enzyme activity while serine 235 phosphorylation played no observable role. The activity of GFAT is down-regulated by cAMP, thus placing regulation on the hexosamine pathway that is in concert with the energy requirements of the organism. During starvation, hormones acting through adenylate cyclase could direct the flux of glucose metabolism into energy production rather than into synthetic pathways that require hexosamines.

Overexpression of glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase in rat-1 fibroblasts enhances glucose-mediated glycogen accumulation via suppression of glycogen phosphorylase activity.

The hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) mediates many of the adverse effects of excess glucose. We have shown previously that glucose down-regulates basal and insulin-stimulated glycogen synthase (GS) activity. Overexpression of the rate-limiting enzyme in the HBP, glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFA), mimics these effects of high glucose and renders the cells more sensitive to glucose. Here we examine the role of the HBP in regulating cellular glycogen content. Glycogen content and glycogen phosphorylase (GP) activity were determined in Rat-1 fibroblasts that overexpress GFA. In both GFA and controls there was a dose-dependent increase in glycogen content (approximately 8-fold) in cells cultured in increasing glucose concentrations (1-20 mM). There was a shift to the left in the glucose dose-response curve for glycogen content in GFA cells (ED50 for glycogen content = 5.80+/-1.05 vs. 8.84+/-0.87 mM glucose, GFA vs. control). Inhibition of GFA reduced glycogen content by 28.4% in controls cultured in 20 mM glucose. In a dose-dependent manner, glucose resulted in a more than 35% decrease in GP activity in controls. GP activity in GFA cells was suppressed compared with that in controls, and there was no glucose-induced down-regulation of GP activity. Glucosamine and uridine mimicked the effects of glucose on glycogen content and GP activity. However, chronic overexpression of GFA is a unique model of hexosamine excess, as culturing control cells in low dose glucosamine (0.1-0.25 mM) did not suppress GP activity and did not eliminate the glucose-mediated down-regulation of GP activity. We conclude that increased flux through the HBP results in enhanced glycogen accumulation due to suppression of GP activity. These results demonstrate that the HBP is an important regulator of cellular glucose metabolism and supports its role as a cellular glucose/satiety sensor.

Glutamine: Fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase activity and gene expression are regulated in a tissue-specific fashion in pregnant rats

We examined whether regulation of glutamine: fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFA), the rate-limiting enzyme of the hexosamine pathway, is tissue specific and if so whether such regulation occurs at the level of gene expression. We compared GFA activity and expression and levels of UDP-hexosamines and UDP-hexoses between insulin-sensitive (liver and muscle) tissues and a glucose-sensitive (placenta) tissue from 19 day pregnant streptozotocin diabetic and non-diabetic rats. In pregnant non-diabetic rats GFA activities averaged (1521 ± 75 pmol/mg protein min) in the placenta, 895±74 in the liver and 81 ± 11 in muscle (p < 0.001 between each tissue). In the diabetic rats, GFA activities were ~50 % decreased both in the liver (340 ± 42 pmol/mg protein-min, p < 0.05 vs control rats) and in skeletal muscle (46 ± 3, p < 0.05) compared to control rats. In the placenta, GFA activities were identical between diabetic (1519 ± 112 pmol/mg protein-min) and non-diabetic (1521 ± 75) animals. In the liver, the reduction in GFA activity could be attributed to a significant decrease in GFA mRNA concentrations, while GFA mRNA concentrations were similar in the placenta between diabetic and non-diabetic animals. UDP-N-acetyl-glucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc), the end product of the hexosamine pathway, was significantly reduced in the liver and in skeletal muscle but similar in the placenta between diabetic and non-diabetic rats. In summary, GFA activity and expression and the concentration of UDP-GlcNAc are decreased in the liver but unaltered in the placenta, although GFA activity is almost 2-fold higher in this tissue than in the liver. These data provide the first evidence for tissue specific regulation of GFA and for its regulation at the level of gene expression.

CDNA Cloning and Mapping of a Novel Subtype of Glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate Amidotransferase (GFAT2) in Human and Mouse

We subcloned human and mouse full-length cDNAs of a novel subtype of glutamine:fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase (GFAT), which was designated GFAT2 (the previously reported GFAT was named GFAT1). Both the human and the mouse GFAT2 proteins deduced from their open reading frame sequences are composed of 682 amino acids of ∼77.0 kDa. At the amino acid level, homologies between the human GFAT1 and GFAT2, between the mouse GFAT1 and GFAT2, and between the human GFAT2 and the mouse GFAT2 were 75.6, 74.7, and 97.2%, respectively. Northern blot analysis using probe specific to human GFAT1 or GFAT2 showed that major transcripts were ∼3.0 kb in both the human GFAT subtypes. The analysis also revealed different tissue distribution between GFAT1 and GFAT2: GFAT1 was more highly expressed in the placenta, pancreas, and testis than GFAT2; GFAT2 was expressed throughout the central nervous system, especially in the spinal cord, but GFAT1 expression was weak. The locus was mapped to human chromosome 5q and mouse chromosome 11, where a synteny between the two species has been known. GFAT2 can provide insights into understanding the roles of the hexosamine pathway in various tissues, particularly with the development of glucose toxicity and diabetes complications.