Rat SGLT1 Research Articles

Intestinal Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 1 Inhibition Enhances Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Secretion in Normal and Diabetic Rodents.

The sodium glucose cotransporter (SGLT) 1 plays a major role in glucose absorption and incretin hormone release in the gastrointestinal tract; however, the impact of SGLT1 inhibition on plasma glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels in vivo is controversial. We analyzed the effects of SGLT1 inhibitors on GLP-1 secretion in normoglycemic and hyperglycemic rodents using phloridzin, CGMI [3-(4-cyclopropylphenylmethyl)-1-(β-d-glucopyranosyl)-4-methylindole], and canagliflozin. These compounds are SGLT2 inhibitors with moderate SGLT1 inhibitory activity, and their IC50 values against rat SGLT1 and mouse SGLT1 were 609 and 760 nM for phloridzin, 39.4 and 41.5 nM for CGMI, and 555 and 613 nM for canagliflozin, respectively. Oral administration of these inhibitors markedly enhanced and prolonged the glucose-induced plasma active GLP-1 (aGLP-1) increase in combination treatment with sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP4) inhibitor, in normoglycemic mice and rats. CGMI, the most potent SGLT1 inhibitor among them, enhanced glucose-induced, but not fat-induced, plasma aGLP-1 increase at a lower dose compared with canagliflozin. Both CGMI and canagliflozin delayed intestinal glucose absorption after oral administration in normoglycemic rats. The combined treatment of canagliflozin and a DPP4 inhibitor increased plasma aGLP-1 levels and improved glucose tolerance compared with single treatment in both 8- and 13-week-old Zucker diabetic fatty rats. These results suggest that transient inhibition of intestinal SGLT1 promotes GLP-1 secretion by delaying glucose absorption and that concomitant inhibition of intestinal SGLT1 and DPP4 is a novel therapeutic option for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The effect of combined treatment with canagliflozin and teneligliptin on glucose intolerance in Zucker diabetic fatty rats

To assess the impact of concomitant inhibition of sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT) 2 and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP4) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the effect of combined treatment with canagliflozin, a novel SGLT2 inhibitor, and teneligliptin, a DPP4 inhibitor, on glucose intolerance was investigated in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats. Canagliflozin potently inhibited human and rat SGLT2 and moderately inhibited human and rat SGLT1 activities but did not affect DPP4 activity. In contrast, teneligliptin inhibited human and rat DPP4 activities but not SGLT activities. A single oral treatment of canagliflozin and teneligliptin suppressed plasma glucose elevation in an oral glucose tolerance test in 13 week-old ZDF rats. This combination of agents elevated plasma active GLP-1 levels in a synergistic manner, probably mediated by intestinal SGLT1 inhibition, and further improved glucose intolerance. In the combination-treated animals, there was no pharmacokinetic interaction of the drugs and no further inhibition of plasma DPP4 activity compared with that in the teneligliptin-treated animals. These results suggest that the inhibition of SGLT2 and DPP4 improves glucose intolerance and that combined treatment with canagliflozin and teneligliptin is a novel therapeutic option for glycemic control in T2DM.

Rat renal glucose transporter SGLT1 exhibits zonal distribution and androgen-dependent gender differences

SGLT1 (SLC5A1) mediates a part of glucose and galactose reabsorption in the mammalian proximal tubule (PT), but the detailed localization of the transporter along the tubule is still disputable. Here, we used several methods to localize rat SGLT1 (rSGLT1) in the kidneys of intact and variously treated male (M) and female (F) rats. In immunoblots of isolated cortical (C) and outer stripe (OS) brush-border membranes (BBM), a peptide-specific polyclonal antibody for rSGLT1 labeled a sharp inzone-, and gender-dependent approximately 40-kDa protein and a broad approximately 75-kDa band that exhibited strong zonal (OS > C) and gender differences (F > M). In tissue cryosections, the antibody strongly stained BBM of the S3 PT segments in the OS and medullary rays (F > M) and smooth muscles of the blood vessels and renal capsule (F approximately M) and weakly stained the apical domain of other PT segments in the C (F approximately M). The phlorizin-sensitive uptake of d-[(3)H]galactose in BBM vesicles, as well as the tissue abundance of rSGLT1-specific mRNA, matched the immunoblotting data related to the 75-kDa protein and the immunostaining in S3, proving zonal and gender differences in the functional transporter. Ovariectomy had no effect, castration upregulated, whereas treatment of castrated rats with testosterone, but not with estradiol or progesterone, downregulated the 75-kDa protein and the immunostaining in S3. We conclude that in the rat kidney, the expression of SGLT1 is represented by a 75-kDa protein localized largely in the PT S3 segments, where it exhibits gender differences (F > M) at both the protein and mRNA levels that are caused by androgen inhibition.

Cloning and Characterization of a Novel Na+-dependent Glucose Transporter (NaGLT1) in Rat Kidney

To identify novel transporters in the kidney, we have constructed an mRNA data base composed of 1000 overall clones by random sequencing of a male rat kidney cDNA library. After a BLAST search, approximately 40% of the clones were unknown and/or unannotated and were screened by measuring the uptake of various compounds using Xenopus oocytes. One clone stimulated the uptake of alpha-methyl-d-glucopyranoside and therefore was termed rat Na(+)-dependent glucose transporter 1 (rNaGLT1). The rNaGLT1 cDNA (2173 bp) has an open reading frame encoding a 484-amino acid protein, showing <22% homology to known SGLT and GLUT glucose transporters. alpha-Methyl-d-glucopyranoside uptake by rNaGLT1 cRNA-injected oocytes showed saturability, with an apparent K(m) of 3.7 mm and a coupling ratio of 1:1 with Na(+). rNaGLT1 mRNA was expressed predominantly in the kidney upon Northern blot analysis and reverse transcription-PCR. Reverse transcription-PCR in microdissected nephron segments revealed that rNaGLT1 mRNA was primarily localized in the proximal tubules. A clear signal corresponding to rNaGLT1 protein was recognized in the brush-border (but not basolateral) membrane fraction by immunoblot analysis. The rNaGLT1 mRNA level in the kidney was significantly higher than rat SGLT1 and SGLT2 mRNA levels. These findings suggest that rNaGLT1 is a novel Na(+)-dependent glucose transporter with low substrate affinity that mediates tubular reabsorption of glucose.

The apical localization of SGLT1 glucose transporter is determined by the short amino acid sequence in its N-terminal domain

SGLT1, an isoform of Na+-dependent glucose cotransporters, is localized at the apical plasma membrane in the epithelial cells of the small intestine and the kidney, where it plays a pivotal role in the absorption and reabsorption of sugars, respectively. To search the domain responsible for the apical localization of SGLT1, we constructed an N-terminal deletion clone series of rat SGLT1 and analyzed the localization of the respective products in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. The products of N-terminal deletion clones up to the 19th amino acid were localized at the apical plasma membrane, whereas the products of N-terminal 20- and 23-amino-acid deletion clones were localized along the entire plasma membrane. Since single-amino-acid mutations of either D28N or D28G in the N-terminal domain give rise to glucose/galactose malabsorption disease, we examined the localization of these mutants. The products of D28N and D28G clones were localized in the cytoplasm, showing that the aspartic acid-28 may be essential for the delivery of SGLT1 to the plasma membrane. These results suggest that a short amino acid sequence of the N-terminal domain of SGLT1 plays important roles in plasma membrane targeting and specific apical localization of the protein.

Cadmium Decreases SGLT1 Messenger RNA in Mouse Kidney Cells

Mouse renal cortical tubule cells in primary culture exposed to cadmium (Cd2+) develop decreased Na+-glucose cotransport activity as measured by uptake of the glucose analogue α-methylglucoside. RNA was isolated from kidney cell cultures, and after reversed transcription, the DNA was amplified with primers to rat SGLT1 (the high affinity isoform of the sodium glucose cotransporter) and mouse β-actin. Only one product was identified after amplification with the rat SGLT1 primers, which on sequencing was 96% identical to rat SGLT1. Compared to β-actin, the intensity of the SGLT1 message declined progressively as CdCl2concentration in the medium increased from 0 to 10 μM. Similar decreases in SGLT1 mRNA were also observed as media zinc (Zn2+) concentrations rose from 0 to 75 μM or as copper (Cu) concentrations increased from 0 to 150 μM. Exposure to 8 μM Cd as Cd-metallothionein (Cd7-MT) also caused a fall in relative SGLT1 mRNA abundance, and at nearly identical internal Cd concentrations of 40-43 pmol/μg DNA, both Cd7-MT and CdCl2reduced SGLT1 mRNA to 33% of control. In general, the fall in SGLT1 mRNA was more rapid than the decline in Na+-dependent glucose uptake after cells were exposed to Cd2+. These findings suggest that the effects of Cd2+and other metals on renal glucose transport are related to decreased expression of SGLT1 message.

Regulation of Na+/glucose cotransporters.

Na+/glucose cotransporters (SGLTs) are expressed in the small intestine and the proximal renal tubule, where they play a central role in the absorption of glucose and galactose from food and the reabsorption of glucose from the glomerular filtrate. The regulation of intestinal sugar absorption occurs over two distinct time scales, one over days and the other over minutes. This review focuses on the mechanisms involved in the shorter-term regulation. Recent studies of the mouse intestine in vitro demonstrated that Na+/glucose cotransport is increased two- to eightfold within minutes by the application of forskolin, an agent that increases intracellular cyclic AMP levels. Here we explore how cyclic AMP may upregulate Na+/glucose cotransport. Our strategy was to express cloned SGLT1s in Xenopus laevis oocytes and then use electrophysiological methods to measure (i) the kinetics of Na+/glucose cotransport, (ii) the number of cotransporters in the plasma membrane, and (iii) the net rate of exo- and endocytosis before and after activation of protein kinases. To evaluate the role of cotransporter phosphorylation, we have examined the effect of protein kinase activation on various SGLT1 isoforms and other cotransporters. In oocytes expressing rabbit SGLT1, the activation of protein kinase A (PKA) increased the maximum rate of Na+/glucose cotransport by 30%, and the activation of protein kinase C (PKC) decreased the maximum rate of transport by 60%. Changes in maximum transport rates were accompanied by proportional changes in the number of cotransporters in the plasma membrane and by changes in the area of the membrane. We conclude that PKA and PKC regulate rabbit SGLT1 activity by modulating the number of cotransporters in the plasma membrane and that this occurs through regulation of exocytosis and endocytosis. Given the size of intracellular transport vesicles containing SGLT1, 100-120 nm in diameter, and the density of cotransporters in these vesicles, 10-20 per vesicle, we estimate that the net rate of SGLT1 vesicle exocytosis is about 10,000 s-1 and that this rate increases 100-fold after activation of PKA. The effect of PKA is independent of the presence or absence of consensus sites for phosphorylation on SGLT1. Surprisingly, the effects of PKA or PKC depend critically on the sequence of the contransporter being expressed in the oocyte, e.g. activation of PKC inhibited rabbit and rat SGLT1, but stimulated human SGLT1. This dependency suggests that the regulation of vesicle trafficking by protein kinases depends upon the structure of the cotransporter expressed in the oocyte. Similar considerations apply to other classes of cotransporters, such as the neurotransmitter and dipeptide cotransporters. Our working hypothesis is that the regulation of cotransporter expression by protein kinases occurs largely by regulated exo- and endocytosis, and that the effect of the protein kinases is indirect and determined by critical domains in the cotransporter.

Regulation of Na+/Glucose Cotransporter Expression by Protein Kinases in Xenopus laevis Oocytes

Cotransporters are proteins responsible for the accumulation of nutrients, neurotransmitters, and drugs in cells. As forskolin has been shown to stimulate intestinal Na+/glucose cotransport, we have used electrophysiological techniques to examine the role of protein kinases in regulating Na+/glucose cotransporters, SGLT1, expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. We monitored SGLT1 kinetics, the number of SGLT1 cotransporters in the plasma membrane, and plasma membrane area before and after activation of protein kinases. 8-Bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cAMP) and sn-1, 2-dioctanoylglycerol (DOG) were used as membrane permeable activators of protein kinases A (PKA) and C (PKC), respectively. In oocytes expressing rabbit SGLT1 8-Br-cAMP increased by 28 +/- 4% (n = 10), and DOG decreased by 51 +/- 5% (n = 13) the maximum rate of Na+/glucose cotransport. These reversible changes in the maximum transport rate occurred within minutes, and were accompanied by proportional changes in the number of cotransporters in the membrane and area of the plasma membrane. This suggests that protein kinases regulate rabbit SGLT1 activity by controlling the distribution of transporters between intracellular compartments and the plasma membrane, and that this occurs by exo- and endocytosis. Similar increases in maximum transport were obtained with activation of PKA in oocytes expressing rabbit, human, and rat SGLT1 isoforms, but with activation of PKC the response was isoform-dependent. PKC activation decreased the maximum rate of transport by rabbit and rat SGLT1, but increased transport by human SGLT1. We conclude that: (i) the regulation of SGLT1 expression in oocytes by protein kinases occurs mainly by regulated endo- and exocytosis; (ii) it is independent of consensus phosphorylation sites in the transporter; and (iii) the effect of a given kinase depends upon the actual sequence of the cotransporter expressed. These considerations may also apply to the regulation of other cotransporters by protein kinases in oocytes, cells, and tissues.

Kinetic and specificity differences between rat, human, and rabbit Na+-glucose cotransporters (SGLT-1).

The Na+ activation and substrate specificity of human, rabbit, and rat Na+-glucose cotransporter (SGLT-1) isoforms were characterized using the Xenopus oocyte expression system and the two-electrode voltageclamp method. We find that there are differences, major and minor, in both the kinetics and substrate specificities between these isoforms; the substrate concentration at half-maximal current (K0.5) for hexoses varies from 0.2 to > 40 mM, depending on the species and sugar; the affinity constant (Ki) for phlorizin, the classic competitive inhibitor of SGLT-1, varies lover two orders of magnitude (rat Ki = 0.03 microM vs. rabbit Ki = 1.4 microM); and some glucoside inhibitors of the rabbit isoform, p-nitrophenyl glucose and beta-naphthyl glucose, are transported by the human and rat transporters. Na+ activation is more sensitive to membrane potential in the human and rat isoforms compared with rabbit. The rabbit isoform has a higher apparent affinity for alpha-methylglucose and 3-O-methylglucose by a factor of two than either human or rat. These results can be quantitatively fitted by our six-state kinetic model of SGLT-1, providing insight into the processes involved in these changes. For example, the model predicts that Na+ binding (rate constant, k12) in human and rat SGLT-1 is similar but is fourfold larger than in rabbit, whereas sugar binding (k23) in rabbit and rat is similar but double the value in human SGLT-1. The differences in the primary amino acid sequences between these three homologous proteins must account for the kinetic and substrate specificity differences, and comparisons of the functional properties and amino acid sequences of SGLT-1 isoforms provide useful information about structure/function relationships.

Kinetics of Steady-state Currents and Charge Movements Associated with the Rat Na+/Glucose Cotransporter

The rat Na+/glucose cotransporter (SGLT1) was expressed in Xenopus oocytes and steady-state and transient currents were measured using a two-electrode voltage clamp. The maximal glucose induced Na(+)-dependent inward current was approximately 300-500 nA. The apparent affinity constants for sugar (alpha-methyl-D-glucopyranoside; alpha MDG) (K alpha MDG 0.5) and sodium (KNa0.5) at a membrane potential of -150 mV were 0.2 mM and 4 mM. The KNa0.5 increased continuously with depolarizing potentials reaching 40 mM at -30 mV, K alpha MDG 0.5 was steeply voltage dependent, 0.46 mM at -30 mV and 1 mM at -10 mV. From all tested monovalent cations only Li+ could substitute for Na+, but with lower affinity. The relative substrate specificity was D-glucose > alpha MDG approximately D-galactose > 3-O-Me-Glc >> beta-naphthyl-D-glucoside >> uridine. Phlorizin (Pz), the specific blocker of sugar transport, showed an extremely high affinity for the rat cotransporter with an inhibitor constant (KPzi) of 12 nM. SGLT1 charge movements in the absence of sugar were fitted by the Boltzmann equation with an apparent valence of the movable charge of approximately 1, a potential for 50% maximal charge transfer (V0.5) of -43 mV, and a maximal charge (Qmax) of 9 nanocoulombs. The apparent turnover number for the rat SGLT1 was 30 s-1. Model simulations showed that the kinetics of the rat SGLT1 are described by a six-state ordered nonrapid equilibrium model, and comparison of the kinetics of the rat, rabbit and human cotransporters indicate that they differ mainly in their presteady-state kinetic parameters.

The high affinity Na+/glucose cotransporter. Re-evaluation of function and distribution of expression.

We report the primary structure, functional characterization, and tissue distribution of the high affinity Na+/glucose cotransporter SGLT1 from rat kidney. Rat SGLT1 (665 amino acid residues) is 86-87% identical to SGLT1 from rabbit, pig, and human. High stringency Northern analysis demonstrated that SGLT1 is strongly expressed in small intestine and at lower levels in kidney, liver, and lung. In situ hybridization performed on kidney sections revealed that SGLT1 is predominantly present in S3 segments of the proximal tubule. In small intestine, SGLT1 message was located in cells of the lower two-thirds of intestinal villi. Expression of rat SGLT1 in Xenopus oocytes resulted in a large Na(+)-dependent uptake of [14C]-alpha-methyl-D-glucopyranoside (alpha MeGlc). Overall, the transport characteristics were similar to those of rabbit SGLT1. High affinity Na+/glucose cotransport in membrane vesicles was previously shown to be coupled to the cotransport of two Na+ ions (Turner, R. J., and Moran, A. (1982) J. Membr. Biol. 70, 37-45). Previous kinetic analysis of rat and rabbit SGLT1, however, demonstrated between second and first order dependence of sugar uptake on extracellular Na+ concentration, suggesting the existence of Na(+)-binding sites with different affinities. Here, we directly compared the initial rates of the alpha MeGlc uptake with alpha MeGlc-induced inward currents as an indicator of the Na+ flux. This analysis clearly revealed a Na+ to glucose coupling ratio of 2:1. In summary, our data provide important insights into the function and tissue distribution of the high affinity Na+/glucose cotransporter SGLT1 and clarify its role in the reabsorption mechanism of D-glucose in the kidney.