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Molecular and Cellular Biology, December 2005, p. 10803-10814, Vol. 25, No. 24
0270-7306/05/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/MCB.25.24.10803-10814.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Steen Gammeltoft,3
Pietro Formisano,1 and
Francesco Beguinot1*
Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare & Istituto di Endocrinologia ed Oncologia Sperimentale del CNR, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy,1 Istituto di Biostrutture e Bioimmagini del CNR, Naples, Italy,2 Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Glostrup Hospital, DK 2600 Glostrup, Denmark3
Received 31 July 2005/ Accepted 19 September 2005
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43) exhibited normal
autophosphorylation and IRS-1/2 tyrosine phosphorylation. The L6 cells
expressing IR
43 (L6IR
43) also
showed no insulin effect on glucose uptake and glycogen synthase,
accompanied by a >80% decrease in insulin induction of
3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK-1) activity and
tyrosine phosphorylation and of protein kinase B (PKB) phosphorylation
at Thr308. Insulin induced the phosphatidylinositol 3
kinase-dependent coprecipitation of PDK-1 with wild-type IR
(IRWT), but not IR
43. Based on overlay
blotting, PDK-1 directly bound IRWT, but not
IR
43. Insulin-activated IRWT, and not
IR
43, phosphorylated PDK-1 at tyrosines 9, 373, and
376. The IR C-terminal 43-amino-acid peptide (C-terminal peptide)
inhibited in vitro PDK-1 tyrosine phosphorylation by the IR.
Tyr
Phe substitution prevented this inhibitory action. In the
L6hIR cells, the C-terminal peptide
coprecipitated with PDK-1 in an insulin-stimulated fashion. This
peptide simultaneously impaired the insulin effect on PDK-1
coprecipitation with IRWT, on PDK-1 tyrosine
phosphorylation, on PKB phosphorylation at Thr308, and on
glucose uptake. Upon insulin exposure, PDK-1 membrane persistence was
significantly reduced in L6IR
43 compared to control
cells. In L6 cells expressing IRWT, the C-terminal peptide
also impaired insulin-dependent PDK-1 membrane persistence. Thus, PDK-1
directly binds to the insulin receptor, followed by PDK-1 activation
and insulin metabolic
effects. |
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In the present work, we have analyzed the mechanism of PDK-1 activation by insulin in L6 skeletal-muscle cells expressing a C-terminally truncated insulin receptor. We show that in response to insulin, PDK-1 directly binds to the insulin receptor C terminus and is tyrosine phosphorylated by the insulin receptor kinase. These events are necessary for activation of glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis by insulin.
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(no. 06-544) and ß (no. 06-492)
subunits, IRS-1, IRS-2, phospho-Thr308 Akt1/PKB
,
and phosphotyrosine were purchased from Upstate Biotechnology (Lake
Placid, NY). Akt1/2 and ERK1 antibodies were from Santa Cruz
Biotechnology (Santa Cruz, CA). Phospho-Ser473 Akt was
obtained from Cell Signaling Technology (Beverly, MA). Protein
A-Sepharose beads were purchased from Pierce (Rockford, IL), sodium
dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) reagents
from Bio-Rad (Richmond, VA), and radiochemicals and Western blotting
and enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) reagents from Amersham Biosciences
(Arlington Heights, IL). All other chemicals were from Sigma (St.
Louis, MO). The pco11 expression vector containing the cDNA of the
truncated human insulin receptor and the pcDNA3 expression vector
containing the FLAG epitope were generously donated by D. Accili
(Columbia University) and A. Leonardi (Federico II University of
Naples, Naples, Italy). The pCEFL vector encoding the myristilated p110
PI 3-K subunit was generously donated by M. Chiariello (IEOS, CNR,
Naples, Italy). Amino acids, resins, and reagents for peptide synthesis
and purification were from Novabiochem (Laufelfingen,
Switzerland) and Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis,
MO). Cell culture and transfection and cloning of the FLAG43 peptide. The L6 cell clone expressing 3.2 x 103 wild-type human insulin receptors (L6hIR) has been previously characterized and reported (6). The cells were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum, 100 IU/ml penicillin, 100 IU/ml streptomycin, and 2% L-glutamine in a humidified CO2 incubator, as described by Caruso et al. (6).
The pco11
expression vector containing the cDNA of the truncated human insulin
receptor was stably transfected in L6 parental myoblasts using the
Lipofectamine method according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Individual G418-resistant clones were selected by the limiting-dilution
technique (G418 effective dose, 0.8 mg/ml). The expression of the
truncated human insulin receptor by the individual clones was
quantitated by equilibrium 125I-insulin binding as described
previously (17) and
confirmed by Western blotting with insulin receptor
-subunit
antibodies.
The cDNA encoding amino acids 1340 to 1382 of the insulin receptor COOH terminus was obtained by PCR amplification using the oligonucleotides 5'-GAAGGATCCGCGGGGGGCCGGGAT-3'and 5'-CCGCTTAAGTTAGGAAGGATTGGA-3'and introducing BamHI and EcoRI sites, respectively, at the 5' and the 3' end sites. The PCR product was digested with BamHI and EcoRI and cloned into the BamHI and EcoRI sites of the pcDNA3-FLAG expression vector containing the Ampr selectable marker (FLAG43 cDNA). Transient transfection of the construct was performed the by the Lipofectamine method according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Western blot analysis and immunoprecipitation and overlay blot procedures. For Western blot analysis and immunoprecipitation and overlay blot procedures, cells were solubilized in lysis buffer (50 mM HEPES, pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, 10 mM EDTA, 10 mM Na2P2O7, 2 mM Na3VO4, 100 mM NaF, 10% glycerol, 1% Triton X-100, 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonylfluoride, 10 µg/ml aprotinin) for 2 h at 4°C. Cell lysates were clarified by centrifugation at 5,000 x g for 20 min, separated by SDS-PAGE, and transferred onto 0.45-µm Immobilon-P membranes (Millipore, Bedford, MA). Upon incubation with primary and secondary antibodies, immmunoreactive bands were detected by ECL according to the manufacturer's instructions. Cell lysate immunoprecipitations were accomplished as previously described (16).
Insulin receptors were partially purified by wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) affinity chromatography, and the insulin receptor number in the eluates was determined as described previously (18). Overlay blotting with biotinylated PDK-1 was accomplished as reported previously (8). Filters were revealed by ECL and autoradiography.
PI 3-kinase and PDK-1 activities and PDK-1 phosphorylation. To assay PI 3-kinase activity, cells were stimulated with 100 nM insulin at 37°C for 5 and 30 min as indicated. The cells were then solubilized for 40 min at 4°C in 50 mM HEPES, pH 7.5, 150 mM NaCl, 10% glycerol, 1% NP-40, 10 mM EDTA, 10 mM Na4P2O7, 1 mM Na3VO4, 10 µg/ml aprotinin, 10 µg/ml leupeptin, 100 mM NaF, 1 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride (TAN buffer). Aliquots of the lysates were precipitated with phosphotyrosine antibodies coupled to protein A-Sepharose for 2 h at 4°C. PI 3-kinase activity was determined in the immunoprecipitates by measuring PIP3 production as described previously (15).
To assay PDK-1 activity, cells were solubilized in 50 mM Tris, pH 7.5, 0.1% Triton X-100, 1 mM EDTA, 1 mM EGTA, 50 mM NaF, 10 mM sodium glycerophosphate, 5 mM Na4P2O7, 1 mM Na3VO4, 0.1% 2-mercaptoethanol, 1 µM microcystin LR, 0.2 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, 25 µg/ml aprotinin (extraction buffer). Cell lysates were clarified by centrifugation at 5,000 x g for 20 min and immunoprecipitated with PDK-1 antibodies. PDK-1 activity was then assayed in the immunoprecipitates by measuring phosphorylation of the PDKtide substrate using the Upstate Biotechnology kit (Charlottesville, VA; kit no. 14-280) according to the manufacturer's instructions. PDK-1 catalytic competence was further determined by assaying autophosphorylation at Ser241. In these measurements, cells were solubilized and Western blotted with specific pospho-Ser241-PDK-1 antibodies as outlined above.
To analyze the phosphorylation of PDK-1 in vitro, the cells were solubilized with TAT buffer (42) and precipitated with PDK-1 antibodies. The precipitated PDK-1 was incubated with protein A-Sepharose for 2 h at 4°C and further incubated with insulin receptors (250 fmol/assay). Phosphorylation reactions were initiated by adding 2 mM CTP, 2 µM ATP, 10 mM HEPES, pH 7.4, 0.02% Triton X-100, 5 mM MnCl2, 7 mM MgCl2 (final concentrations) and prolonged for 30 min at 22°C. The phosphorylated proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE and analyzed by Western blotting with phosphotyrosine antibodies.
Effects of in vivo insulin treatment on PDK-1 signaling. For the experiments, C57/BL6 mice fasted overnight and then were injected intraperitoneally with insulin (0.15 U/g body weight) or an equal volume of saline. After 5 min, the animals were sacrificed by decapitation, and gastrocnemius muscles and epidydimal fat pads were quickly dissected and frozen in liquid nitrogen. The tissues were weighed, finely pulverized, and stored at 80°C as described previously (42). These preparations were used for studying PDK-1 coprecipitation with insulin receptors as described above.
Thymidine incorporation, 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake, and glycogen synthase activity.
Thymidine incorporation was
determined as previously reported
(18). Briefly,
L6hIR and L6
43 cells were
seeded in six-well plates and, 18 h later, incubated in
Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 0.25% bovine serum
albumin. The cells were subsequently maintained for 16 h in
the absence or the presence of 100 nM insulin, followed by the addition
of 500 nCi/ml [3H]thymidine. After four more hours, the
cells were rinsed with ice-cold 0.9% NaCl, precipitated with 20%
trichloroacetic acid, and solubilized with 1 N NaOH. The radioactivity
incorporated into the nuclei was finally quantitated by liquid
scintillation counting.
For determining 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) uptake, cells were maintained in glucose-free buffer (25 mM HEPES, pH 7.4, 125 mM NaCl, 5 mM KCl, 2.5 mM MgCl2, 1 mM CaCl2, 0.25% bovine serum albumin) for 3 h, followed by stimulation with 100 nM insulin for 30 min and incubation in glucose-free buffer containing 2-DG (final concentration, 0.15 mM) and 0.5 µCi/assay [14C]2-DG for ten more min (5). The cells were solubilized, and 2-DG uptake was determined by liquid scintillation counting.
Glycogen synthase activity was determined as previously
described (5). Briefly,
L6hIR and L6
43 myotubes were incubated
in HEPES buffer for 3 h, stimulated with 100 nM insulin,
resuspended in 10 mM EDTA, and then sonicated for 10 s at 300
W. After centrifugation for 10 min at 2,000 x g, the
supernatants were added to a reaction mixture containing 40 mM
Tris-HCl, pH 7.8, 25 mM NaF, 20 mM EDTA, 10 mg/ml glycogen, 7.2 mM
UDP-glucose, and 0.05 mCi [14C]UDP-glucose in the absence or
the presence of 6.7 mM glucose 6-phosphate at 30°C. Twenty
minutes later, the reaction was terminated by spotting the mixture on
P81 phosphocellulose filters and precipitation with ice-cold ethanol.
Filter-precipitated radioactivity was quantitated by liquid
scintillation.
Purified plasma membrane preparations. Purified plasma membrane preparations were obtained as previously reported (37, 32), with slight modifications as in Caruso et al. (7). Briefly, the cells were washed in ice-cold phosphate-buffered saline and homogenized in 500 µl of ice-cold fractionation buffer (20 mM HEPES-NaOH, pH 7.4, 250 mM sucrose, 25 mM sodium fluoride, 1 mM sodium pyrophosphate, 0.1 mM sodium orthovanadate, 2 µM microcystin LR, 1 mM benzamidine) by passing them 10 times through a 22-gauge needle. Subcellular fractionation was performed by differential centrifugation as described previously (32, 37). This fractionation procedure, which separates membrane fractions on the basis of differential centrifugation, generates four membrane fractions. Based on Western blotting, the cell surface markers transferrin receptor, 5'-nucleotidase, and Na-K/ATPase selectively localized to the plasma membrane fraction.
Peptide synthesis.
The 43-residue
C-terminal domain of IR (fragment 1340 to 1382) and the
Y
F-mutated peptide were prepared in the N-terminal acetylated
form by solid-phase peptide synthesis, following standard
9-fluorenylmethoxy carbonyl (Fmoc) protocols
(13), and purified to
homogeneity by reverse-phase high-performance liquid
chromatography. Peptide purity and identity were assessed by liquid
chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The lyophilized peptide was
used in the assays without further manipulation after dissolution in
the indicated
buffers.
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43.
We stably transfected the
human insulin receptor cDNA featuring a 43-amino-acid deletion at the C
terminus (hIR
43) in the L6 skeletal-muscle cells.
Several individual clones of L6 cells expressing the
hIR
43 were selected, and four of these clones
(L6
43 cells; clones C1, C2, C8, and A3) were
studied in detail. Compared to the parental L6 cells, these clones
overexpressed the hIR
43 by 8- (C1, C2, and C8) and
12-fold (A3), respectively, above the expression level of endogenous
insulin receptors (Fig.
1A). L6 cells overexpressing wild-type human insulin receptors by eightfold
(L6hIR) were also analyzed. Insulin-dependent
autophosphorylation closely paralleled the insulin receptor levels in
these clones and in parental L6 cells, as well as in L6hIR
cells (Fig. 1B).
Insulin-dependent phosphorylation of IRS-1 and IRS-2 paralleled insulin
receptor levels in all of these cells, indicating that the
hIR
43 features preserved autophosphorylation and
phosphorylation of the major substrates in the L6 cells (Fig.
1C). The activation of
these early steps of the insulin signaling cascade was accompanied by
increased phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and incorporation of
[3H]thymidine by 4-fold in both the
hIR
43-expressing cells and the L6hIR
cells and by 2.5-fold in the parental untransfected L6 cells (Fig.
2A and
B). However, insulin activation of 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake and
glycogen synthase in the L6
43 cells were reduced by
two- and fourfold compared to the L6 and the L6hIR cells,
respectively (Fig. 2C and
D).
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FIG. 1. Expression
of hIR 43 in L6 skeletal-muscle cells. (A)
Untransfected L6 myoblasts (L6) and myoblasts expressing 3 x
103 wild-type (Wt) (L6hIR)
(6) or carboxy-terminally
truncated insulin receptors (L6 43; clone A3, 4
x 103 insulin receptors/cell; clones C1, C2, and C8,
3.1 x 103 insulin receptors/cell) were solubilized,
and equal amounts of proteins (50 µg/sample) were analyzed by
Western blotting (WB) using IR -subunit antibodies as
described in Materials and Methods. The blots were revealed by ECL and
autoradiography. (B) The cells were stimulated with 100 nM
insulin for 5 min, as indicated, and lysates (200 µg of
protein/sample) were immunoprecipitated with insulin receptor
-subunit antibodies, followed by blotting with phosphotyrosine
antibodies (p-Tyr). (C) Alternatively, the cell lysates were
immunoprecipitated with IRS-1 or IRS-2 antibodies, followed by blotting
with phosphotyrosine, IRS-1, or IRS-2 antibodies, as indicated. The
blots were revealed by ECL and autoradiography. The autoradiographs
shown are representative of four (A) and three (B and C)
independent
experiments.
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FIG. 2. Insulin-proliferative
and metabolic actions in L6 43 cells. (A)
L6, L6hIR, and L6 43 myoblasts (clones
C1, C2, and C8) were stimulated with 100 nM insulin for 10 min as
indicated and then solubilized as described in Materials and Methods.
Cell lysates (50 µg of protein/sample) were subjected to
Western blotting (WB) with phospho-ERK (p-ERK1/2), followed by
reblotting with ERK (ERK 1/2) antibodies. Filters were revealed by ECL
and autoradiography. The autoradiographs shown are representative of
four independent experiments. (B to D) The cells were incubated with
100 nM insulin for 12 h (B) or 10 min (C and D) and
assayed for thymidine incorporation into nuclei,
2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake, or glycogen synthase activity as
described in Materials and Methods. The bars represent the mean values
plus standard deviations of data from three (B), five (C), and four
(D) independent experiments, each in
triplicate.
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43 cells.
To identify the molecular
events involved in the defective activation of glucose utilization in
the L6
43 cells, we compared PI 3-K activities in
L6
43 and in L6 and L6hIR cells, as PI
3-K is a major mediator conveying insulin signals to the glucose
utilization machinery. Furthermore, there is evidence that PI 3-K may
undergo activation upon binding to the insulin receptor C terminus, at
least in certain cell types
(25,
34,
41). However, we found no
significant difference in PI 3-K activity in the
L6
43 and L6hIR cells, whether in the
absence or in the presence of insulin (Fig.
3A).
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FIG. 3. hIR 43
signaling in L6 skeletal-muscle cells. (A and B) L6, L6hIR,
and L6 43 myoblasts (C1, C2, and C8 clones) were
stimulated with 100 nM insulin for 10 min (B) or the
indicated times (A) and then assayed for PI 3-K or PDK-1
activities as described in Materials and Methods. The bars represent
the mean values plus standard deviations of data from three
(A) and four (B) independent experiments, in
triplicate. (B, top) Alternatively, the cells were lysed and Western
blotted (WB) with specific phospho-Ser241 (p-Ser241)
antibodies. The blots were revealed by ECL and autoradiography. The
blot shown is representative of three independent experiments.
(C) The cells were exposed to 100 nM insulin for 10 min and
then solubilized as described in Materials and Methods. Cell lysates
(50 µg of protein/sample) were blotted with specific
phospho-threonine308-PKB antibodies
(p-Thr308-PKB) and then reblotted with
phospho-Ser473-PKB (p-Ser473-PKB)
antibodies. To ensure equal Akt transfer, the filters were further
blotted with PKB antibodies (PKB). The filters were revealed by ECL and
autoradiography. The autoradiographs shown are representative of four
independent
experiments.
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43 (Fig.
3B). Interestingly
however, insulin stimulation of PDK-1 was decreased by >80% in
L6
43 compared to control cells, accompanied by
almost complete inhibition of insulin-induced phosphorylation of PDK-1
at Ser241. Western blots with specific phospho-Akt/PKB
antibodies revealed that the impaired activation of PDK-1 in the
L6
43 cells was paralleled by an almost complete
lack of insulin phosphorylation of the Thr308 PDK-1 site on
Akt/PKB (Fig. 3C). Unlike
that of Thr308, insulin-induced phosphorylation of the
Ser473 residue of Akt/PKB was unchanged in the
L6
43 compared to the L6hIR cells.
Control blots with Akt/PKB antibodies revealed no difference in the
total Akt/PKB levels in these assays.
In L6hIR cells,
PDK-1 precipitation of the cell lysates, followed by blotting them with
phosphotyrosine antibodies, showed a 2.5-fold increase in tyrosine
phosphorylation of PDK-1 in response to insulin (Fig.
4A). As in the case of PDK-1 activity (not shown), the effect of insulin on
PDK-1 tyrosine phosphorylation was abolished by pretreating the cells
with the PI 3-K inhibitor LY294002, though not with the Src kinase
inhibitors PP1 and PP2. As previously reported in HEK293 cells
(30), in the L6 cells,
mutant PDK-1 featuring the substitution of Tyr9,
Tyr373, and Tyr376 or the simultaneous
replacement of these residues with Phe showed very little
phosphorylation in response to insulin (Fig.
4B). These decreased
phosphorylations were paralleled by >80%-reduced insulin
activation of 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake and glycogen synthase
(Fig. 4C and D).
Comparable expression levels for the wild-type and the mutant PDK-1
transfectants were achieved in the L6 cells, implying a major role of
PDK-1 tyrosine phosphorylation in the insulin metabolic effect.
Treatment of the cells with PDK-1 small interfering RNAs (siRNAs)
(43) decreased PDK-1 by
80% (data not shown) and simultaneously impaired insulin action on
glucose uptake and glycogen synthase, just as in cells expressing the
Tyr
Phe-substituted PDK-1 (Fig.
4C and D). Furthermore,
little tyrosine phosphorylation of PDK-1 was detected in
L6
43 cells, whether in the absence or in the
presence of insulin (Fig.
4E). Based on Western
blotting with specific phosphotyrosine PDK-1 antibodies, this decreased
phosphorylation was accompanied by grossly reduced phosphorylation at
Tyr9, Tyr373, and Tyr376 (Fig.
4F). The difference with
the tyrosine phosphorylation of PDK-1 occurring in cells expressing the
wild-type insulin receptor was accompanied by no change in the
expression levels of PDK-1 detected in the two cell types, indicating
that the insulin receptor C terminus is involved in insulin activation
and tyrosine phosphorylation of PDK-1 through a PI 3-K-dependent, but
Src-K-independent, mechanism.
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FIG. 4. Insulin
effect on PDK-1 tyrosine phosphorylation. (A and B) L6hIR
myoblasts (A) and L6 myoblasts expressing hemagglutinin
(HA)-tagged wild-type PDK-1or the indicated PDK-1 mutants (B)
were preincubated in the absence or the presence of LY294002 (100
µM for 15 min) or PP1 or PP2 (5 µM for 2 h).
Insulin (100 nM) was added to the incubation medium for another 10 min.
The cells were then solubilized, and equal amounts of proteins (200
µg) were precipitated (I.P.) with PDK-1 or HA antibodies, as
indicated, and Western blotted (WB) with either phosphotyrosine (p-Tyr)
or PDK-1 antibodies as described in Materials and Methods. The blots
were revealed by ECL and autoradiography. The autoradiographs shown are
representative of four (A) and three (B)
independent experiments. (C and D) L6 myoblasts expressing either the
wild type or the mutant PDK-1 or transfected with a specific PDK-1
siRNA were incubated with 100 nM insulin for 10 min and assayed for
2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake (left) and glycogen synthase
activity (right) as described in Materials and Methods. The bars
represent the mean values plus standard deviations of data from three
independent experiments, each in triplicate. (E and F)
L6hIR myoblasts were stimulated with insulin as in panel A
and solubilized, and cell proteins (200 µg) were precipitated
with PDK-1 antibodies, followed by Western blotting with
phosphotyrosine (p-Tyr) or PDK-1 antibodies (E) or with
specific pTyr9 or pTyr373/376 antibodies (F), as
indicated. The blots were revealed by ECL and autoradiography. The
autoradiographs shown are representative of four (E) and
three (F) independent
experiments.
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43 cells.
We then aimed at identifying the
molecular mechanisms leading to reduced insulin-dependent activation
and tyrosine phosphorylation of PDK-1 in the L6
43
cells, despite the normal PI 3-K activation. We have therefore
hypothesized that the ability of PDK-1 to translocate and/or to
localize in the plasma membrane is impaired in the
L6
43 cells. We stimulated the
L6
43 and the control cells with insulin for
different times and then blotted purified plasma membrane and cytosolic
fractions from these cells with PDK-1 antibodies (Fig.
5A and
B). In the absence of insulin, PDK-1 was mainly detected in the cytosolic
rather than in the plasma membrane fractions of these cells, with no
difference in the total levels in each of the two cell types. Upon
insulin incubation for 5 min, the plasma membrane content of PDK-1 was
significantly reduced in the L6
43 compared to both
the L6hIR and the L6 cells (P < 0.01). This
reduction corresponded to a similarly sized increase in the cytosolic
PDK-1 in the L6
43 cells. However, upon 30 min of
insulin stimulation, almost 80% of the total cellular PDK-1 was
localized in the plasma membrane in the control cells, while little
PDK-1 was present in plasma membranes from the L6
43
cells, as almost all of it was detected in the cytosol. In these same
experiments, the different plasma membrane persistence of PDK-1 upon
insulin stimulation was not accompanied by changes in the total levels
of PDK-1 in the two cell types (data not shown). At variance with
PDK-1, the translocation of Akt/PKB to the plasma membrane in response
to insulin occurred almost identically in both the control and the
L6
43 cells
(Fig. 5C and
D).
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FIG. 5. Insulin
effect on PDK-1 and Akt plasma membrane translocation in
L6 43 cells. L6, L6hIR, and
L6 43 myoblasts were incubated with 100 nM insulin
for the indicated times, followed by cell subfractionation as described
in Materials and Methods. Equal amounts of proteins (35 µg)
from the purified plasma membrane (Mem) or the cytosolic (Cyt)
fractions were then assayed by Western blotting (WB) with PDK-1
(A) or PKB (C) antibodies. The blots were revealed
by ECL and autoradiography and subjected to densitometric analysis. The
bars represent the mean values plus standard deviations of data from
four (B) and three (D) independent experiments.
Representative autoradiographs are also
shown.
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43 cells, we compared PDK-1
interaction with the insulin receptor in L6
43 and
L6hIR cells. To this end, the cells were
stimulated with insulin and cell lysates were immunoprecipitated with
IR antibodies and blotted with PDK-1 antibodies. In these experiments,
PDK-1 coprecipitated with insulin receptors in both L6hIR
and L6 cells
(Fig. 6A). The coprecipitation was enhanced by insulin. Similar to
tyrosine phosphorylation, PDK-1 coprecipitation with IR was almost
completely prevented by LY294002 pretreatment of the cells.
Interestingly, there was little PDK-1 coprecipitation with
hIR
43, whether in the absence or in the presence of
insulin. These differences in PDK-1 coprecipitation were
accompanied by no significant variations in the amounts of insulin
receptors precipitated from the L6
43 and the
control cells. In vivo, the administration of insulin also led to
IR-PDK-1 coprecipitation in lysates from mouse skeletal muscle
and adipose tissues (Fig.
6B). As in the L6 cells,
these coprecipitations were accompanied by insulin-stimulated tyrosine
phosphorylation of PDK-1.
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FIG. 6. PDK-1
interaction with the insulin receptor in L6 cells and in vivo.
(A) L6, L6hIR, and L6 43
myoblasts were preincubated with 100 µM LY294002 for 15 min;
100 nM insulin was added to the incubation medium for an additional 10
min, where indicated. The cells were then solubilized, and equal
amounts of proteins (200 µg) were immunoprecipitated (I.P.)
with IR -subunit antibodies, followed by Western blotting (WB)
with PDK-1 or IR -subunit antibodies. (B) Male
C57/BL6 mice fasted for 8 h and then were subjected to
intraperitoneal fast-acting insulin injection (0.15 IU/g). After 5 min,
the animals were sacrificed, followed by collection and processing of
gastrocnemius muscles and perigonadal fat pads as described in
Materials and Methods. The tissues were lysed, precipitated with
insulin receptor antibodies, and blotted with either PDK-1 or
phosphotyrosine (p-Tyr) antibodies. For control, aliquots of the
lysates were also directly blotted with IR -subunit or PDK-1
antibodies, as indicated. The blots were revealed by ECL and
autoradiography. The autoradiograph shown is representative of four
independent experiments. (C) (Left) wheat germ
agglutinin-purified insulin receptor preparations (25 µg of
proteins) were incubated with 100 nM insulin for 30 min as indicated
and then blotted on nitrocellulose filters. Alternatively (right),
immunoprecipitated insulin receptor -subunits from
insulin-stimulated L6hIR and L6 43 cells
were used. Filters were probed with biotinylated recombinant PDK-1 and
revealed by autoradiography. The
autoradiographs shown are representative of four independent experiments. (D)
L6hIR myoblasts were transiently transfected with a cDNA
encoding the p110 catalytic subunit of PI 3-K and incubated with 100 nM
insulin for 10 min, as indicated. The cells were then solubilized and
immunoprecipitated with insulin receptor antibodies, followed by
blotting with either PDK-1 or insulin receptor antibodies (top and
middle). For control, aliquots of the lysates were directly blotted
with PI 3-K antibodies (bottom). The blots were revealed by ECL and
autoradiography. The autoradiograph shown is representative of three
independent experiments. (E) Immunoprecipitated human insulin receptors
were blotted on nitrocellulose filters, and the blots were incubated
for another 10 min with either the phosphorylated 43 or the
Y F peptide, as indicated. The blots were then probed with
biotinylated recombinant PDK-1 and revealed by autoradiography. The
autoradiograph shown is representative of three independent
experiments.
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43 was probed.
Similar results were obtained using immunoprecipitated insulin
receptors (Fig. 6C,
right). PI3-K activation by insulin might be sufficient to induce PDK-1 binding to the IR C terminus. Alternatively, phosphorylation of the IR C-terminal tyrosines may also be necessary. To evaluate these possibilities, we first expressed the active PI3-K catalytic subunit in L6hIR cells. Consistent with previous reports (23), the constitutively active PI3-K increased intracellular phosphoinositide levels by >20-fold (data not shown). However, PDK-1 coprecipitation with the IR was unaffected in L6hIR cells expressing the constitutively active PI3-K (Fig. 6D).
We then
generated a synthetic peptide corresponding to the IR C-terminal 43
amino acids (amino acids 1340 to 1382;
43 peptide)
and used Sepharose-bound IR kinase to phosphorylate the peptide. Mass
spectrometry analysis revealed that peptide phosphorylation occurred at
tyrosines 1354 and 1360 (data not shown). In overlay blot assays, the
preincubation of immobilized IR with the phosphorylated peptide
inhibited the subsequent binding of PDK-1 (Fig.
6E). At variance, a
similar peptide featuring tyrosine 1354 and 1360 replacement with
phenylalanine (Y
F peptide) exhibited no such inhibitory
effect. It appeared, therefore, that phosphorylation of IR C-terminal
tyrosines is necessary to enable PDK-1 binding, while activation of
PI3-K is not sufficient. Furthermore, in vitro, insulin-activated
IR
43 induced no significant tyrosine
phosphorylation of L6 cell-immunoprecipitated PDK-1 (Fig.
7A). In this same experiment, insulin incubation of wild-type insulin
receptors, from either the L6 or the L6hIR cells, caused a
fivefold increase in PDK-1 phosphorylation. The different abilities of
IR
43 and wild-type IR to phosphorylate PDK-1 was
independent of the number of these receptors and of their
autophosphorylation levels, as well as of the amount of PDK-1, in the
assay. Addition to the phosphorylation reactions of the
43
phosphopeptide at increasing concentrations had no effect on IR
phosphorylation but caused a dose-dependent reduction of PDK-1
phosphorylation (Fig. 7B).
As in the case of PDK-1-IR interaction, the Y
F peptide
had no such effect.
![]() View larger version (23K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 7. In
vitro phosphorylation of PDK-1 by insulin receptor. (A)
L6hIR and L6 43 myoblasts were
solubilized, and insulin receptors were partially purified by wheat
germ agglutinin chromatography. Equal amounts of purified receptors
were then stimulated with 100 nM insulin for 10 min, as indicated, and
incubated with immunoprecipitated PDK-1 preparations from untransfected
L6 myoblasts as described in Materials and Methods. The proteins were
blotted with phosphotyrosine antibodies (P-Tyr), and the identities of
IR and PDK-1 bands were assessed by Mr and
confirmed by reblotting the filters with IR and PDK-1 antibodies, as
also shown on the bottom, to ensure equal amounts of PDK-1 in each
assay. The blots were revealed by ECL and autoradiography. The
autoradiographs shown are representative of four independent
experiments. WB, Western blotting; Wt, wild type. (B)
WGA-purified hIRs were stimulated with 100 nM insulin and incubated
with recombinant PDK-1 in the presence of the indicated concentrations
of either the 43 or the Y F peptide, as indicated. The
proteins were blotted with phosphotyrosine antibodies and revealed by
ECL and autoradiography. Quantitation of the IR beta subunit (open
symbols) and PDK-1 bands (filled symbols) was achieved by laser
densitometry. The data points are the means ± standard
deviations of four independent experiments. Mut, mutant; WT, wild
type.
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43 may determine the reduced cell surface
accumulation of PDK-1 upon insulin stimulation and its faster cytosolic
retrotranslocation. To test this further hypothesis, we generated a
FLAG-tagged cDNA encoding amino acids 1340 to 1382 of the insulin
receptor COOH terminus. Upon transfection in L6hIR cells,
this cDNA expressed a peptide corresponding to the 43-amino-acid
C-terminal fragment, which is truncated in IR
43
(FLAG43 peptide). By Western blotting with FLAG antibodies, this
peptide was detected as a 5-kDa band, while FLAG alone was undetectable
(Fig.
8A). Precipitation of insulin-exposed cells expressing the
FLAG43 peptide with PDK-1 antibodies, followed by blotting with FLAG
antibodies, revealed PDK-1 coprecipitation with the FLAG43 peptide
(Fig. 8B). No PDK-1
coprecipitation occurred in lysates from unstimulated cells. No
coprecipitation was detected in cells expressing FLAG alone, whether in
the absence or the presence of insulin. Importantly, in lysates from
cells expressing the FLAG43 peptide, the insulin-induced
coprecipitation of PDK-1 with the wild-type insulin receptor was almost
threefold reduced compared to cells expressing FLAG alone (Fig.
8C), suggesting that the
FLAG43 peptide displaced PDK-1 from the insulin receptor. Similar
results were obtained in L6 cells expressing only endogenous insulin
receptors (data not shown). Consistently, expression of the FLAG43
peptide reduced insulin-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of PDK-1 by
10-fold (Fig.
9A). Based on Western blotting with phosphospecific
antibodies, cells expressing the FLAG43 peptide also revealed a
>2-fold reduction in insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of
Akt/PKB at the Thr308, but not the Ser473, site
compared to the cells expressing FLAG alone (Fig.
9B). This reduced
phosphorylation was independent of the levels of Akt/PKB, indicating
that expression of the FLAG peptide may displace PDK-1 from the insulin
receptor, impairing PDK-1 phosphorylation and the subsequent
phosphorylation of Akt/PKB on Thr308. Consistently,
expression of the FLAG43 peptide in L6hIR cells reduced
insulin stimulation of 2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake to levels
comparable to those measured in the L6
43 cells
(Fig. 9C).
![]() View larger version (22K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 8. Expression
of FLAG43 peptide in L6 cells. (A) L6hIR cells
were transiently transfected with 5 µg of the pcDNA3-FLAG
expression vector encoding amino acids 1340 to 1382 of the insulin
receptor COOH terminus (FLAG43) or with the empty vector (FLAG). The
cells were stimulated with 100 nM insulin for 10 min as indicated and
then solubilized, and equal amounts of proteins (50 µg) were
blotted (WB) with FLAG antibodies. (B) Aliquots of the same
lysates (200 µg of proteins) were immunoprecipitated (I.P.)
with PDK-1 antibodies and blotted with FLAG antibodies. To ensure equal
amounts of PDK-1 in each sample, filters were reblotted with PDK-1
antibodies. (C) Alternatively, the cell lysates were
immunoprecipitated with IR -subunit antibodies, followed by
blotting with PDK-1 antibodies. The filters were further
blotted with IR -subunit antibodies to ensure equal amounts of
insulin receptor in each sample. The filters
were revealed by ECL and autoradiography. The autoradiographs shown are
representative of four (A and C) and three (B) independent
experiments.
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![]() View larger version (26K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 9. Effect
of FLAG43 peptide on PDK-1 activity and membrane translocation.
(A) L6 and L6hIR cells were transiently
transfected with 5 µg of the pcDNA3-FLAG expression vector
encoding amino acids 1340 to 1382 of the insulin receptor COOH terminus
(FLAG43) or with the empty vector (FLAG). The cells were stimulated
with 100 nM insulin for 10 min as indicated and then solubilized, and
equal amounts of proteins (200 µg) were immunoprecipitated
(I.P.) with PDK-1 antibodies and blotted (WB) with phosphotyrosine
antibodies (p-Tyr). To ensure equal amounts of PDK-1 in each sample,
filters were reblotted with PDK-1 antibodies. (B)
Alternatively, aliquots of the cell lysates (50 µg of proteins)
were directly blotted with specific antibodies to either the
Ser437 or the Thr308 residue of PKB
(p-Ser437- and p-Thr308-PKB). For
controls, the lysates were also reblotted with PKB antibodies. Filters
were revealed by ECL and autoradiography. The autoradiographs shown are
representative of three (A) and four (B)
independent experiments. (C) FLAG43- and FLAG-transfected
cells were incubated with 100 nM insulin for 10 min and assayed for
2-deoxy-D-glucose uptake as described in Materials and
Methods. The bars represent the mean values plus standard deviations
(SD) of data from three independent experiments, each in triplicate. (D
and E) Cells transfected with FLAG43 or the empty vector
were stimulated with 100 nM insulin for the indicated
times, followed by cell subfractionation as described in Materials and Methods. Equal
amounts of protein from the membrane (35 µg) or the cytosolic
(35 µg) fraction were then assayed by Western blotting with
PDK-1 antibodies. The blots were revealed by ECL and autoradiography
and quantitated by densitometric analysis. The autoradiographs shown in
panel D are from a representative experiment. The bars (E) represent
the means ± SD of four independent
experiments.
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43 cells, 5-min stimulation with insulin induced
a 25%-reduced plasma membrane translocation of PDK-1 in L6 cells
expressing the FLAG43 peptide compared to cells expressing
FLAG alone (Fig. 9D
and E). Furthermore, PDK-1 was no longer detected in the
plasma membranes of cells expressing the FLAG43 peptide after 30 min of
insulin stimulation. PDK-1 remained easily detectable in the control
cells, however. Similar results were obtained by comparing cells
expressing the FLAG43 peptide and the L6hIR cells (data not
shown), indicating that binding to the insulin receptor C terminus is
necessary to enable normal PDK-1 membrane localization and activation
in response to insulin. |
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Phe-substituted PDK-1 blocks insulin
stimulation of both glucose uptake and glycogen synthase in L6 cells,
like treatment with a specific PDK-1 siRNA. In the cell extracts from
these cells, insulin also induces the coprecipitation of insulin
receptors with PDK-1. The coprecipitation did not occur in cell
extracts expressing the hIR
43 C-terminally
truncated receptor, indicating that PDK-1 binds to the active insulin
receptor kinase and that the 43 C-terminal amino acids of the insulin
receptor are necessary for the binding to occur.
Consistent with
earlier findings in different
(26), though not all,
cell types (29), we have
also shown that the hIR
43 receptor is unable to
transduce the insulin stimulatory effect on glucose transport and
glycogen synthase in L6 cells while conveying proliferative stimuli. In
parallel, there was little insulin-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation
and activation of PDK-1 in L6 cells expressing
hIR
43 receptors. Thus, binding to the active
insulin receptor kinase is accompanied by PDK-1 tyrosine
phosphorylation and activation.
Src family tyrosine kinases have
been implicated in insulin signaling and shown to phosphorylate PDK-1
on tyrosine in certain cell types
(20,
30). However, Src kinases
do not mediate insulin action on PDK-1 tyrosine phosphorylation in L6
cells, as Src kinase inhibitors have no effect on PDK-1 phosphorylation
by insulin. The insulin receptor kinase itself appears to phosphorylate
on tyrosine and to activate PDK-1 in skeletal-muscle cells. In fact,
(i) as in the intact cells, the wild-type but not the
hIR
43 receptors bind and phosphorylate recombinant
PDK-1 in vitro, and (ii) a peptide corresponding to the 43-amino-acid
sequence of the insulin receptor C terminus (
43 peptide)
simultaneously prevents insulin receptor interaction and
phosphorylation of PDK-1 and PDK-1 activation, both in vitro and in
intact cells. The additional finding that the
43 peptide
coprecipitates with PDK-1 only in extracts from insulin-stimulated
cells indicates that PDK-1 interaction requires phosphorylation of the
insulin receptor C-terminal tyrosines. Indeed, we showed that (i)
Tyr
Phe substitution in the
43 peptide abolished its
ability to inhibit both the insulin-induced IR-PDK-1
interaction and PDK-1 tyrosine phosphorylation and (ii) the
43
peptide undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation by insulin (data not
shown).
Previous reports demonstrated that the binding of PI 3-K
lipids to the PH domain of PDK-1 targets PDK-1 to the plasma
membrane, enabling PDK-1 activation and glucose uptake
(2,
35,
39). How PDK-1 membrane
interaction affects kinase activity is poorly defined, however. As
previously demonstrated in other cells, we reported that blocking of PI
3-K in insulin-exposed L6 cells prevents PDK-1 membrane translocation
and activation. In addition to inducing PDK-1 activity, however, we
further showed that activated insulin receptors anchor the
membrane-targeted PDK-1 at the cell surface. Indeed, (i)
membrane-targeted PDK-1 in L6 cells expressing
hIR
43 receptors retrotranslocate to the cytosol
significantly faster than in cells expressing wild-type receptors, and
(ii) blocking of wild-type insulin receptor binding with the
43 peptide induces fast cytosolic translocation of PDK-1 in
insulin-stimulated L6 cells, accompanied by reduced insulin-stimulated
metabolic effects. When cells are exposed to multiple hormones in the
extracellular fluid, the persistence of PDK-1 in the membrane due to
activated insulin receptors may prolong PDK-1 activity. Indeed, PDK-1
activation in response to platelet-derived growth factor shows a
shorter time course in L6 cells expressing hIR
43
than in cells expressing wild-type receptors (data not shown). Thus,
PDK-1 membrane anchoring by the insulin receptor may also affect
response to hormones other than insulin.
Mutants of PDK-1 unable
to translocate to the plasma membrane prevent membrane recruitment and
subsequent activation of Akt/PKB in insulin-stimulated cells
(2). Based on this
finding, it has been proposed that PDK-1 recruits Akt/PKB to the plasma
membrane, where the activation of Akt/PKB occurs
(14). However, in L6
cells expressing hIR
43 receptors, Akt/PKB normally
translocates following insulin exposure, despite the lack of PDK-1
activation and the reduced presence of PDK-1 in the membrane. It is
possible that insulin activation of the endogenous receptors in the
hIR
43 transfectants is sufficient to allow maximal
translocation of Akt/PKB. Alternatively, PI 3-K and/or PDK-2 activation
may be sufficient for Akt/PKB recruitment in the
hIR
43-transfected cells. Indeed, previous studies
by Williams et al. (45)
demonstrated that, in cells lacking PDK-1, growth factor-stimulated
phosphorylation of Akt/PKB on Thr308 did not occur, but
phosphorylation of Ser473 still remained intact.
Consistently, insulin-dependent phosphorylation of Ser473
was unaffected in the hIR
43-transfected
cells.
In conclusion, we report, for the first time that the insulin receptor kinase binds to and tyrosine phosphorylates PDK-1 in response to insulin (thereby activating PDK-1). Membrane anchoring of PDK-1 through the C-terminal 1340-to-1382 region of the insulin receptor is a crucial step in insulin metabolic action in skeletal-muscle cells and may affect PDK-1 signaling in response to other hormones as well.
We also thank D. Liguoro (IEOS, CNR) for technical help.
Present
address: Mammalian Cell Technology, Novo Nordisk A/S, DK 2880
Bagsvaerd, Denmark. ![]()
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are necessary for insulin stimulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex
activity in muscle and liver cells. J. Biol.
Chem.
276:45088-45097.
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