Normal insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity and glucose transporter (GLUT 4) levels in the skeletal muscle of hyperinsulinaemic hypertensive rats

• Published in: Diabetologia Vol. 35; no. 8; pp. 712 - 718
• Main Authors: BADER, S, SCHOLZ, R, KELLERER, M, TIPPMER, S, RETT, K, MATHAEI, S, FREUND, P, HÄRING, H. U
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01-08-1992
• Subjects: Adenosine Triphosphate - metabolism; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Hyperinsulinism - metabolism; Hypertension - metabolism; Insulin - analogs & derivatives; Insulin - blood; Insulin - metabolism; Insulin Resistance - physiology; Kinetics; Medical sciences; Monosaccharide Transport Proteins - metabolism; Muscles - metabolism; Phosphorylation; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Inbred Lew; Rats, Inbred SHR; Rats, Inbred WKY; Receptor, Insulin - isolation & purification; Receptor, Insulin - metabolism; Species Specificity; Endocrinopathy; Hypertension; Hyperinsulinemia; Rat; Enzyme; Pathogenesis; Biological transport; Rodentia; Cardiovascular disease; Glucose; Insulin; Conveyor; Vascular disease; Target tissue resistance; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Enzymatic activity; Kinase; Animal; Biological receptor
• ISSN: 0012-186X; 1432-0428
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00429089

The spontaneous hypertensive rat is an animal model characterized by a syndrome of hypertension, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia. To elucidate whether in analogy to other insulin resistant animal models an inactivity of the insulin receptor kinase or an alteration of the glucose transporter (GLUT 4) level in the skeletal muscle might contribute to the pathogenesis of insulin resistance we determined insulin receptor kinase activity and GLUT 4 level in the hindlimbs of spontaneous hypertensive rats and normotensive control rats. Normotensive normoinsulinaemic Lewis and Wistar rats were used as insulin sensitive controls, obese Zucker rats were used as an insulin resistant control with known reduced skeletal muscle insulin receptor kinase activity. Binding of 125I-insulin, crosslinking of 125I-B26-insulin, autophosphorylation in vitro with 32P-ATP and phosphorylation of the synthetic substrate Poly (Glu 4: Tyr 1) were performed after partial purification of solubilized receptors on wheat germ agglutinin columns. GLUT 4 levels were determined by Western blotting of subcellular muscle membranes. Insulin receptors from spontaneous hypertensive rats compared to those from Lewis and Wistar rats showed no difference of the binding characteristics or the in vitro auto- and substrate phosphorylation activity of the receptor, while in the Zucker rats the earlier described insulin receptor kinase defect was clearly evident. Western blots of subcellular muscle membrane fractions with antibodies against GLUT 4 revealed no difference in transporter levels. These data suggest that insulin resistance in spontaneous hypertensive rats is caused neither by an insulin receptor inactivity nor by a decreased number of glucose transporters in the skeletal muscle.