Jacqueline Stöckli

Characterization of the Role of the Rab GTPase-activating Protein AS160 in Insulin-regulated GLUT4 Trafficking

Insulin stimulates the translocation of the glucose transporter GLUT4 from intracellular vesicles to the plasma membrane. In the present study we have conducted a comprehensive proteomic analysis of affinity-purified GLUT4 vesicles from 3T3-L1 adipocytes to discover potential regulators of GLUT4 trafficking. In addition to previously identified components of GLUT4 storage vesicles including the insulin-regulated aminopeptidase insulin-regulated aminopeptidase and the vesicle soluble N-ethylmaleimide factor attachment protein (v-SNARE) VAMP2, we have identified three new Rab proteins, Rab10, Rab11, and Rab14, on GLUT4 vesicles. We have also found that the putative Rab GTPase-activating protein AS160 (Akt substrate of 160 kDa) is associated with GLUT4 vesicles in the basal state and dissociates in response to insulin. This association is likely to be mediated by the cytosolic tail of insulin-regulated aminopeptidase, which interacted both in vitro and in vivo with AS160. Consistent with an inhibitory role of AS160 in the basal state, reduced expression of AS160 in adipocytes using short hairpin RNA increased plasma membrane levels of GLUT4 in an insulin-independent manner. These findings support an important role for AS160 in the insulin regulated trafficking of GLUT4.

Dynamic adipocyte phosphoproteome reveals that Akt directly regulates mTORC2.

Summary A major challenge of the post-genomics era is to define the connectivity of protein phosphorylation networks. Here, we quantitatively delineate the insulin signaling network in adipocytes by high-resolution mass spectrometry-based proteomics. These data reveal the complexity of intracellular protein phosphorylation. We identified 37,248 phosphorylation sites on 5,705 proteins in this single-cell type, with approximately 15% responding to insulin. We integrated these large-scale phosphoproteomics data using a machine learning approach to predict physiological substrates of several diverse insulin-regulated kinases. This led to the identification of an Akt substrate, SIN1, a core component of the mTORC2 complex. The phosphorylation of SIN1 by Akt was found to regulate mTORC2 activity in response to growth factors, revealing topological insights into the Akt/mTOR signaling network. The dynamic phosphoproteome described here contains numerous phosphorylation sites on proteins involved in diverse molecular functions and should serve as a useful functional resource for cell biologists.

Amplification and Demultiplexing in Insulin-regulated Akt Protein Kinase Pathway in Adipocytes

Background: Akt plays a major role in insulin regulation of metabolism. Results: Akt operates at 5–22% of its dynamic range. This lacks concordance with Akt substrate phosphorylation, GLUT4 translocation, and protein synthesis. Conclusion: Akt is a demultiplexer that splits the insulin signal into discrete outputs. Significance: This study provides better understanding of the Akt pathway and has implications for the role of Akt in diseases. Akt plays a major role in insulin regulation of metabolism in muscle, fat, and liver. Here, we show that in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, Akt operates optimally over a limited dynamic range. This indicates that Akt is a highly sensitive amplification step in the pathway. With robust insulin stimulation, substantial changes in Akt phosphorylation using either pharmacologic or genetic manipulations had relatively little effect on Akt activity. By integrating these data we observed that half-maximal Akt activity was achieved at a threshold level of Akt phosphorylation corresponding to 5–22% of its full dynamic range. This behavior was also associated with lack of concordance or demultiplexing in the behavior of downstream components. Most notably, FoxO1 phosphorylation was more sensitive to insulin and did not exhibit a change in its rate of phosphorylation between 1 and 100 nm insulin compared with other substrates (AS160, TSC2, GSK3). Similar differences were observed between various insulin-regulated pathways such as GLUT4 translocation and protein synthesis. These data indicate that Akt itself is a major amplification switch in the insulin signaling pathway and that features of the pathway enable the insulin signal to be split or demultiplexed into discrete outputs. This has important implications for the role of this pathway in disease.

Kinetic Evidence for Unique Regulation of GLUT4 Trafficking by Insulin and AMP-activated Protein Kinase Activators in L6 Myotubes

In L6 myotubes, redistribution of a hemagglutinin (HA) epitope-tagged GLUT4 (HA-GLUT4) to the cell surface occurs rapidly in response to insulin stimulation and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation. We have examined whether these separate signaling pathways have a convergent mechanism that leads to GLUT4 mobilization and to changes in GLUT4 recycling. HA antibody uptake on GLUT4 in the basal steady state reached a final equilibrium level that was only 81% of the insulin-stimulated level. AMPK activators (5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxyamide ribonucleoside (AICAR) and A-769662) led to a similar level of antibody uptake to that found in insulin-stimulated cells. However, the combined responses to insulin stimulation and AMPK activation led to an antibody uptake level of ∼20% above the insulin level. Increases in antibody uptake due to insulin, but not AICAR or A-769662, treatment were reduced by both wortmannin and Akt inhibitor. The GLUT4 internalization rate constant in the basal steady state was very rapid (0.43 min−1) and was decreased during the steady-state responses to insulin (0.18 min−1), AICAR (0.16 min−1), and A-769662 (0.24 min−1). This study has revealed a nonconvergent mobilization of GLUT4 in response to activation of Akt and AMPK signaling. Furthermore, GLUT4 trafficking in L6 muscle cells is very reliant on regulated endocytosis for control of cell surface GLUT4 levels.

Regulation of Glucose Transporter 4 Translocation by the Rab Guanosine Triphosphatase-Activating Protein AS160/TBC1D4: Role of Phosphorylation and Membrane Association

Insulin-stimulated translocation of the glucose transporter GLUT4 to the plasma membrane in muscle and fat cells depends on the phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase/Akt pathway. The downstream target AS160/TBC1D4 is phosphorylated upon insulin stimulation and contains a TBC domain (Tre-2/Bub2/Cdc16) that is present in most Rab guanosine triphosphatase-activating proteins. TBC1D4 associates with GLUT4-containing membranes under basal conditions and dissociates from membranes with insulin. Here we show that the association of TBC1D4 with membranes is required for its inhibitory action on GLUT4 translocation under basal conditions. Whereas the insulin-dependent dissociation of TBC1D4 from membranes was not required for GLUT4 translocation, its phosphorylation was essential. Many agonists that stimulate GLUT4 translocation failed to trigger TBC1D4 translocation to the cytosol, but in most cases these agonists stimulated TBC1D4 phosphorylation at T642, and their effects on GLUT4 translocation were inhibited by overexpression of the TBC1D4 phosphorylation mutant (TBC1D4-4P). We postulate that TBC1D4 acts to impede GLUT4 translocation by disarming a Rab protein found on GLUT4-containing-membranes and that phosphorylation of TBC1D4 per se is sufficient to overcome this effect, allowing GLUT4 translocation to the cell surface to proceed.

The Rab GTPase-Activating Protein TBC1D4/AS160 Contains an Atypical Phosphotyrosine-Binding Domain That Interacts with Plasma Membrane Phospholipids To Facilitate GLUT4 Trafficking in Adipocytes

ABSTRACT The Rab GTPase-activating protein TBC1D4/AS160 regulates GLUT4 trafficking in adipocytes. Nonphosphorylated AS160 binds to GLUT4 vesicles and inhibits GLUT4 translocation, and AS160 phosphorylation overcomes this inhibitory effect. In the present study we detected several new functional features of AS160. The second phosphotyrosine-binding domain in AS160 encodes a phospholipid-binding domain that facilitates plasma membrane (PM) targeting of AS160, and this function is conserved in other related RabGAP/Tre-2/Bub2/Cdc16 (TBC) proteins and an AS160 ortholog in Drosophila. This region also contains a nonoverlapping intracellular GLUT4-containing storage vesicle (GSV) cargo-binding site. The interaction of AS160 with GSVs and not with the PM confers the inhibitory effect of AS160 on insulin-dependent GLUT4 translocation. Constitutive targeting of AS160 to the PM increased the surface GLUT4 levels, and this was attributed to both enhanced AS160 phosphorylation and 14-3-3 binding and inhibition of AS160 GAP activity. We propose a model wherein AS160 acts as a regulatory switch in the docking and/or fusion of GSVs with the PM.

Cluster analysis of insulin action in adipocytes reveals a key role for Akt at the plasma membrane.

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway regulates many biological processes, including insulin-regulated GLUT4 insertion into the plasma membrane. However, Akt operates well below its capacity to facilitate maximal GLUT4 translocation. Thus, reconciling modest changes in Akt expression or activity as a cause of metabolic dysfunction is complex. To resolve this, we examined insulin regulation of components within the signaling cascade in a quantitative kinetic and dose-response study combined with hierarchical cluster analysis. This revealed a strong relationship between phosphorylation of Akt substrates and GLUT4 translocation but not whole cell Akt phosphorylation. In contrast, Akt activity at the plasma membrane strongly correlated with GLUT4 translocation and Akt substrate phosphorylation. Additionally, two of the phosphorylated sites in the Akt substrate AS160 clustered separately, with Thr(P)-642 grouped with other Akt substrates. Further experiments suggested that atypical protein kinase Cζ phosphorylates AS160 at Ser-588 and that these two sites are mutually exclusive. These data indicate the utility of hierarchical cluster analysis for identifying functionally related biological nodes and highlight the importance of subcellular partitioning of key signaling components for biological specificity.

Selective Insulin Resistance in Adipocytes

Background: Insulin resistance is an early risk factor for metabolic disease. Results: Using various insulin resistance models, insulin regulation of glucose metabolism was universally blunted, whereas other actions (protein synthesis and anti-lipolysis) were unimpaired. Conclusion: Insulin resistance is selective for glucose metabolism in adipocytes. Significance: Chronic hyperactivation of unaffected insulin action pathways in the context of the metabolic syndrome likely contributes to disease progression. Aside from glucose metabolism, insulin regulates a variety of pathways in peripheral tissues. Under insulin-resistant conditions, it is well known that insulin-stimulated glucose uptake is impaired, and many studies attribute this to a defect in Akt signaling. Here we make use of several insulin resistance models, including insulin-resistant 3T3-L1 adipocytes and fat explants prepared from high fat-fed C57BL/6J and ob/ob mice, to comprehensively distinguish defective from unaffected aspects of insulin signaling and its downstream consequences in adipocytes. Defective regulation of glucose uptake was observed in all models of insulin resistance, whereas other major actions of insulin such as protein synthesis and anti-lipolysis were normal. This defect corresponded to a reduction in the maximum response to insulin. The pattern of change observed for phosphorylation in the Akt pathway was inconsistent with a simple defect at the level of Akt. The only Akt substrate that showed consistently reduced phosphorylation was the RabGAP AS160 that regulates GLUT4 translocation. We conclude that insulin resistance in adipose tissue is highly selective for glucose metabolism and likely involves a defect in one of the components regulating GLUT4 translocation to the cell surface in response to insulin.

The RabGAP TBC1D1 Plays a Central Role in Exercise-Regulated Glucose Metabolism in Skeletal Muscle

Insulin and exercise stimulate glucose uptake into skeletal muscle via different pathways. Both stimuli converge on the translocation of the glucose transporter GLUT4 from intracellular vesicles to the cell surface. Two Rab guanosine triphosphatases-activating proteins (GAPs) have been implicated in this process: AS160 for insulin stimulation and its homolog, TBC1D1, are suggested to regulate exercise-mediated glucose uptake into muscle. TBC1D1 has also been implicated in obesity in humans and mice. We investigated the role of TBC1D1 in glucose metabolism by generating TBC1D1−/− mice and analyzing body weight, insulin action, and exercise. TBC1D1−/− mice showed normal glucose and insulin tolerance, with no difference in body weight compared with wild-type littermates. GLUT4 protein levels were reduced by ∼40% in white TBC1D1−/− muscle, and TBC1D1−/− mice showed impaired exercise endurance together with impaired exercise-mediated 2-deoxyglucose uptake into white but not red muscles. These findings indicate that the RabGAP TBC1D1 plays a key role in regulating GLUT4 protein levels and in exercise-mediated glucose uptake in nonoxidative muscle fibers.

Oligomeric resistin impairs insulin and AICAR-stimulated glucose uptake in mouse skeletal muscle by inhibiting GLUT4 translocation

The hormone resistin is elevated in obesity and impairs glucose homeostasis. Here, we examined the effect of oligomerized human resistin on insulin signaling and glucose metabolism in skeletal muscle and myotubes. This was investigated by incubating mouse extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus muscles and L6 myotubes with physiological concentrations of resistin and assessing insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, cellular signaling, suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS-3) mRNA, and GLUT4 translocation. We found that resistin at a concentration of 30 ng/ml decreased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by 30-40% in soleus muscle and myotubes, whereas in EDL muscle insulin-stimulated glucose uptake was impaired at a resistin concentration of 100 ng/ml. Impaired insulin-stimulated glucose uptake was not associated with reduced Akt phosphorylation or IRS-1 protein or increased SOCS-3 mRNA expression. To further investigate the site(s) at which resistin impairs glucose uptake we treated myotubes and skeletal muscle with the AMPK activator 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-4-ribofuranoside (AICAR) and found that, although resistin did not impair AMPK activation, it reduced AICAR-stimulated glucose uptake. These data suggested that resistin impairs glucose uptake at a point common to insulin and AMPK signaling pathways, and we thus measured AS160/TBC1D4 Thr(642) phosphorylation and GLUT4 translocation in myotubes. Resistin did not impair TBC1D4 phosphorylation but did reduce both insulin and AICAR-stimulated GLUT4 plasma membrane translocation. We conclude that resistin impairs insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by mechanisms involving reduced plasma membrane GLUT4 translocation but independent of the proximal insulin-signaling cascade, AMPK, and SOCS-3.