Class II phosphoinositide 3-kinase is activated by insulin but not by contraction in skeletal muscle

While the role of the class IA phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) in insulin signaling is well established, little is known about the role of the class II PI 3-kinases. We show that insulin stimulation of intact rat soleus and epitrochlearis muscles causes a 3- to 4-fold increase in the activity of the wortmannin-resistant alpha isoform of the class II PI 3-kinase (PI3K-C2alpha). This activation is rapid and parallels the insulin-induced activation of the class IA PI 3-kinase associated with IRS-1 in these muscles. However, while contraction activated p38 Map kinase, it did not stimulate the activity of the class II PI 3-kinase. Therefore, activation of class II PI 3-kinase is unlikely to provide a mechanism that explains the fact that exercise-induced activation of glucose uptake is not blocked by wortmannin. However, the results suggest that activation of class II PI 3-kinase is likely to play a role in insulin signaling pathways in skeletal muscle.