[Recent data on the regulation of glucose transport and glucose transporters in insulin-sensitive tissues]

This review concerns the acute and long-term regulation of glucose transport. In insulin-sensitive tissues, the acute effect of insulin on this process occurs mainly through the translocation of glucose transport proteins (glucose transporters) from an intracellular pool to the plasma membrane. Some other factors are also able to modify acutely glucose transport by the translocation mechanism. However, recent data are reported which indicate that in addition, modifications of the glucose transporters activity are involved. The long-term regulation of the glucose transport capacity has been less studied. In different types of cultured cells, a role of two factors, glucose and insulin, has been clearly shown. The availability of cDNA probes encoding for glucose transporters, has given the opportunity to study the molecular regulation of glucose transport. However, it appears that different sub-types of glucose transport proteins exist which might be regulated in a specific manner depending on the cell-type and the regulatory factor. The existence of an insulin-sensitive glucose transporter is strongly suggested. The regulation of this protein, which could be specifically involved in insulin resistant physiopathological situations, remains to be studied.