Antilipolytic action of insulin: role of cAMP phosphodiesterase activation

Exposure of 3T3-L1 adipocytes to 1 nM insulin for 10 min results in activation of particulate cAMP phosphodiesterase and suppression of lipolysis stimulated by 10 nM isoproterenol. When lipolysis was increased by cilostamide, a selective inhibitor of the particulate phosphodiesterase, the antilipolytic effect of insulin was not observed. Insulin did suppress lipolysis stimulated by Ro 20-1724, an inhibitor of soluble cAMP phosphodiesterase activity. Cilostamide did not interfere with insulin stimulation of glucose uptake, nor did it have any direct effect on cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Thus, inhibition of particulate but not soluble cAMP phosphodiesterase blocked the antilipolytic effect of insulin. Our findings support the idea that insulin inhibits lipolysis, perhaps in large part by activating particulate "low Km" cAMP phosphodiesterase, which seems to be functionally closely coupled with the hormone-sensitive lipase-regulatory system influencing primarily a pool of cAMP utilized by the relevant protein kinase.