Insulin modifies the properties of glucose transporters in rat brown adipose tissue

The properties of glucose transporters associated with plasma and microsomal membranes have been studied in brown adipose tissue of rats after treatment by saline infusion or hyperinsulinaemic/euglycaemic clamp. In this tissue, insulin produces a 40-fold increase in glucose utilization as measured by the 2-deoxy-D-glucose technique, and therefore a 40-fold increase in the rate-limiting glucose transport. This increase, promoted by insulin, is associated with: (a) translocation of the transporters from a pool associated with the microsomal fraction to the plasma membrane without modification of the total number of transporters; (b) an increase in the Hill coefficient of the plasma-membrane glucose transporters for cytochalasin B from 1.1 to 2.5, indicating the presence of positive co-operativity; (c) a decrease in the Kd (apparent dissociation constant) of the transporters towards cytochalasin B from 148 to 82 nM; (d) no change in the Hill coefficient or Kd for the transporters associated with the microsomal membranes. These data indicate that, in addition to causing translocation of the glucose transporters, insulin modifies their properties and behaviour towards cytochalasin B. This may reflect modifications in their properties and behaviour towards glucose, and by this contribute to bringing about the marked effect of this hormone on glucose transport in brown adipose tissue.