Subcellular sites of insulin hydrolysis in renal proximal tubules

The subcellular sites of insulin degradation as measured by trichloroacetic acid precipitation were defined for rabbit renal proximal tubule cells. Fractionation in linear sucrose gradients of the postnuclear supernates prepared from isolated proximal tubule segments revealed three pools of insulin hydrolytic activity. Insulin hydrolytic activity assayed at pH 3.5 distributed in the gradients in a manner nearly identical to the activity of the lysosomal enzymes, N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase and alpha-mannosidase. At pH 7.4 the insulin-degrading activity distributed in a bimodal fashion with the major component following the cytosolic enzyme, phosphoglucomutase, and the minor component nearly identically overlapping with the activity of the inner mitochondrial enzyme, cytochrome oxidase. Upon microperfusion of 125I-insulin through proximal straight nephron segments, metabolites of the hormone were not observed in the collected perfusates for six of eight experiments. Average values for percent intact insulin in the original and collected perfusates showed no significant difference. These data suggest that three potential sites for insulin hydrolysis are present in proximal tubule cells, including lysosomes, the cytosol, and mitochondria. The results do not support the concept of degradation occurring at the brush border or contraluminal membranes.