Regulation of glucagon-like peptide-I receptor expression and transcription by the protein kinase C pathway

Glucagon-like peptide-I (GLP-I) is an important insulinotropic incretin hormone. The GLP-I receptor belongs to the family of seven transmembrane domain receptors. We studied the regulation of its expression by the protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent pathway in rat insulinoma RINm5F cells. Cells were incubated for 3, 6 and 24 h with an optimal concentration of tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), an activator of PKC. TPA induced significantly lower GLP-I receptor mRNA levels under steady-state conditions after 6 and 24 h. The stability of the GLP-I receptor mRNA was unchanged. The number of GLP-I receptors present on RINm5F cells was reduced after 6 and 24 h. TPA did not influence the affinity of remaining receptors to its specific ligand. These data indicate that PKC activation downregulates the expression of the GLP-I receptor gene, mainly at the transcriptional level.