Searching for ways to upregulate GLUT4 glucose transporter expression in muscle

1. Skeletal muscle is a major glucose-utilizing tissue in the absorptive state and alterations in muscle insulin-stimulated glucose uptake lead to derangements in whole body glucose disposal. 2. Furthermore, muscle GLUT4 overexpression in transgenic animals ameliorates insulin resistance associated with obesity or diabetes, which suggests that increasing GLUT4 in muscle by pharmacological intervention may be an effective therapy in insulin-resistant states. 3. This highlights the importance of understanding the pathways that upregulate GLUT4 glucose transporter expression in muscle. 4. We review studies describing the regulation of GLUT4 and the information currently available on the mechanisms that control GLUT4 expression in muscle.