AJP - Cell Physiology, Vol 252, Issue 2 C163-C172, Copyright © 1987 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Cytosolic free calcium concentration and glucose transport in isolated cardiac myocytes

J. Y. Cheung, J. M. Constantine and J. V. Bonventre

The role of cytosolic free Ca2+ concentration, [Cai], in mediating insulin's stimulatory effect on glucose transport was investigated in isolated Ca2+-tolerant rat ventricular cells. Approximately 98% of glucose transport in isolated myocytes was inhibited by phloretin. Insulin-accelerated glucose transport by 50-115% over basal transport rate. Removal of extracellular Ca2+ had no effect on either the basal transport rate or insulin's stimulatory action, indicating that extracellular Ca2+ was not necessary for insulin's effect to be manifest. Addition of A23187 had no effect on glucose transport rate. Under basal conditions, [Cai] was 167 +/- 12 nM as measured by fura-2 fluorescence and 239 +/- 22 nM by null-point titration with arsenazo III. Loading cells with fura-2 did not affect basal glucose transport rates. In addition, the stimulatory effect of insulin on glucose transport was preserved in fura-2 loaded cells. In paired experiments, insulin did not increase [Cai] as measured by fura-2 fluorescence or null-point titration despite acceleration of glucose transport. In contrast, addition of KCl (40 mM) increased [Cai] from 168 +/- 30 to 287 +/- 51 nM and resulted in 50% reduction in glucose transport rate. In other experiments designed to control for the hyperosmolar effects of KCl, NaCl (40 mM) caused no change in [Cai] but also inhibited glucose transport rate by 50%. We conclude that an elevation in [Cai] is unlikely to be the intracellular signal mediating insulin's effect on glucose transport since insulin's stimulatory effect was not reduced by Ca2+ -free media, insulin had no detectable effect on [Cai], and elevation of [Cai] by KCl did not result in stimulation of glucose transport.

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