Journal of Biological Chemistry
Volume 277, Issue 52, 27 December 2002, Pages 50230-50236
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MECHANISMS OF SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION
Mechanism by Which Fatty Acids Inhibit Insulin Activation of Insulin Receptor Substrate-1 (IRS-1)-associated Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Activity in Muscle*

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Recent studies have demonstrated that fatty acids induce insulin resistance in skeletal muscle by blocking insulin activation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1)-associated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase). To examine the mechanism by which fatty acids mediate this effect, rats were infused with either a lipid emulsion (consisting mostly of 18:2 fatty acids) or glycerol. Intracellular C18:2 CoA increased in a time-dependent fashion, reaching an ∼6-fold elevation by 5 h, whereas there was no change in the concentration of any other fatty acyl-CoAs. Diacylglycerol (DAG) also increased transiently after 3–4 h of lipid infusion. In contrast there was no increase in intracellular ceramide or triglyceride concentrations during the lipid infusion. Increases in intracellular C18:2 CoA and DAG concentration were associated with protein kinase C (PKC)-θ activation and a reduction in both insulin-stimulated IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation and IRS-1 associated PI3-kinase activity, which were associated with an increase in IRS-1 Ser307 phosphorylation. These data support the hypothesis that an increase in plasma fatty acid concentration results in an increase in intracellular fatty acyl-CoA and DAG concentrations, which results in activation of PKC-θ leading to increased IRS-1 Ser307 phosphorylation. This in turn leads to decreased IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation and decreased activation of IRS-1-associated PI3-kinase activity resulting in decreased insulin-stimulated glucose transport activity.

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Published, JBC Papers in Press, November 14, 2002, DOI 10.1074/jbc.M200958200

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This work was supported by Grants R01 DK-40936 and P30 DK-45735 from the National Institutes of Health and a Center grant to the Garvan Institute from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked “advertisement” in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

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Contributed equally to this work.

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Investigators of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.