A role for Raf-1 in the divergent signaling pathways mediating insulin-stimulated glucose transport

Downstream mediators of insulin signaling are thought to include multiple cytoplasmic serine/threonine kinases such as the product of the cellular proto-oncogene c-raf-1. To investigate a role for the Raf-1 protein kinase in insulin-stimulated glucose transport, a gene encoding an oncogenically activated Raf-1 mutant was introduced into 3T3-L1 fibroblasts by retroviral gene transfer. Expression of activated Raf-1 in differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes markedly increases hexose uptake compared to control adipocytes or those infected with the retroviral vector. Basal 2-deoxyglucose uptake in adipocytes expressing activated Raf-1 is approximately 40-fold higher than in parental adipocytes, and insulin further increases uptake about 1.2-fold. As determined by the plasma membrane "sheet" assay, Raf-1-expressing adipocytes contain greatly elevated levels of the ubiquitous glucose transporter (GLUT1) on the cell surface in the absence or presence of insulin. Total cellular GLUT1 protein is increased about 5-fold. In contrast, activated Raf-1 affects neither the expression of the "insulin-responsive" glucose transporter (GLUT4) nor its cellular distribution; GLUT4 is virtually undetectable on the plasma membrane in the absence of insulin and translocates normally following the addition of hormone. These data suggest that activation of Raf-1 mediates the chronic effect of insulin on hexose uptake but is not sufficient for the rapid translocation of GLUT4. Moreover, the differential effects of activated Raf-1 expression on the two transporter isoforms define divergent signaling pathways by which insulin regulates glucose transport in cultured adipocytes.