Insulin induces translocation of GLUT-4 glucose transporters in human skeletal muscle

Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of glucose transport into human muscle is necessary to unravel possible defects in glucose uptake associated with insulin resistance in humans. Here we report a strategy to subfractionate human skeletal muscle biopsies (0.5 g) removed from vastus lateralis during a euglycemic insulinemic clamp procedure. A sucrose gradient separated total membranes into five fractions. Fraction 25 (25% sucrose) contained the plasma membrane markers alpha 1- and alpha 2-subunits of the Na(+)-K(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase and the GLUT-5 hexose transporter, recently immunolocalized to the cell surface of human skeletal muscle. The dihydropyridine receptor, a transverse tubule marker, was present exclusively in this fraction. The GLUT-4 glucose transporter was more concentrated in fraction 27.5 (27.5% sucrose) and largely diminished in plasma membrane markers. Open skeletal muscle biopsies were removed before and 30 min after clamping insulin to 550 pM. This increased GLUT-4 protein by 1.61-fold in fraction 25 and lowered it by 50% in fraction 27.5. Thus physiological concentrations of insulin induce translocation of glucose transporters from an internal membrane pool to surface membranes in human skeletal muscle.