Effects of hyperinsulinemia and hyperglycemia on insulin receptor function and glycogen synthase activation in skeletal muscle of normal man

Insulin receptor function, glycogen synthase activity, and activation by phosphatases were studied in biopsies of human skeletal muscle under conditions of hyperglycemia and/or hyperinsulinemia for 150 minutes. Twenty-one healthy volunteers underwent either (A) a hyperinsulinemic, euglycemic clamp (serum insulin, 160.0 ± 7.7 mU/L; plasma glucose, 4.9 ± 0.1 mmol/L; n = 9), (B) a hyperglycemic clamp during normoinsulinemia (serum insulin, 18.1 ± 3.3 mU/L; plasma glucose, 12.9 ± 0.2 mmol/L; n = 6), or (C) a combined hyperinsulinemic, hyperglycemic clamp (serum insulin, 158.3 ± 15.0 mU/L; plasma glucose, 11.4 ± 0.8 mmol/L; n = 6). During all studies, the endogenous insulin secretion was inhibited with somatostatin. Insulin binding and kinase activity of insulin receptors solubilized from vastus lateralis muscle biopsies were unaffected by hyperglycemia and/or hyperinsulinemia. Hyperinsulinemia activated the muscle glycogen synthase with a decrease in the half-maximal activation constant (A_0.5) for glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) from 0.53 ± 0.04 to 0.21 ± 0.02 mmol/L (study A, P < .02) and from 0.53 ± 0.06 to 0.19 ± 0.05 mmol/L (study C, P < .03). In addition, the rate of glycogen synthase activation by phosphatases increased from 0.078 ± 0.017 to 0.134 ± 0.029 U/min/mg protein (study A, P < .03) and from 0.082 ± 0.013 to 0.145 ± 0.033 U/min/mg protein (study C, P = .05). Hyperglycemia during normoinsulinemia did not affect A_0.5 or phosphatase activity. In conclusion, (1) hyperinsulinemia for 2 1 2 hours increases glycogen synthase activity and activation by phosphatases independently on the glycemia; and (2) insulin receptor binding and basal and insulin-stimulated receptor kinase activity are not modified during short-term hyperinsulinemia and/or hyperglycemia.