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PMID: 7593639 Published · ppublish English Comparative Study Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Human and rat beta cells differ in glucose transporter but not in glucokinase gene expression.

The Journal of clinical investigation ·Vol. 96 ·No. 5 ·1995-11-00 ·Pages 2489-95

De Vos A, Heimberg H, Quartier E, Huypens P, Bouwens L, Pipeleers D, Schuit F

Abstract

Glucose homeostasis is controlled by a glucose sensor in pancreatic beta-cells. Studies on rodent beta-cells have suggested a role for GLUT2 and glucokinase in this control function and in mechanisms leading to diabetes. Little direct evidence exists so far to implicate these two proteins in glucose recognition by human beta-cells. The present in vitro study investigates the role of glucose transport and phosphorylation in beta-cell preparations from nondiabetic human pancreata. Human beta-cells differ from rodent beta-cells in glucose transporter gene expression (predominantly GLUT1 instead of GLUT2), explaining their low Km (3 mmol/liter) and low VMAX (3 mmol/min per liter) for 3-O-methyl glucose transport. The 100-fold lower GLUT2 abundance in human versus rat beta-cells is associated with a 10-fold slower uptake of alloxan, explaining their resistance to this rodent diabetogenic agent. Human and rat beta-cells exhibit comparable glucokinase expression with similar flux-generating influence on total glucose utilization. These data underline the importance of glucokinase but not of GLUT2 in the glucose sensor of human beta-cells.

MeSH Terms
Animals Cells, Cultured Gene Expression Glucokinase/biosynthesis,genetics Glucose/metabolism Glucose Transporter Type 1 Glucose Transporter Type 2 Humans Islets of Langerhans/metabolism Monosaccharide Transport Proteins/biosynthesis,genetics Phosphorylation Rats
Chemicals
Glucose Transporter Type 1 Glucose Transporter Type 2 Monosaccharide Transport Proteins SLC2A1 protein, human Slc2a1 protein, rat Glucokinase Glucose
Authors & Affiliations
7 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
De Vos A
Diabetes Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
Heimberg H
Quartier E
Huypens P
Bouwens L
Pipeleers D
Schuit F
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Article Info
Journal
The Journal of clinical investigation
Abbr.
J Clin Invest
ISSN
0021-9738
DOI
10.1172/JCI118308
Published
1995-11-00
Pages
2489-95
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
7802877
PMCID
PMC185903
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1172/JCI118308 PMC Full Text View journal details
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