1,4-Dideoxy-1,4-imino-d-arabinitol (DAB) was identified previously as a potent inhibitor of both the phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated forms of glycogen phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.1). In the present study, the effects of DAB were investigated in primary cultured rat hepatocytes. The transport of DAB into hepatocytes was dependent on time and DAB concentration. The rate of DAB transport was 192 pmol/min per mg of protein per mM DAB(medium-concentration). In hepatocytes, DAB inhibited basal and glucagon-stimulated glycogenolysis with IC(50) values of 1.0+/-0.3 and 1.1+/-0.2 microM, respectively. The primary inhibitory effect of DAB on glycogenolysis was shown to be due to inhibition of glycogen phosphorylase but, at higher concentrations of DAB, inhibition of the debranching enzyme (4-alpha-glucanotransferase, EC 2.4.1.25) may have an effect. No effects on glycogen synthesis were observed, demonstrating that glycogen recycling does not occur in cultured hepatocytes under the conditions tested. Furthermore, DAB had no effects on phosphorylase kinase, the enzyme responsible for phosphorylation and thereby activation of glycogen phosphorylase, or on protein phosphatase 1, the enzyme responsible for inactivation of glycogen phosphorylase through dephosphorylation.

No abstract

The main disadvantages of peptide pharmaceuticals are their rapid degradation and excretion, their low hydrophilicity, and low shelf lifes. These bottlenecks can be circumvented by acylation with fatty acids (lipidation) or polyethylene glycol (PEGylation). Here, we describe the modification of a human pancreatic polypeptide analogue specific for the human (h)Y(2) and hY(4) receptor with PEGs of different size and palmitic acid. Receptor specificity was demonstrated by competitive binding studies. Modifications had only a small influence on binding affinities and no influence on secondary structure. Both modifications improved pharmacokinetic properties of the hPP analogue in vivo and in vitro, however, lipidation showed a greater resistance to degradation and excretion than PEGylation. Furthermore, the lipidated peptide is taken up and degraded solely by the liver but not the kidneys. Lipidation resulted in prolonged action of the hPP analogue in respect of reducing food intake in mice after subcutaneous administration. Therefore, the lipidated hPP analogue could constitute a potential new therapeutic agent against obesity.

No abstract

Glucagon, the pancreatic hormone secreted in response to hypoglycemia, is a key regulator of hepatic glucose production. Since the number of specific glucagon receptors expressed on the cell surface affects the sensitivity of the liver to glucagon, we have examined the regulation of glucagon receptor mRNA levels in cultured primary rat hepatocytes. By ribonuclease protection assay we have identified glucose and intracellular cAMP as regulators of glucagon receptor mRNA expression in cultured rat hepatocytes. We observed a concentration-dependent increase in glucagon receptor mRNA expression when hepatocytes were cultured in the presence of increasing glucose. A 2-fold induction in glucagon receptor mRNA levels was obtained in hepatocytes cultured for 24 h with 22.5 mM glucose as compared with 5.5 mM glucose. Factors such as 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), isoproterenol, and forskolin, which are known to raise intracellular cAMP levels, all caused a reduction in glucagon receptor mRNA expression. IBMX alone, IBMX together with isoproterenol, and forskolin reduced glucagon receptor mRNA expression to approximately 25, 10, and 50%, respectively. Glucagon was found to dose dependently decrease glucagon receptor mRNA expression in the hepatocytes with an approximately 70% reduction in response to 100 nM glucagon. Finally, we observed a marked reduction in the number of glucagon binding sites (35% of control) after hepatocytes were cultured with the combination of IBMX and isoproterenol. These results indicate that hepatic glucagon receptor mRNA levels can be regulated by glucose and intracellular cAMP and that this is also reflected at the protein level. Furthermore, the observed effects of cAMP and glucagon suggest that this may be a means by which glucagon can down-regulate its own receptor expression.