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Previous work suggests that normal GLUT4 content is sufficient for increases in muscle glucose uptake (MGU) during exercise because GLUT4 overexpression does not increase exercise-stimulated MGU. Instead of glucose transport, glucose phosphorylation is a primary limitation of exercise-stimulated MGU. It was hypothesized that a partial ablation of GLUT4 would not impair exercise-stimulated MGU when glucose phosphorylation capacity is normal but would do so when glucose phosphorylation capacity was increased. Thus, C57BL/6J mice with hexokinase II (HKII) overexpression (HK(Tg)), a GLUT4 partial knock-out (G4(+/-)), or both (HK(Tg) + G4(+/-)) and wild-type (WT) littermates were implanted with carotid artery and jugular vein catheters for sampling and infusions at 4 months of age. After a 7-day recovery, 5-h fasted mice remained sedentary or ran on a treadmill at 0.6 mph for 30 min (n = 9-12 per group) and received a bolus of 2-deoxy[3H]glucose to provide an index of MGU (Rg). Arterial blood glucose and plasma insulin concentrations were similar in WT, G4(+/-), HKTg, and HKTg + G4(+/-) mice. Sedentary Rg values were the same in all genotypes in all muscles studied, confirming that glucose transport is a significant barrier to basal glucose uptake. Gastrocnemius and soleus Rg were greater in exercising compared with sedentary mice in all genotypes. During exercise, G4(+/-) mice had a marked increase in blood glucose that was corrected by the addition of HK II overexpression. Exercise Rg (micromol/100g/min) was not different between WT and G4(+/-) mice in the gastrocnemius (24 +/- 5 versus 21 +/- 2) or the soleus (54 +/- 6 versus 70 +/- 7). In contrast, the enhanced exercise Rg observed in HKTg mice compared with that in WT mice was absent in HKTg + G4(+/-) mice in both the gastrocnemius (39 +/- 7 versus 22 +/- 6) and the soleus (98 +/- 13 versus 65 +/- 13). Thus, glucose transport is not a significant barrier to exercise-stimulated MGU despite a 50% reduction in GLUT4 content when glucose phosphorylation capacity is normal. However, when glucose phosphorylation capacity is increased by HK II overexpression, GLUT4 availability becomes a marked limitation to exercise-stimulated MGU.

Previous work suggests that normal GLUT4 content is sufficient for increases in muscle glucose uptake (MGU) during hyperinsulinemia, because glucose phosphorylation is the more formidable barrier to insulin-stimulated MGU. It was hypothesized that a partial ablation of GLUT4 would not impair insulin-stimulated MGU when glucose phosphorylation capacity is normal but would do so when glucose phosphorylation capacity is increased. Thus, chow-fed C57BL/6J mice with a GLUT4 partial knockout (GLUT4(+/-)), hexokinase II overexpression (HK(Tg)), or both (HK(Tg) + GLUT4(+/-)) and wild-type littermates were studied. Carotid artery and jugular vein catheters were implanted for sampling and infusions at 4 months of age. After a 5-d recovery, 5-h fasted mice (n = 8-11/group) underwent a 120-min saline infusion or insulin clamp (4 mU/kg.min insulin with glucose maintained at 165 mg/dl) and received a 2-deoxy[(3)H]glucose bolus to provide an index of MGU (R(g)) for the soleus, gastrocnemius, and superficial vastus lateralis. Basal R(g) from all muscles studied from saline-infused mice were not changed by any of the genetic modifications. HK(Tg) mice had augmented insulin-stimulated R(g) in all muscles studied compared with remaining genotypes. Insulin-stimulated R(g) was not impaired in any of the muscles studied from GLUT4(+/-) mice. However, the enhanced insulin-stimulated R(g) created by HK overexpression was ablated in HK(Tg) + GLUT4(+/-) mice. Thus, a 50% reduction of normal GLUT4 content in the presence of normal HK activity does not impair insulin-stimulated MGU. However, when the glucose phosphorylation barrier is lowered by HK overexpression, GLUT4 availability becomes a limitation to insulin-stimulated MGU.

Phospholipids extracted from "ghosts" of human erythrocytes or from other sources carry substantial quantities of glucose or other monosaccharides from the dry state into highly nonpolar solvents. Various characteristics of this weak association phenomenon show suggestive parallels with known properties of the mediated sugar-transfer system in the membrane of the intact red cell.