3-O-methyl-D-glucose transport in tumoral insulin-producing cells.

Tumoral insulin-producing cells of the RINm5F line were exposed at different temperatures, and for various lengths of time to increasing concentrations of 3-O-methyl-D-[U-14C]glucose. The uptake of the hexose represented a temperature-sensitive and saturable process, so that no rapid equilibration of hexose concentrations across the plasma membrane was reached, especially at low temperature and/or high concentrations of 3-O-methyl-D-glucose. The uptake of 3-O-methyl-D-[U-14C]glucose was not affected by a prior loading of the cells with the unlabeled hexose and its release from prelabeled cells was observed in the absence of any concentration gradient across the plasma membrane. The uptake of D-[U-14C]glucose and utilization of D-[5-3H]glucose was inhibited by 3-O-methyl-D-glucose, which failed, however, to affect D-[U-14C]glucose oxidation. At variance with the situation found in normal insulin-producing cells, the transport of D-glucose into the tumoral cells may thus play a regulatory role in its metabolism.