Modulation of glucose responsiveness of insulinoma beta-cells by graded overexpression of glucokinase.

Insulinoma beta-cells capable of overexpressing glucokinase under the control of a doxycycline-dependent transcriptional transactivator were established from parental INS-1 cells. Glucokinase could be maximally induced to a level more than 20 times the basal level after 36 h of culture with doxycycline. Intermediate levels of induction could be achieved by varying doses of, and time of culture with, the inducer. The rate of glycolysis was measured in cells with 3-, 5-, and 8-fold increment in glucokinase activity above the noninduced level. Proportionate increases in glycolytic flux occurred in cells cultured at low physiological glucose concentration. At high glucose concentration, induction of glucokinase in excess of 2-fold above basal resulted in little additional increase in glycolysis. The consequences of graded increases of glucokinase on two physiological glucose effects were investigated. Increments in glucokinase activity were accompanied by a stepwise shift to the left of the dose-response curve for the inductive effect of glucose on the L-type pyruvate kinase mRNA. Similarly, the insulin secretory response to glucose was shifted leftward in glucokinase-induced cells. The following conclusions are drawn: (i) glucokinase is the major rate-limiting enzyme for glycolysis in these cells; (ii) downstream metabolic steps become limiting at high extracellular glucose concentration with moderate increases in glucokinase over the wild-type level; (iii) within limits, glucokinase activity is a determining factor for two types of glucose responses of the beta-cell, the induction of specific gene expression, and insulin release.