Ds. Dwyer et al., ATTACHMENT OF PC12 CELLS TO ADHESION SUBSTRATUM INDUCES THE ACCUMULATION OF GLUCOSE TRANSPORTERS (GLUTS) AND STIMULATES GLUCOSE-METABOLISM, Neurochemical research, 23(8), 1998, pp. 1107-1116
The levels of glucose transporters (GLUTs), specifically GLUT3 and GLU
T1, increased dramatically in PC12 cells that were cultured on suitabl
e adhesion substrate (poly-l-lysine [PLL]) and induced to differentiat
e with nerve growth factor (NGF). Closer examination of this response
revealed that: (1) cellular attachment to PLL was sufficient to stimul
ate the increase in GLUT immunoreactivity, and (2) NGF alone was not e
ffective unless the cells were cultured on PLL-treated surfaces. The r
esponse to PLL was detected as early as 4 hr after plating the cells a
nd peaked within 24-48 hr. Other adhesion substrata, such as collagen
and poly-l-ornithine, evoked a similar response, although the latter p
olymer was far less effective. The increase in GLUTs appeared to resul
t from an accumulation of existing transporters because this response
was not blocked by inhibiting protein synthesis. Cellular adhesion to
PLL was also accompanied by a rapid activation of glucose metabolism.
Thus, specific recognition of the adhesion substratum not only provide
s a context for cell attachment, but also elicits important functional
changes in GLUT activity.