Insulin resistance in polycystic ovary syndrome is associated with defective regulation of ERK1/2 by insulin in skeletal muscle in vivo (original) (raw)

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Research Article| February 25 2009

Madhurima Rajkhowa;

*Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, DD1 9SY, Scotland, U.K.

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Sandra Brett;

*Biomedical Research Institute, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, DD1 9SY, Scotland, U.K.

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Daniel J. Cuthbertson;

†Biomedical Research Institute, Division of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, DD1 9SY, Scotland, U.K.

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Christopher Lipina;

†Biomedical Research Institute, Division of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, DD1 9SY, Scotland, U.K.

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Antonio J. Ruiz-Alcaraz;

†Biomedical Research Institute, Division of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, DD1 9SY, Scotland, U.K.

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Giles E. Thomas;

‡Biomedical Research Institute, Division of Mathematics, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, DD1 9SY, Scotland, U.K.

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Lisa Logie;

‡Biomedical Research Institute, Division of Mathematics, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, DD1 9SY, Scotland, U.K.

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John R. Petrie;

†Biomedical Research Institute, Division of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, DD1 9SY, Scotland, U.K.

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Calum Sutherland

†Biomedical Research Institute, Division of Medicine, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, DD1 9SY, Scotland, U.K.

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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd

Received: October 31 2008

Revision Received: December 02 2008

Accepted: December 04 2008

Accepted Manuscript online: December 04 2008

Online ISSN: 1470-8728

Print ISSN: 0264-6021

© The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 Biochemical Society

2009

Biochem J (2009) 418 (3): 665–671.

Article history

Received:

October 31 2008

Revision Received:

December 02 2008

Accepted:

December 04 2008

Accepted Manuscript online:

December 04 2008

Insulin resistance is a recognized feature of PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). However, the molecular reason(s) underlying this reduced cellular insulin sensitivity is not clear. The present study compares the major insulin signalling pathways in skeletal muscle isolated from PCOS and controls. We measured whole-body insulin sensitivity and insulin signalling in skeletal muscle biopsies taken before and after acute exposure to hyperinsulinaemia in nine women diagnosed with PCOS and seven controls. We examined the expression, basal activity and response to in vivo insulin stimulation of three signalling molecules within these human muscle samples, namely IRS-1 (insulin receptor substrate-1), PKB (protein kinase B) and ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) 1/2. There was no significant difference in the expression, basal activity or activation of IRS-1 or PKB between PCOS and control subjects. However, there was a severe attenuation of insulin stimulation of the ERK pathway in muscle from all but two of the women with PCOS (the two most obese), and an accompanying trend towards higher basal phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in PCOS. These results are striking in that the metabolic actions of insulin are widely believed to require the IRS-1/PKB pathway rather than ERK, and the former has been reported as defective in some previous PCOS studies. Most importantly, the molecular defect identified was independent of adiposity. The altered response of ERK to insulin in PCOS was the most obvious signalling defect associated with insulin resistance in muscle from these patients.

© The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 Biochemical Society

2009

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