CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ADIPOCYTE GHOST (NA+,K+) PUMP - INSIGHTS INTO THE INSULIN REGULATION OF THE ADIPOCYTE (NA+,K+) PUMP

The (Na+,K+) ATPase in plasma membranes isolated from rat adipocytes is insensitive to insulin (Lytton J., Lin, J. C., and Guidotti, G. (1985) J. Biol. Chem. 260, 1177-1184). For this reason, the characteristics of the (Na+,K+) pump in adipocyte ghosts, prepared by hypotonic lysis of adipocytes (Rodbell, M. (1967) J. Biol. Chem. 242, 5744-5750), were studied. Herein it is demonstrated that the (Na+,K+) pump in ghosts is identical to that described in isolated plasma membranes, sharing the following characteristics: 1) the K(i) values for ouabain are 1.3 X 10(-7) M and 4.5 X 10(-5) M for the alpha-2 and alpha-1 isozymes, respectively; 2) the K0.5 values for sodium are 11.4 +/- 1.6 and 7.2 +/- 3.8 mM for the alpha-2 and alpha-1 isozymes, respectively; 3) both forms of the (Na+,K+) pump are insensitive to insulin stimulation, presumably because the activities are already maximal. The ghosts are not in an insulin-stimulated state because the activity of the glucose transporter is not increased as it is in ghosts prepared from insulin-treated cells. In addition, presented evidence demonstrates that ghost internal sodium concentration, [Na+]i, is very sensitive to changes in the activity of the (Na+,K+) pump. If the [Na+]i of adipocytes is also very sensitive to the activity of the (Na+,K+) pump, the mechanism of insulin stimulation of the adipocyte (Na+,K+) pump requires reexamination.