Transcriptional regulation of the insulin-responsive glucose transporter GLUT4 gene: from physiology to pathology

摘要

glucose uptake in eukaryotic cells is mediated by a family of highly related facilitative glucose transporters (GLUT), and to date, 13 GLUT isoforms have already been identified and cloned, with their tissue specificity extensively studied (39, 44). The insulin-regulated glucose transporter GLUT4 is mainly expressed in insulin-responsive tissues, i.e., white and brown adipose (41, 99, 101), and in heart and skeletal muscles (1, 95, 115), where it mediates glucose uptake in response to acute insulin stimulation. We also have found expression of GLUT4 in bone and cancer tissues, where it is predominantly regulated through the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (8, 61, 87).