Increasing mRNA levels of glucose transporter type 4 and motor proteins in rat skeletal muscles stimulated with electric pulse-waves

Abstract

In type 2 diabetes mellitus, insulin resistance causes insufficient GLUT4 trafficking to the cell membrane of striated muscles and adipocytes. We investigated the effect of pulse-wave stimulation on GLUT4 gene transcription and microtubule motor transport protein levels in skeletal muscle cells. RNA from each side of the bilateral anterior tibial muscles were extracted and reverse-transcribed to cDNAs, after pulses (0.7 ms, 5 V) were administered only to the right-side muscles for 1 hour at 30 or 400 ppm under general anesthesia. The GLUT4 (SLC2A4), kinesin-1 heavy chain (KIF5B), and dynein heavy chain (DYNC1H1) mRNA levels were measured relative to those of GAPDH, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. mRNA and blood glucose levels were significantly upregulated and decreased, respectively, only in the 400-ppm-stimulated muscles (n=7, p<0.05). Our study may contribute to developing non-drug therapies for diabetes by expressing GLUT4 in cell membranes and using blood glucose in the skeletal muscles.