Augmentation of hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress were independently related to
be the underlying causes of insulin resistance. We hypothesized that there might be a molecular convergence of activated HBP
and ER stress pathways leading to insulin resistance. Augmentation of HBP in L6 skeletal muscle cells either by pharmacological
(glucosamine) or physiological (high-glucose) means, resulted in increased protein expression of ER chaperones (viz., Grp78,
Calreticulin, and Calnexin), UDP-GlcNAc levels and impaired insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Cells silenced for O-glycosyl
transferase (OGT) showed improved insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (
P < 0.05) but without any effect on ER chaperone upregulation. While cells treated with either glucosamine or high-glucose
exhibited increased JNK activity, silencing of OGT resulted in inhibition of JNK and normalization of glucose uptake. Our
study for the first time, demonstrates a molecular convergence of O-glycosylation processes and ER stress signals at the cross-road
of insulin resistance in skeletal muscle.
Keywords Insulin resistance - Diabetes - HBP - ER stress - UDP-GlcNAc - OGT - RNAi - JNK - Glucose uptake - Skeletal muscle