Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterase: Insulin Activation Detected in Adipose Tissue by Gel Electrophoresis

In rat adipose tissue, insulin (100 μU./ml.) increases the activity of cyclic AMP (but not cyclic GMP) phosphodiesterase (PDE). Radioisotopic assay, auto radiography, and histochemical stains demonstrated that cyclic nucleotide PDE activity is associated with multiple bands of protein separable by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The insulin activation of cyclic AMP PDE, however, was limited to a single band corresponding to the “low” Km enzyme specific for cyclic AMP; insulin had no effect on the “high” Km enzyme or on PDE bands with activity directed toward cyclic GMP. These data support the concept that insulin may modulate the activity of at least one of the cyclic AMP phosphodiesterases.