Inositol pyrophosphates and Akt/PKB: Is the pancreatic β-cell the exception to the rule?

Abstract The inositol pyrophosphate, diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate (IP 7 ), is thought to negatively regulate the critical insulin signaling protein Akt/PKB. Knockdown of the IP 7 -generating inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 1 (IP6K1) results in a concomitant increase in signaling through Akt/PKB in most cell types so far examined. Total in vivo knockout of IP6K1 is associated with a phenotype resistant to high-fat diet, due to enhanced Akt/PKB signaling in classic insulin regulated tissues, counteracting insulin resistance. In contrast, we have shown an important positive role for IP6K1 in insulin exocytosis in the pancreatic β-cell. These cells also possess functional insulin receptors and the feedback loop following insulin secretion is a key aspect of their normal function. Thus we examined the effect of silencing IP6K1 on the activation of Akt/PKB in β-cells. Silencing reduced the glucose-stimulated increase in Akt/PKB phosphorylation on T308 and S473. These effects were reproduced with the selective pan-IP6K inhibitor TNP. The likely explanation for IP 7 reduction decreasing rather than increasing Akt/PKB phosphorylation is that IP 7 is responsible for generating the insulin signal, which is the main source of Akt/PKB activation. In agreement, insulin receptor activation was compromised in TNP treated cells. To test whether the mechanism of IP 7 inhibition of Akt/PKB still exists in β-cells, we treated them at basal glucose with an insulin concentration equivalent to that reached during glucose stimulation. TNP potentiated the Akt/PKB phosphorylation of T308 induced by exogenous insulin. Thus, the IP 7 regulation of β-cell Akt/PKB is determined by two opposing forces, direct inhibition of Akt/PKB versus indirect stimulation via secreted insulin. The latter mechanism is dominant, masking the inhibitory effect. Consequently, pharmacological strategies to knock down IP6K activity might not have the same positive output in the β-cell as in other insulin regulated tissues.