Transgenic mice overexpressing GLUT-1 protein in muscle exhibit increased muscle glycogenesis after exercise

The purpose of the present study was to determine the rates of muscle glycogenolysis and glycogenesis during and after exercise in GLUT-1 transgenic mice and their age-matched littermates. Male transgenic mice (TG) expressing a high level of human GLUT-1 and their nontransgenic (NT) littermates underwent 3 h of swimming. Glycogen concentration was determined in gastrocnemius and extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles before exercise and at 0, 5, and 24 h postexercise, during which food (chow) and 10% glucose solution (as drinking water) were provided. Exercise resulted in ~90% reduction in muscle glycogen in both NT (from 11.2 ± 1.4 to 2.1 ± 1.3 μmol/g) and TG (from 99.3 ± 4.7 to 11.8 ± 4.3 μmo]/g) in gastrocnemius muscle. During recovery from exercise, the glycogen concentration increased to 38.2 ± 7.3 (5 h postexercise) and 40.5 ± 2.8 μmol/g (24 h postexercise) in NT mice. In TG mice, however, the increase in muscle glycogen concentration during recovery was greater (to 57.5 ± 7.4 and 152.1 ± 15.7 μmol/g at 5 and 24 h postexercise, respectively). Similar results were obtained from EDL muscle. The rate of 2-deoxyglucose uptake measured in isolated EDL muscles was 7- to 10-fold higher in TG mice at rest and at 0 and 5 h postexercise. There was no difference in muscle glycogen synthase activation measured in gastrocnemius muscles between NT and TG mice immediately after exercise. These results demonstrate that the rate of muscle glycogen accumulation postexercise exhibits two phases in TG: 1) an early phase (0-5 h), with rapid glycogen accumulation similar to that of NT mice, and 2) a progressive increase in muscle glycogen concentration, which differs from that of NT mice, during the second phase (5-24 h). Our data suggest that the high level of steady-state muscle glycogen in TG mice is due to the increase in muscle glucose transport activity.