Troglitazone inhibits expression of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene by an insulin-independent mechanism

Troglitazone is an oral insulin-sensitizing drug used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes. A major feature of this hyperglycemic state is the presence of increased rates of hepatic gluconeogenesis, which troglitazone is able to ameliorate. In this study, we examined the molecular basis for this property of troglitazone by exploring the effects of this compound on the expression of the two genes encoding the major regulatory enzymes of gluconeogenesis, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes. Insulin is able to inhibit expression of both of these genes, which was verified in our model system. Troglitazone significantly reduced mRNA levels of PEPCK and G6Pase in rat hepatocytes isolated from normal and Zucker-diabetic rats, but to a lesser extent than that observed with insulin. Interestingly, troglitazone was unable to reduce cAMP-induced levels of PEPCK mRNA, suggesting that the molecular mechanism whereby troglitazone exerted its effects on gene expression differed from that of insulin. This was further supported by the observation that troglitazone was able to reduce PEPCK mRNA levels in the presence of the insulin signaling pathway inhibitors wortmannin, rapamycin, and PD98059. These results indicate that troglitazone can regulate the expression of specific genes in an insulin-independent manner, and that genes encoding gluconeogenic enzymes are targets for the inhibitory effects of this drug. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.