pubmed:abstractText |
Physical exercise induces a rapid increase in the rate of glucose uptake in the contracting skeletal muscles. The enhanced membrane glucose transport capacity is caused by a recruitment of glucose transporters (GLUT4) to the sarcolemma and t-tubules. This review summarises the recent progress in the understanding of signals that trigger GLUT4 translocation in contracting muscle. The possible involvement of calcium, protein kinase C (PKC), nitric oxide (NO), glycogen and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) are discussed. Furthermore, the possible mechanisms behind the well-described improvement of insulin action on glucose uptake and glycogen synthase activity in the post-exercise period is discussed. It is concluded that both during and following muscle contractions, glycogen emerges as an important modulator of signalling events in glucose metabolism.
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