Cardiotonic steroids stimulate glycogen synthesis in human skeletal muscle cells via a Src- and ERK1/2-dependent mechanism

The cardiotonic steroid, ouabain, a specific inhibitor of Na+, K+-ATPase, initiates protein-protein interactions that lead to an increase in growth and proliferation in different cell types. We explored the effects of ouabain on glucose metabolism in human skeletal muscle cells (HSMC) and clarified the mechanisms of ouabain signal transduction. In HSMC, ouabain increased glycogen synthesis in a concentration-dependent manner reaching the maximum at 100 nM. The effect of ouabain was additive to the effect of insulin and was independent of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002 but was abolished in the presence of a MEK1/2 inhibitor (PD98059) or a Src inhibitor (PP2). Ouabain increased Src-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-subunits of Na+, K+-ATPase and promoted interaction of alpha(1)- and alpha(2)-subunits with Src, as assessed by co-immunoprecipitation with Src. Phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and GSK3 alpha/beta, as well as p90rsk activity, was increased in response to ouabain in HSMC, and these responses were prevented in the presence of PD98059 and PP2. Incubation of HSMC with 100 nM ouabain increased phosphorylation of the alpha-subunits of the Na-pump at a MAPK-specific Thr-Pro motif. Ouabain treatment decreased the surface abundance of alpha(2)-subunit, whereas abundance of the alpha(1)-subunit was unchanged. Marinobufagenin, an endogenous vertebrate bufadienolide cardiotonic steroid, increased glycogen synthesis in HSMC at 10 nM concentration, similarly to 100 nM ouabain. In conclusion, ouabain and marinobufagenin stimulate glycogen synthesis in skeletal muscle. This effect is mediated by activation of a Src-, ERK1/2-, p90rsk-, and GSK3-dependent signaling pathway.