Sugar-dependent expression of the fructose transporter GLUT5 in Caco-2 cells

The effect of glucose and fructose and fetal bovine serum on the expression of the fructose transporter GLUTS was studied in clone PD7 of the human colon cancer cell line Caco-2, which has been characterized previously [Chantret, Rodolosse, Barbat et al. (1994) J. Cell Sci. 107, 213-225; Mahraoui, Rodolosse, Barbat et al. (1994) Biochem. J. 298, 629-633]. Culture of the cells in dialysed serum and hexose-free media, down-regulated the expression of GLUTS, which was below detection within 3-4 days. This effect was reversed by fructose and glucose feeding of the cells. Fructose feeding yielded a 3-fold higher abundance of GLUTS protein and mRNA as compared with that expressed in glucose-fed cells. Cells fed normal serum exhibited an inverse hierarchy of expression, with glucose being a better inducer than fructose for the expression of GLUTS. The GLUTS mRNA and protein abundances obtained in fructose-fed cells did not depend on the type of serum. A linear relationship between cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels and GLUTS mRNA abundance was found in cells fed dialysed serum, whereas in cells fed normal serum, mRNA abundances were not correlated to cAMP levels. These results indicate that glucose and fructose, together with serum-related factors and cAMP, have combined effects on the expression of GLUTS in Caco-2 cells.