Activation of G-protein coupled fMLP or PAF receptor directly triggers glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1) translocation in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells stably expressing fMLP or PAF receptor.

The chemoattractants, fMLP and PAF, stimulate glucose uptake in phagocytes to obtain an energy source for host defense. Glucose uptake in phagocytes is mainly regulated via glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1). To examine molecular mechanisms of facilitated glucose uptake in response to fMLP or PAF, we established CHO cells stably expressing fMLP or PAF receptor with c-myc epitope tagged GLUT1 which could immunologically detect GLUT1 on the cell surface. In the CHO cells, both fMLP and PAF directly triggered GLUT1 translocation from the intracellular pool to the cell surface, and stimulated glucose uptake. Therefore, in phagocytes, we propose that fMLP and PAF also trigger GLUT1 translocation to stimulate glucose uptake as an energy source for host defense.