Insulin receptor /3-subunit signal transduction

Signal transduction The binding of insulin to the a-subunits of the insulin receptor induces conformational changes that are transduced to the 3-subunits. This promotes a rapid autophosphorylation of a specific tyrosine residue on each 3-subunit (see Figure 23.7). Autophosphorylation initiates a cascade of cellsignaling responses, including phosphorylation of a family of pro teins called insulin receptor substrate (IRS) proteins. At least four... 

At the cellular and molecular level, the binding of insulin to a specific membrane spanning receptor initiates a signal transduction cascade which ultimately produces the biological actions of the hormone. The insulin receptor is a tetrameric protein comprised of two a subunits that bind to insulin and two j3 subunits that are linked by disulfide bonds (55,56), and belongs to a subfamily of receptor typrosine kinases which also includes the insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) receptor. The a subunits are extracellularly located, while (S subunits span the membrane and have... 

Our consideration of the signal-transduction cascades initiated by epinephrine and insulin included examples of how components of signal-transduction pathways are poised for action, ready to be activated by minor modifications. For example, G-protein a subunits require only the binding of GTP in exchange for GDP to transmit a signal. This exchange reaction is thermodynamically favorable, but it is quite slow in the absence of an appropriate activated 7TM receptor. Similarly, the tyrosine kinase domains of the dimeric insulin receptor are ready for phosphorylation and activation but require the presence of insulin bound between two a subunits to draw the activation loop of one tyrosine kinase into the active site of a partner tyrosine kinase to initiate this process. 

The insulin receptor, a member of the tyrosine kinase family of receptors, provides a good example of divergence in the pathway of signal transduction. Unlike other growth factor receptors, the insulin receptor exists in the membrane as a preformed dimer, with each half containing an a and a p subunit (Fig. 11.13). The p subunits... 

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