Termination of Insulin Signal

The insulin receptor is internalized, and this action terminates the insulin signal at the surface of the cell. Once internalized, some of the receptors are degraded and others are recycled back to the membrane. In addition, phosphatases are able to dephosphorylate the phosphorylated insulin receptor. This dephosphorylation reduces kinase activity and decreases the responsiveness to insulin. 

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The full network of pathways initiated by insulin includes a large number of proteins and is substantially more elaborate than indicated in Figure 14.24. Furthermore, many additional proteins take part in the termination of insulin signaling. A defect in any of the proteins in the insulin signaling pathways or in the subsequent termination of the insulin response could potentially cause problems. Therefore, it is not surprising that many different gene defects can cause type 2 diabetes. 

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