Expression and function of IRS-1 in insulin signal transmission

IRS-1 is a major insulin receptor substrate which may play an important role in insulin signal transmission. The mRNA for IRS-1 in rat cells and tissues is about 9.5 kilobases (kb). Rat liver IRS-1 was stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells (CHO/IRS-1). Although its calculated molecular mass is 131 kDa, IRS-1 from quiescent cells migrated between 165 and 170 kDa during sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. IRS-1 was phosphorylated strongly on serine residues and weakly on threonine residues before insulin stimulation. Insulin immediately stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1, and after 10-30 min with insulin its apparent molecular mass increased to 175-180 kDa. Expression of the human insulin receptor and rat IRS-1 together in CHO/IR/IRS-1 cells increased the basal serine phosphorylation of IRS-1 and strongly increased tyrosine phosphorylation during insulin stimulation. Purified insulin receptors directly phosphorylated baculovirus-produced IRS-1 exclusively on tyrosine residues. By immunofluorescence, IRS-1 was absent from the nucleus, but otherwise distributed uniformly before and after insulin stimulation. Some IRS-1 associated with the insulin receptor during insulin stimulation. In addition, a phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase associated with IRS-1 during insulin stimulation, and this association was more sensitive to insulin in CHO cells overexpressing the insulin receptor (CHO/IR cells), more responsive to insulin to CHO/IRS-1 cells, and both sensitive and responsive in CHO/IR/IRS-1 cells. Similarly, insulin-stimulated DNA synthesis was more sensitive to insulin in CHO/IR cells, and more responsive in CHO/IRS-1 cells; however, insulin-stimulated DNA synthesis was sensitive but poorly responsive to insulin in CHO/IR/IRS-1 cells. Together, these results suggest that IRS-1 is a direct physiologic substrate of the insulin receptor and may play an important role in insulin signal transmission.

Insulin stimulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity and association with insulin receptor substrate 1 in liver and muscle of the intact rat

Growth factors stimulate the enzyme phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase in cells in culture. Insulin rapidly stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of its endogenous substrate, insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1), and in vitro IRS-1 associates with PI 3-kinase, thus activating the enzyme. We have examined whether insulin is capable of stimulating the PI 3-kinase pathway in two physiological target tissues for the actions of insulin in vivo, liver and skeletal muscle. After intraportal injection of insulin into anesthetized rats, there was a 2-fold stimulation of total hepatic PI 3-kinase activity in liver and muscle extracts and a 10- to 20-fold increase in PI 3-kinase activity immunoprecipitated with anti-IRS-1 antibodies. Stimulation of PI 3-kinase was accompanied by an association between this enzyme and IRS-1 as detected by immunoprecipitation of liver and muscle extracts with anti-IRS-1 antibodies and Western blotting with antibodies to the 85-kDa subunit of PI 3-kinase. Immunoprecipitation with anti-p85 antibodies and phosphotyrosine immunoblotting revealed no tyrosine phosphorylation of PI 3-kinase, but demonstrated co-precipitation of tyrosine-phosphorylated IRS-1, as well as another phosphotyrosine protein of approximately 135-140 kDa. Thus, IRS-1 phosphorylation plays a significant role in the activation of PI 3-kinase in vivo by insulin.

IRS-1 activates phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase by associating with src homology 2 domains of p85

IRS-1 is an insulin receptor substrate that undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation and associates with the phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) 3'-kinase immediately after insulin stimulation. Recombinant IRS-1 protein was tyrosine phosphorylated by the insulin receptor in vitro and associated with the PtdIns 3'-kinase from lysates of quiescent 3T3 fibroblasts. Bacterial fusion proteins containing the src homology 2 domains (SH2 domains) of the 85-kDa subunit (p85) of the PtdIns 3'-kinase bound quantitatively to tyrosine phosphorylated, but not unphosphorylated, IRS-1, and this association was blocked by phosphotyrosine-containing synthetic peptides. Moreover, the phosphorylated peptides and the SH2 domains each inhibited binding of PtdIns 3'-kinase to IRS-1. Phosphorylated IRS-1 activated PtdIns 3'-kinase in anti-p85 immunoprecipitates in vitro, and this activation was blocked by SH2 domain fusion proteins. These data suggest that the interaction between PtdIns 3'-kinase and IRS-1 is mediated by tyrosine phosphorylated motifs on IRS-1 and the SH2 domains of p85, and IRS-1 activates PtdIns 3'-kinase by binding to the SH2 domains of p85. Thus, IRS-1 likely serves to transmit the insulin signal by binding and regulating intracellular enzymes containing SH2 domains.

Insulin differentially regulates protein phosphotyrosine phosphatase activity in rat hepatoma cells

We have studied the effect of insulin stimulation on phosphotyrosine phosphatase (PTPase) activity in the well-differentiated rat hepatoma cell line Fao. PTPase activity was measured using a 32P-labeled peptide corresponding to the major site of insulin receptor autophosphorylation. Of the PTPase activity in Fao cells, 14% was in the cytosolic fraction, whereas 86% was in the particulate fraction; this latter fraction also had a 4-fold higher specific activity. Purification of the particulate fraction by lectin chromatography resulted in a 50% increase in specific activity, although this glycoprotein-rich fraction contained only 1.5% of the total activity. Both the cytosolic and particulate PTPase fractions were active toward the tyrosyl-phosphorylated insulin receptor in vitro. The activity of the particulate fraction but not the cytosolic fraction was inhibited by addition of a micromolar concentration of a phosphorylated peptide corresponding to residues 1142-1153 of the human insulin receptor sequence. By contrast, addition of the nonphosphorylated peptide even at millimolar concentration was without effect. Both PTPase fractions were inhibited by Zn+ at similar concentrations, whereas the cytosolic PTPase activity was 10-fold more sensitive to vanadate inhibition. Treatment of cells with 100 nM insulin increased PTPase activity in the particulate fraction by 40% and decreased activity in the cytosolic fraction by 35%. These effects occurred within 15 min and were half-maximal at 3-4 nM insulin. When assessed as total activity, the magnitude of the changes in PTPase activity in the particulate and cytosolic fractions could not be explained on the basis of a translocation of PTPases between the two pools.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Insulin stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of multiple high molecular weight substrates in Fao hepatoma cells

Insulin rapidly stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins which migrate between 165 and 190 kDa during SDS-PAGE. These proteins, collectively called pp185, were originally found in anti-phosphotyrosine antibody (alpha PY) immunoprecipitates from insulin-stimulated Fao rat hepatoma cells. Recently, we purified and cloned IRS-1, one of the phosphoproteins that binds to alpha PY and migrates near 180 kDa following insulin stimulation of rat liver [Sun, X. J., et al. (1991) Nature 352, 73-77]. IRS-1 and pp185 undergo tyrosine phosphorylation immediately after insulin stimulation and show an insulin dose response similar to that of insulin receptor autophosphorylation. However, IRS-1 was consistently 10 kDa smaller than the apparent molecular mass of pp185. The pp185 contained some immunoblottable IRS-1; however, cell lysates depleted of IRS-1 with anti-IRS-1 antibody still contained the high molecular weight forms of pp185 (HMW-pp185). Furthermore, the tryptic phosphopeptide map of IRS-1 was distinct from that of HMW-pp185, suggesting that at least two substrates migrate in this region during SDS-PAGE. Moreover, the phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase and its 85-kDa associated protein (p85) bound to IRS-1 in Fao cells, but weakly or not at all to HMW-pp185. Our results show that Fao cells contain at least two insulin receptor substrates, IRS-1 and HMW-pp185, which may play unique roles in insulin signal transmission.

Phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase is activated by association with IRS-1 during insulin stimulation

IRS-1 undergoes rapid tyrosine phosphorylation during insulin stimulation and forms a stable complex containing the 85 kDa subunit (p85) of the phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) 3'-kinase, but p85 is not tyrosyl phosphorylated. IRS-1 contains nine tyrosine phosphorylation sites in YXXM (Tyr-Xxx-Xxx-Met) motifs. Formation of the IRS-1-PtdIns 3'-kinase complex in vitro is inhibited by synthetic peptides containing phosphorylated YXXM motifs, suggesting that the binding of PtdIns 3'-kinase to IRS-1 is mediated through the SH2 (src homology-2) domains of p85. Furthermore, overexpression of IRS-1 potentiates the activation of PtdIns 3-kinase in insulin-stimulated cells, and tyrosyl phosphorylated IRS-1 or peptides containing phosphorylated YXXM motifs activate PtdIns 3'-kinase in vitro. We conclude that the binding of tyrosyl phosphorylated IRS-1 to the SH2 domains of p85 is the critical step that activates PtdIns 3'-kinase during insulin stimulation.

The insulin receptor juxtamembrane region contains two independent tyrosine/beta-turn internalization signals

We have investigated the role of tyrosine residues in the insulin receptor cytoplasmic juxtamembrane region (Tyr953 and Tyr960) during endocytosis. Analysis of the secondary structure of the juxtamembrane region by the Chou-Fasman algorithms predicts that both the sequences GPLY953 and NPEY960 form tyrosine-containing beta-turns. Similarly, analysis of model peptides by 1-D and 2-D NMR show that these sequences form beta-turns in solution, whereas replacement of the tyrosine residues with alanine destabilizes the beta-turn. CHO cell lines were prepared expressing mutant receptors in which each tyrosine was mutated to phenylalanine or alanine, and an additional mutant contained alanine at both positions. These mutations had no effect on insulin binding or receptor autophosphorylation. Replacements with phenylalanine had no effect on the rate of [125I]insulin endocytosis, whereas single substitutions with alanine reduced [125I]insulin endocytosis by 40-50%. Replacement of both tyrosines with alanine reduced internalization by 70%. These data suggest that the insulin receptor contains two tyrosine/beta-turns which contribute independently and additively to insulin-stimulated endocytosis.

The role of insulin receptor kinase domain autophosphorylation in receptor-mediated activities. Analysis with insulin and anti-receptor antibodies

The role of specific tyrosine autophosphorylation sites in the human insulin receptor kinase domain (Tyr1158, Tyr1162, and Tyr1163) was analyzed using in vitro mutagenesis to replace tyrosine residues individually or in combination. Each of the three single-Phe, the three possible double-Phe a triple-Phe and a triple-Ser mutant receptors, stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, were compared with the wild-type receptor in their ability to mediate stimulation of receptor kinase activity, glycogen synthesis, and DNA synthesis by insulin or the human-specific anti-receptor monoclonal antibody 83-14. At a concentration of 0.1 nM insulin which produced approximately half-maximal responses with wild-type receptor, DNA synthesis and glycogen synthesis mediated by the three single-Phe mutants ranged from 52 to 88% and from 32 to 79% of the wild-type receptor, respectively. The corresponding figures for the double-Phe mutants averaged 15 and 6%, whereas the triple-mutants were unresponsive in both assays. The level of biological function approximately paralleled the insulin-stimulated tyrosine kinase activity in the intact cell as estimated by tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor and its endogenous substrate pp 185/IRS-1. Interestingly, all mutants showed a marked decrease in insulin-stimulated receptor internalization. Anti-receptor antibody stimulated receptor kinase activity and mimicked insulin action in these cells. In general, the impairment of the metabolic response was greater and impairment of the growth response was less when antibody was the stimulus. These experiments show that the level and specific sites of autophosphorylation are critical determinants of receptor function. The data are consistent with a requirement for the receptor tyrosine kinase either as an obligatory step or a modulator, in both metabolic and growth responses, and demonstrate the important role of the level of insulin receptor kinase domain autophosphorylation in regulating insulin sensitivity.

Insulin stimulation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase activity maps to insulin receptor regions required for endogenous substrate phosphorylation

We have studied the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PtdIns 3-kinase) in insulin-stimulated Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing normal (CHO/IR) and mutant human insulin receptors. Insulin stimulation of CHO/IR cells results in an increase in PtdIns 3-kinase activity associated with anti-phosphotyrosine (alpha PY) immunoprecipitates, which has been previously shown to correlate with the in vivo production of PtdIns(3,4)P2, and PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 (Ruderman, N., Kapeller, R., White, M.F., and Cantley, L.C. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 87, 1411-1415). Stimulation was maximal within 1 min and showed a dose response identical to that of insulin receptor autophosphorylation. The PtdIns 3-kinase also associated with the insulin receptor in an insulin-stimulated manner, as approximately 50% of the total alpha PY-precipitable activity could be specifically immunoprecipitated with anti-insulin receptor antibody. Mutant insulin receptors displayed variable ability to stimulate the PtdIns 3-kinase, but in all cases the presence of PtdIns 3-kinase in alpha PY immunoprecipitates correlated closely with the tyrosyl phosphorylation of the endogenous substrate pp185. In CHO cells expressing a kinase-deficient mutant (IRA1018), there was no observable insulin stimulation of PtdIns 3-kinase activity in alpha PY immunoprecipitates and no tyrosyl phosphorylation of pp185. Substitution of Tyr1146 in the insulin receptor regulatory region with phenylalanine partially impaired receptor autophosphorylation, pp185 phosphorylation, and insulin-stimulated increases in alpha PY-precipitable PtdIns 3-kinase activity. In contrast, a deletion mutant lacking 12 amino acids from the juxtamembrane region (IR delta 960) displayed normal in vivo autophosphorylation but failed to stimulate the PtdIns 3-kinase or phosphorylate pp185. Finally, a mutant receptor from which the C-terminal 43 amino acids had been deleted (IR delta CT) exhibited normal insulin-stimulated autophosphorylation, pp185 phosphorylation, and stimulation of the PtdIns 3-kinase activity in alpha PY immunoprecipitates. These data suggest that the PtdIns 3-kinase is itself a substrate of the insulin receptor kinase or associates preferentially with a substrate. A comparison of the biological activities of the mutant receptors with their activation of the PtdIns 3-kinase furthermore suggests that the PtdIns 3-kinase may be linked to insulin's ability to regulate DNA synthesis and cell growth.

Insulin receptors internalize by a rapid, saturable pathway requiring receptor autophosphorylation and an intact juxtamembrane region

The effect of receptor occupancy on insulin receptor endocytosis was examined in CHO cells expressing normal human insulin receptors (CHO/IR), autophosphorylation- and internalization-deficient receptors (CHO/IRA1018), and receptors which undergo autophosphorylation but lack a sequence required for internalization (CHO/IR delta 960). The rate of [125I]insulin internalization in CHO/IR cells at 37 degrees C was rapid at physiological concentrations, but decreased markedly in the presence of increasing unlabeled insulin (ED50 = 1-3 nM insulin, or 75,000 occupied receptors/cell). In contrast, [125I]insulin internalization by CHO/IRA1018 and CHO/IR delta 960 cells was slow and was not inhibited by unlabeled insulin. At saturating insulin concentrations, the rate of internalization by wild-type and mutant receptors was similar. Moreover, depletion of intracellular potassium, which has been shown to disrupt coated pit formation, inhibited the rapid internalization of [125I]insulin at physiological insulin concentrations by CHO/IR cells, but had little or no effect on [125I]insulin uptake by CHO/IR delta 960 and CHO/IRA1018 cells or wild-type cells at high insulin concentrations. These data suggest that the insulin-stimulated entry of the insulin receptor into a rapid, coated pit-mediated internalization pathway is saturable and requires receptor autophosphorylation and an intact juxtamembrane region. Furthermore, CHO cells also contain a constitutive nonsaturable pathway which does not require receptor autophosphorylation or an intact juxtamembrane region; this second pathway is unaffected by depletion of intracellular potassium, and therefore may be independent of coated pits. Our data suggest that the ligand-stimulated internalization of the insulin receptor may require specific saturable interactions between the receptor and components of the endocytic system.

The HIV-1 nef protein does not have guanine nucleotide binding, GTPase, or autophosphorylating activities

Recombinant HIV-1 Nef proteins with either thr-15 or ala-15 have been constructed and expressed in the T7 bacterial system. From the soluble portion of bacterial lysates both Nef(thr-15) and Nef(ala-15) have been purified to near homogeneity through 6 nondenaturing chromatographic steps in the presence of MgCl2. Neither purified proteins display the previously reported GTP binding activity. Additionally Nef(thr-15) does not have autophosphorylating activity with either [gamma-32P]GTP or [gamma-32P]ATP. Although GTPase activity is present in the preparations of Nef proteins, it does not increase during purification and is attributed to bacterial contaminations.

Effects of farnesylcysteine analogs on protein carboxyl methylation and signal transduction

Several proteins associated with signal transduction in eukaryotes are carboxyl methylated at COOH-terminal S-farnesylcysteine residues. These include members of the Ras superfamily and gamma-subunits of heterotrimeric G-proteins. The enzymes that catalyze the carboxyl methylation reaction also methylate small molecules such as N-acetyl-S-trans, trans-farnesyl-L-cysteine (AFC). AFC inhibits carboxyl methylation of p21ras and related proteins both in vitro and in vivo. Saturating concentrations of AFC cause a greater than 80% inhibition of chemotactic responses of mouse peritoneal macrophages. Our results suggest that carboxyl methylation may play a role in the regulation of receptor-mediated signal transduction processes in eukaryotic cells.

Functional properties of two naturally occurring isoforms of the human insulin receptor in Chinese hamster ovary cells

We and others have previously demonstrated that the human insulin receptor messenger RNA (mRNA) is alternatively spliced such that the 36-nucleotide sequence encoded by exon 11 of the receptor gene is included (Ex11+) or excluded (Ex11-). Although both Ex11- and Ex11+ insulin receptors which differ in the presence or absence of 12 amino acids in the carboxy-terminal alpha-subunit have been demonstrated to function as insulin receptors when independently overexpressed and studied, the possibility that subtle functional differences between the two isoforms exist has received limited attention. Given that the relative abundance of the two mRNA transcripts is highly regulated in a tissue-specific manner, differences in the functional properties of the two receptor variants might contribute to tissue-specific differences in insulin receptor function and insulin action that are known to exist. To address this hypothesis, we transfected cDNAs encoding the two receptor isoforms into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and prepared several stable CHO cell lines expressing high numbers of Ex11- or Ex11+ receptors. Several functional properties of the expressed insulin receptors were compared in parallel with the following results: 1) steady state binding of insulin to cells expressing the Ex11- isoform exhibited higher (approximately 2-fold) affinity; 2) using two different methods, a significant difference in receptor-mediated insulin internalization was noted such that the Ex11- isoform displayed a higher (approximately 25% increase in the rate constant, Ke) rate of internalization; 3) partially purified Ex11- and Ex11+ receptors displayed similar maximal and insulin dose-response characteristics for receptor autophosphorylation and kinase activity toward an exogenous substrate (poly Glu-Tyr, 4:1); 4) the ability of expressed Ex11- and Ex11+ receptors to couple to a metabolic (glucose incorporation into glycogen) and mitogenic (thymidine incorporation into DNA) action of insulin was not discernibly different. Thus, when expressed in CHO cells, the two alternatively spliced isoforms of the insulin receptor have subtle differences in insulin binding affinity and the kinetics of ligand-stimulated internalization that would be expected to influence the pattern of insulin receptor expression and signaling in vivo in a tissue-specific manner.

Structure of the insulin receptor substrate IRS-1 defines a unique signal transduction protein

Since the discovery of insulin nearly 70 years ago, there has been no problem more fundamental to diabetes research than understanding how insulin works at the cellular level. Insulin binds to the alpha subunit of the insulin receptor which activates the tyrosine kinase in the beta subunit, but the molecular events linking the receptor kinase to insulin-sensitive enzymes and transport processes are unknown. Our discovery that insulin stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of a protein of relative molecular mass between 165,000 and 185,000, collectively called pp185, showed that the insulin receptor kinase has specific cellular substrates. The pp185 is a minor cytoplasmic phosphoprotein found in most cells and tissues; its phosphorylation is decreased in cells expressing mutant receptors defective in signalling. We have now cloned IRS-1, which encodes a component of the pp185 band. IRS-1 contains over ten potential tyrosine phosphorylation sites, six of which are in Tyr-Met-X-Met motifs. During insulin stimulation, the IRS-1 protein undergoes tyrosine phosphorylation and binds phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, suggesting that IRS-1 acts as a multisite 'docking' protein to bind signal-transducing molecules containing Src-homology 2 and Src-homology-3 domains. Thus IRS-1 may link the insulin receptor kinase and enzymes regulating cellular growth and metabolism.

Cytoplasmic juxtamembrane region of the insulin receptor: a critical role in ATP binding, endogenous substrate phosphorylation, and insulin-stimulated bioeffects in CHO cells

We have expressed in CHO cells a mutant receptor (IR delta 960) from which 12 amino acids in the juxtamembrane region (A954-D965), including Tyr960, have been deleted. The mutant receptor bound insulin normally but exhibited an increased Km for ATP during autophosphorylation. Upon prolonged incubation in vitro, or at high ATP concentrations such as those observed in vivo, autophosphorylation of IR delta 960 was similar to wild type, and the in vitro phosphotransferase activity of the autophosphorylated IR delta 960 was normal. These results suggest that the deletion did not cause a nonspecific structural disruption of the catalytic domain of IR delta 960. In vivo autophosphorylation of the IR delta 960 receptor was reduced by 30% after 2 min of insulin stimulation and was similar to the wild-type receptor after 30 min of insulin stimulation. However, the mutant receptor was defective in insulin-stimulated tyrosyl phosphorylation of the endogenous substrate pp185. In addition, IR delta 960 was deficient in mediating insulin stimulation of glycogen and DNA synthesis. Thus, autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor is necessary but not sufficient for signal transmission. These data extend the hypothesis that the cytoplasmic juxtamembrane region of the insulin receptor is important for its interactions with ATP, intracellular substrates, and other proteins and is broadly necessary for biological signal transmission.

The insulin receptor functions normally in Chinese hamster ovary cells after truncation of the C terminus

We studied the structure and function of the human insulin receptor (IR) and a mutant which lacked the last 43 amino acids of the beta-subunit (IR delta ct). This deletion removed tyrosine (Tyr1322, Tyr1316) and threonine (Thr1336) phosphorylation sites. In Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, insulin binding to the mutant receptor was normal, and [35S]methionine labeling indicated that both the IR and IR delta ct were processed normally; however, the beta-subunit of IR delta ct was 5 kDa smaller than that of the IR. The time course of insulin-stimulated autophosphorylation of the partially purified IR delta ct was normal, but the maximum autophosphorylation was reduced 20-30%. Tryptic phosphopeptide mapping confirmed the absence of the C-terminal phosphorylation sites and indicated that phosphorylation of the regulatory region (Tyr1146, Tyr1150, Tyr1151) occurred normally; kinase activity of the IR and IR delta ct was activated normally by insulin-stimulated autophosphorylation. In the intact CHO cells, insulin-stimulated serine and threonine phosphorylation of the IR delta ct was reduced 20%, suggesting that most Ser/Thr phosphorylation sites are located outside of the C terminus. During insulin stimulation, the wild-type and mutant insulin receptor activated the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Moreover, insulin itself or human-specific anti-insulin receptor antibodies stimulated glycogen and DNA synthesis equally in both CHO/IR and CHO/IR delta ct cells. These data suggest that the C terminus plays a minimal role in IR function and signal transmission in CHO cells.

Lovastatin blocks N-ras oncogene-induced neuronal differentiation

ras p21 must be posttranslationally processed in order to be localized to the inner plasma membrane. The first obligatory processing step is the farnesylation of ras p21. Lovastatin, a competitive inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, may prevent the farnesylation of de novo synthesized ras p21. We demonstrate that N-ras oncogene-induced neuronal differentiation of UR61J rat pheochromocytoma cells is blocked by lovastatin. Our data show that this effect is due to the inhibition of ras p21 farnesylation. The results suggest that ras oncogene-induced phenotype in mammalian cells may be eliminated by preventing the proper processing of ras p21.

Receptor-mediated internalization of insulin requires a 12-amino acid sequence in the juxtamembrane region of the insulin receptor beta-subunit

The juxtamembrane region of the insulin receptor (IR) beta-subunit contains an unphosphorylated tyrosyl residue (Tyr960) that is essential for insulin-stimulated tyrosyl phosphorylation of some endogenous substrates and certain biological responses (White, M.F., Livingston, J.N., Backer, J.M., Lauris, V., Dull, T.J., Ullrich, A., and Kahn, C.R. (1988) Cell 54, 641-649). Tyrosyl residues in the juxtamembrane region of some plasma membrane receptors have been shown to be required for their internalization. In addition, a juxtamembrane tyrosine in the context of the sequence NPXY [corrected] is required for the coated pit-mediated internalization of the low density lipoprotein receptor. To examine the role of the juxtamembrane region of the insulin receptor during receptor-mediated endocytosis, we have studied the internalization of insulin by Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing two mutant receptors: IRF960, in which Tyr960 has been substituted with phenylalanine, and IR delta 960, in which 12 amino acids (Ala954-Asp965), including the putative consensus sequence NPXY [corrected], were deleted. Although the in vivo autophosphorylation of IRF960 and IR delta 960 was similar to wild type, neither mutant could phosphorylate the endogenous substrate pp185. CHO/IRF960 cells internalized insulin normally whereas the intracellular accumulation of insulin by CHO/IR delta 960 cells was 20-30% of wild-type. However, insulin internalization in the CHO/IR delta 960 cells was consistently more rapid than that occurring in CHO cells expressing kinase-deficient receptors (CHO/IRA1018). The degradation of insulin was equally impaired in CHO/IR delta 960 and CHO/IRA1018 cells. These data show that the juxtamembrane region of the insulin receptor contains residues essential for insulin-stimulated internalization and suggest that the sequence NPXY [corrected] may play a general role in directing the internalization of cell surface receptors.

The dissociation and degradation of internalized insulin occur in the endosomes of rat hepatoma cells

We have studied the intracellular processing of insulin in the rat hepatoma cell line Fao. Fao cells internalized cohorts of surface-bound 125I-insulin or 125I-insulin-like growth factor II within 3-5 min. Degraded 125I-insulin-like growth factor II did not appear in the medium until 20-30 min after uptake, consistent with a time course of lysosomal delivery. In contrast, internalized insulin was completely degraded within 7-10 min. The half-times for dissociation and degradation of internalized insulin were identical at 37 degrees C (3 min), suggesting that the two processes occurred in the same compartment. Subcellular fractionation of Fao cells showed that a pulse of internalized insulin was largely intact after 3 min and associated with a light membrane fraction devoid of lysosomal markers. After an additional 4 min, the amount of insulin in this compartment decreased by 40%, with an increase in degraded insulin in the cytosol; no transfer of intact insulin to lysosomes or the cytosol was detected. The relationship between insulin-receptor dissociation and insulin degradation was further studied with inhibitors of insulin processing. Monensin blocked both dissociation and degradation of internalized insulin, as did incubation of the cells at 20 degrees C, suggesting that both endosomal acidification and endosomal fusion were required for insulin processing. At 25 degrees C, dissociation (+ t 1/2 = 12.9 min) preceded degradation (+ t 1/2 = 15.8 min). Inhibitors of lysosomal proteases were without effect on the half-time for either process. In contrast, bacitracin, an inhibitor of insulin degradation, caused a 2-fold increase in the half-times for both dissociation and degradation. Thus, intracellular insulin dissociation and degradation are tightly coupled endosomal processes in Fao cells, and insulin degradation facilitates the dissociation of insulin from its receptor inside the cell.

Modulation of the insulin growth factor II/mannose 6-phosphate receptor in microvascular endothelial cells by phorbol ester via protein kinase C

Phosphorylation of hormone receptors by protein kinase C (PKC) may be involved in the regulation of receptor recycling. We have studied the recycling and the phosphorylation state of the insulin growth factor (IGF) II/mannose 6-phosphate (Man-6-P) receptor in microvascular endothelial cells from rat adipose tissue. Scatchard analysis showed these cells have over 2 x 10(6) receptors/cell with an affinity constant of 1 x 10(9) M-1. In the presence of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), an activator of PKC and analog of diacylglycerol, IGF-II receptor number increased in the plasma membrane by 60% without changes in the binding affinity. This increase in cell surface receptor number was confirmed by affinity cross-linking and 125I-surface labeling studies, occurred with a half-time of 20 min, and was reversible upon withdrawal of PMA. The redistribution of IGF-II/Man-6-P receptors was not due to an inhibition of internalization which was in fact stimulated by PMA. The effect of PMA on IGF-II receptor recycling correlated with its stimulation of PKC activity. Furthermore, after down-regulation of cellular PKC levels by preincubation with PMA, PMA was unable to activate residual PKC activity in the membranous pool or increase IGF-II receptor number at the cell surface. The phosphorylation state of the IGF-II/Man-6-P receptor was determined by 32P labeling of intact cells and immunoprecipitation with anti-receptor antibodies. In the basal state, the receptor was phosphorylated only on serine residues which was increased by 75% after treatment with PMA. In contrast, IGF-II decreased receptor phosphorylation and plasma membrane binding in a parallel and dose-dependent manner. Thus, PKC-stimulated serine phosphorylation of IGF-II/Man-6-P receptor may promote the translocation of the receptor to the cell surface, whereas IGF-II-stimulated dephosphorylation of the receptor may lead to a decrease in the number of cell surface receptors. These data suggest a role for PKC-mediated serine phosphorylation in the regulation of intracellular trafficking of receptors in endothelial cells.