Evidence that a novel serine kinase catalyses phosphorylation of the insulin receptor in an insulin-dependent and tyrosine kinase-dependent manner

Possible mode of action for insulinomimetic activity of vanadyl(IV) compounds in adipocytes

Vanadyl(IV) ions (+4 oxidation state of vanadium) and their complexes have been shown to have in vitro insulinomimetic activity and to be effective in treating animals with diabetes mellitus. Although, researchers have proposed many vanadyl compounds for the treatment of diabetes patients, the mode of action of vanadyl compounds remains controversial. In order to evaluate the mode of action of these compounds, we examined the insulinomimetic activity of VOSO4, bis(picolinato)oxovanadyl(IV), and bis(maltolato)oxovanadyl(IV) in the presence of several inhibitors relevant to the glucose metabolism. After confirming that these vanadyl compounds were incorporated in the adipocytes as estimated by ESR method, we evaluated the mode of action by examining free fatty acids (FFA) release in the adipocytes. Inhibition of FFA release by these vanadyl compounds was found to be reversed by the addition of inhibitors, typically by cytochalasin B (glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) inhibitor), cilostamide (phosphodiesterase inhibitor), HNMPA-(AM)3 (tyrosine kinase inhibitor), and wortmannin (PI3-k inhibitor), indicating that these compounds affect primarily GLUT4 and phosphodiesterase, as named "ensemble mechanism". Based on these results, we suggest that vanadyl compounds act on at least four sites relevant to the glucose metabolism, and on GLUT4 and phosphodiesterase in particular in rat adipocytes, which in turn normalizes the blood glucose levels of diabetic animals. The obtained results provide evidence for the role of vanadyl ion and its complexes in stimulation of the uptake and degeneration of glucose.

A new concept: the use of vanadium complexes in the treatment of diabetes mellitus

In the 21st century, patients suffering from diabetes mellitus (DM), a lifestyle-related disease, will increase more than in the 20th century. DM is threatening because of the development of many severe secondary complications, including atherosclerosis, microangiopathy, renal dysfunction and failure, cardiac abnormalities, diabetic retinopathy, and ocular disorders. Generally, DM is classified as either insulin-dependent type 1 or noninsulin-dependent type 2 DM. Type 1 DM is treated only by daily insulin injections; type 2 DM is treated by several types of synthetic therapeutic substances together with a controlled diet and physical exercise. Even with these measures, the daily necessity for several insulin injections can be painful both physically and mentally, whereas the synthetic therapeutic substances used over the long term often have side effects. For those reasons, the creation and development of a new class of pharmaceuticals for treatment of DM in the 21st century would be extremely desirable. In the last half of the 20th century, investigations of the relationships among diseases and micronutrients, such as iron, copper, zinc, and selenium, have been numerous. Research into the development of metallopharmaceuticals involving the platinum-containing anticancer drug, cisplatin, and the gold-containing rheumatoid arthritis drug, auranofin, has also been widespread. Such important findings prompted us to develop therapeutic reagents based on a new concept to replace either insulin injections or the use of synthetic drugs. After many trials, we noticed that vanadium might be very useful in the treatment of DM. Before the discovery of insulin by Banting and Best in 1921 and its clinical trial for treating DM, the findings in 1899, in which orally administered sodium vanadate (NaVO(3)) was reported to improve human DM, gave us the idea to use vanadium to treat DM. However, it has taken a long time to obtain a scientific explanation as to why the metal ion exhibits insulin-mimetic or blood-glucose lowering effects in in vitro and in vivo experiments. After investigations from many perspectives involving biochemistry and bioinorganic chemistry, vanadyl sulfate (VOSO(4)) and its complexes with several types of ligands have been proposed as useful for treating DM in experimental diabetic animals. On the basis of a mechanistic study, this article reports on recent progress regarding the development of antidiabetic vanadyl complexes, emphasizing that the vanadyl ion and its complexes are effective not only in treating or relieving both types of DM but also in preventing the onset of DM.

Identification of Ser(1275) and Ser(1309) as autophosphorylation sites of the human insulin receptor in intact cells

In a previous report we described Ser(1275) and Ser(1309) as autophosphorylation sites of the human insulin receptor (IR) tyrosine kinase (TK) in vitro. The question remained whether the observed phosphorylation was exclusive for the in vitro activated receptor or a more general, mechanism of the activated receptor in situ. In this study, we determined the intrinsic activity of the IR to phosphorylate both serine residues in intact cells. For this purpose CHO-09 and NIH-3T3 derived cell-lines expressing the human IR were metabolically labelled with [(32)P]orthophosphate, followed by hormone stimulation of the receptor. The IR was isolated by immunoprecipitation and SDS-PAGE and subsequently analysed for serine phosphorylation by phosphopeptide mapping of HPLC-purified tryptic phosphopeptides. Activation of the IR in the intact cell appeared to result in phosphate incorporation into Ser(1275) and Ser(1309), providing strong evidence that both serine residues are phosphorylation sites of the activated receptor in intact cells.

Vanadium and diabetes

We demonstrated in 1985 that vanadium administered in the drinking water to streptozotocin (STZ) diabetic rats restored elevated blood glucose to normal. Subsequent studies have shown that vanadyl sulfate can lower elevated blood glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides in a variety of diabetic models including the STZ diabetic rat, the Zucker fatty rat and the Zucker diabetic fatty rat. Long-term studies of up to one year did not show toxicity in control or STZ rats administered vanadyl sulfate in doses that lowered elevated blood glucose. In the BB diabetic rat, a model of insulin-dependent diabetes, vanadyl sulfate lowered the insulin requirement by up to 75%. Vanadyl sulfate is effective orally when administered by either single dose or chronic doses. It is also effective by the intraperitoneal route. We have also been able to demonstrate marked long-term effects of vanadyl sulfate in diabetic animals following treatment and withdrawal of vanadyl sulfate. Because vanadyl sulfate is not well absorbed we have synthesized and tested a number of organic vanadium compounds. One of these, bismaltolato-oxovanadium IV (BMOV), has shown promise as a therapeutic agent. BMOV is 2-3x more potent than vanadyl sulfate and has shown less toxicity. Recent studies from our laboratory have shown that the effects of vanadium are not due to a decrease in food intake and that while vanadium is deposited in bone it does not appear to affect bone strength or architecture. The mechanism of action of vanadium is currently under investigation. Several studies indicate that vanadium is a phosphatase inhibitor and that vanadium can activate serine/threonine kinases distal to the insulin receptor presumably by preventing dephosphorylation due to inhibition of phosphatases Short-term clinical trials using inorganic vanadium compounds in diabetic patients have been promising.

Brazilin inhibits activities of protein kinase C and insulin receptor serine kinase in rat liver

Hypoglycemic action of brazilin was found to be based on the improvement of peripheral glucose utility, and this action might be correlated with the insulin action pathway. In the present study we investigated the effect of brazilin on the insulin receptor autophosphorylation, protein kinase C (PKC), protein phosphatase and insulin receptor serine kinase in order to confirm whether the hypoglycemic mechanism is concerned with insulin action pathway. Brazilin was found to inhibit PKC and insulin receptor serine kinase, which are involved in the regulation of insulin signal pathway. But any significant effect was not shown on insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity, autophosphorylation and phosphatase activity. These findings suggest that brazilin might enhance insulin receptor function by decreasing serine phosphorylation, which might mediate hypoglycemic effect of brazilin.

Nutritional factors that can favorably influence the glucose/insulin system: vanadium

A growing body of experimental and clinical research indicates that the trace element, vanadium, exerts potent insulin-mimetic effects in vitro and in vivo when used in pharmacological doses. Since our first demonstration of the anti-diabetic and cardioprotective effects of vanadium in vivo, impressive advances have been made in our understanding of its mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. A major advance in the use of vanadium as an insulin-mimetic has been the development of organic vanadium complexes which are 2 to 3 times as potent as inorganic vanadium and have been extensively studied in our laboratory. There is an emerging role for the use of vanadium in human diabetes and the recently conducted clinical trials support this contention. The present review summarizes some of the key aspects of vanadium biology which exemplify the potent insulin-mimetic, anti-diabetic and antihypertensive effects of this intriguing trace element.

Expression of the insulin receptor with a recombinant vaccinia virus. Biochemical evidence that the insulin receptor has intrinsic serine kinase activity

We have previously reported the tight association of a serine kinase activity with the human insulin receptor (Lewis, R. E., Wu, G. P., MacDonald, R. G., and Czech, M. P. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 947-954). We tested the possibility that the associated serine kinase activity was intrinsic to the receptor catalytic domain. The ratio of phosphoserine to phosphotyrosine on insulin receptors phosphorylated in vitro was used as an index of the associated serine kinase activity. Phosphorylation and phosphoamino acid analysis of insulin proreceptors revealed associated serine kinase activity early in receptor synthesis. Insulin receptors were expressed in HeLa cells using a recombinant vaccinia virus. The ratio of phosphoserine to phosphotyrosine on insulin receptors expressed by the recombinant vaccinia virus was determined relative to endogenous insulin receptors in cells treated with alpha-amanitin to block host cell mRNA synthesis. alpha-Amanitin treatment had no effect on the ratio of phosphoserine to phosphotyrosine on insulin receptors expressed from the recombinant virus even though they were present in a 4000-fold excess above endogenous receptors. We conclude that the serine kinase activity associated with the insulin receptor is intrinsic to the receptor catalytic domain. Receptor-catalyzed autophosphorylation of serine may play an important role in modulating insulin receptor signaling.

In vivo modulation of N-myristoyltransferase activity by orthovanadate

N-Myristoyltransferase (NMT) catalyses the transfer of myristate from myristoyl-CoA to the NH2-terminal glycine residue of several proteins and are important in signal transduction. STZ-induced diabetes (an animal model for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM) resulted in a 2-fold increase in rat liver NMT activity as compared with control animals. In obese Zucker (fa/fa) rats (an animal model for non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, NIDDM) there was a approximately 4.7-fold lower liver particulate NMT activity as compared with the control lean rat livers. Administration of sodium orthovanadate to the diabetic rats normalised liver NMT activity. These results would indicate that the rat liver particulate N-myristoyltransferase activity appears to be inversely proportional to the level of plasma insulin, implicating insulin in the control of N-myristoylation.

Studies on an insulin-stimulated insulin receptor serine kinase activity: separation of the kinase activity from the insulin receptor and its reconstitution back to the insulin receptor

In cells insulin stimulates autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor on tyrosine and its phosphorylation on serine and threonine by poorly characterized kinases. Recently we have achieved co-purification of the insulin receptor with insulin-stimulated insulin receptor serine kinase activity. We now show that the co-purified serine kinase activity can be removed by NaCl washing and reconstituted by adding back the NaCl eluate. Reconstitution enabled higher serine phosphorylation than achieved with the co-purified preparation. Myelin basic protein was discovered to be a potent substrate for insulin-stimulated serine phosphorylation by the co-purified preparation, with the activity responsible having similar properties to the serine kinase activity towards the receptor. Myelin basic protein was also phosphorylated on serine by the NaCl eluate. Myelin basic protein phosphorylated by the co-purified preparation or the NaCl eluate gave the same set of phosphoserine peptides. The major myelin basic protein serine kinase activity in the NaCl eluate co-purified exactly on Mono Q with the activity that restored insulin-stimulated insulin receptor serine phosphorylation. These results provide strong evidence for the true separation of the serine kinase from the insulin receptor and the distinctiveness of the serine kinase activity from the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinases. The procedures developed for the isolation of the serine kinase and the establishment of an effective in vitro substrate should allow purification of the kinase. The protocols also provide flexible systems for identifying the functions of the insulin-stimulated serine phosphorylations and the respective kinase(s).

Protein kinase C and insulin receptor beta-subunit serine phosphorylation in cultured foetal rat hepatocytes

In digitonin-permeabilized cultured foetal hepatocytes, insulin receptor beta-subunit was highly phosphorylated on serine residues in the presence of [gamma-32P]ATP and Ca2+, a process enhanced after short exposure to insulin with no detectable insulin receptor autophosphorylation. By contrast with this situation, experiments performed with isolated foetal insulin receptors revealed an insulin stimulation of both serine phosphorylation and tyrosine autophosphorylation. In permeabilized cells, insulin receptor beta-subunit phosphorylation was increased after a 2-min exposure to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) prior to applying the permeabilization/phosphorylation step, while it was inhibited by chronic treatment with PMA leading to protein kinase C (PKC) down modulation. The PKC specific inhibitor, GF109203X, strikingly reduced basal and insulin-enhanced phosphorylation of insulin receptor beta-subunit in permeabilized cells, but failed to exert any effect with isolated receptors. Labelling of glycogen from [U-14C]glucose determined 1 h after a 10-min transitory exposure to insulin and/or modulators of PKC activity showed that PMA prevented insulin glycogenic response, whereas GF109203X was ineffective. Thus, although not directly responsible for insulin receptor serine phosphorylation in cultured foetal hepatocytes, PKC physiologically regulates this process which may inhibit insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity. This regulation is independent of the antagonistic effect of PMA-activated PKC on insulin glycogenic response.

Insulin receptor mutation at tyrosines 1162 and 1163 alters both receptor serine phosphorylation and desensitization

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing human insulin receptor (hIR) of the wild-type (CHO R) or hIR mutated at tyrosines 1162 and 1163 (CHO Y2) were compared for agonist-induced receptor phosphorylation of serine/threonine residues and receptor desensitization. Relative to CHO R cells, CHO Y2 cells exhibited a marked decrease in their response to insulin and 4 beta-phorbol 12 beta-myristate 13 alpha-acetate (PMA) for hIR phosphorylation on serine residues. Moreover, the tyr1162,1163 mutant hIR could not be normally phosphorylated by purified protein kinase C (PKC) in vitro. Finally, in contrast to CHO R cells, CHO Y2 cells were refractory to PMA-induced IR desensitization for subsequent activation by insulin of exogenous tyrosine kinase and glycogen synthesis. These results strongly suggest that the replacement of tyrosines 1162 and 1163 by phenylalanine residues changes the IR beta-subunit conformation and thus impedes phosphorylation of the IR at crucial serine residues and prevents PMA-induced desensitization. This supports the hypothesis that IR serine phosphorylation and desensitization are related.

Resin immobilized synthetic peptides used to characterize phosphorylation and antigenic properties of insulin receptor autophosphorylation domains

To develop a common strategy in peptide design for kinase assay, antibody production and affinity purification, we investigated phosphorylation and antigenic properties of peptides immobilized on an aminated polyacrylic resin (Expansin) corresponding to autophosphorylation domains of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase. Immobilized peptides (1143-1155) and peptide (1314-1330), designated p1151 and p1322, respectively, were good substrates for the insulin receptor with Km of 0.74 and 0.78 mM. By contrast, peptide (952-963), designated p960, was poorly phosphorylated. p1151 showed distinctive behaviour as a substrate, displaying a higher basal phosphorylation, a leftward shift of the insulin dose-response curve (ED50 = 0.7 ng mL-1 insulin compared to 20 ng mL-1 for other substrates) and an inhibition by 90% of receptor autophosphorylation (ID50 = 0.5 mM). Similar substrate behaviour was observed with another tyrosine kinase, the pp60c-src. Antibodies against P1151 and p1322 have comparable reactivity in ELISA, but the antibody against p960 was poor. While purified immunoglobulins (IgG) against both p1151 and p1322 were inhibitors of receptor autophosphorylation and kinase, in immunoprecipitation the IgG against p1151 mainly interacted with the phosphorylated receptor and that against p1322 with non-phosphorylated forms. Functional mapping of the receptor with oligoclonal 1322-antibody revealed inhibition of phosphate transfer to exogenous substrate poly(Glu,Tyr) (4:1) but not towards immobilized p1151. These data provide further support for the distinctive features of endogenous phosphorylation domain 1151. We conclude that immobilized peptides on polyacrylic resin offer a major new potential for use in kinase assays, immunization, immunoabsorbent techniques and purification of well defined oligoclonal antibodies.

Catalysis of serine and tyrosine autophosphorylation by the human insulin receptor

The protein kinase activity of human insulin receptors purified from Sf9 insect cells after infection with a recombinant baculovirus was evaluated. The following experimental observations led to the unexpected conclusion that this receptor protein catalyzes both serine and tyrosine autophosphorylation at significant stoichiometries. (i) Phosphorylation of lectin-purified insulin receptors with [gamma-32P]ATP resulted in rapid receptor tyrosine phosphorylation (7 mol of P per high-affinity binding site) and the delayed onset of insulin-stimulated receptor serine phosphorylation (about 7% of total phosphorylation). The tyrosine kinase inhibitor (hydroxy-2-naphthalenylmethyl)phosphonic acid (HNMPA), which has no effect on protein kinase C or cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activities, inhibited both the receptor serine and tyrosine phosphorylation. (ii) Phosphorylation of a synthetic peptide substrate composed of insulin receptor residues 1290-1319 on serines-1305/1306 by partially purified insulin receptors was also inhibited by HNMPA. (iii) Insulin receptors sequentially affinity-purified on immobilized wheat germ agglutinin and immobilized insulin showed no apparent contaminant proteins on silver-stained SDS/polyacrylamide gels yet catalyzed autophosphorylation on receptor serine and tyrosine residues when incubated with [gamma-32P]ATP. These results suggest that the catalytic site of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase also recognizes receptor serine residues as substrates for the phosphotransfer reaction. Furthermore, insulin-stimulated receptor serine phosphorylation in intact cells may occur in part by an autophosphorylation mechanism subsequent to tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor.

Kinase inhibition by a phosphorylated peptide corresponding to the major insulin receptor autophosphorylation domain

We studied the inhibitory effect of non-phosphorylated and triphosphorylated synthetic peptides, corresponding to amino acids 1143-1155 of the insulin proreceptor (domain 1151) on autophosphorylation and kinase of the insulin receptor. Tyrosine-phosphorylated peptides were synthesized using the N-(9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl)-O-dibenzylphosphono-L- tyrosine. The triphosphorylated peptide (1151-P3) and the non-phosphorylated peptide (1151-NP), respectively, inhibited insulin receptor autophosphorylation by 65% and 70%, in a dose-dependent and additive manner. When the receptor was pre-phosphorylated for 1 min with [gamma-32P]ATP, 1151-P3 decreased autophosphorylation to 60% of maximum, whereas 1151-NP had no further effect. In both non-activated and preactivated receptors, 1151-P3 inhibition of receptor autophosphorylation was prevented by adding 2 mM vanadate. Kinase activity towards exogenous substrate poly(Glu4, Tyr) was dose-dependently inhibited by both analogues. This effect was independent of the state of receptor phosphorylation or the addition of vanadate. Since 1151-P3 inhibited the exogenous kinase without altering receptor endogenous autophosphorylation after the addition of vanadate, we investigated 1151-NP and 1151-P3 competition for the phosphorylation of a resin-immobilized 1151 peptide. While 1151-NP (at 2 mM) was highly competitive, inhibiting phosphate incorporation by 70%, 1151-P3 caused a four-fold increase in the phosphorylation of 1151-NP--resin. The receptor underwent conformational changes during autophosphorylation and an antibody directed against a peptide corresponding to amino acids 1314-1330 of the proreceptor (1322Ab) was previously shown to immunoprecipitate specifically the non-phosphorylated receptor forms. Nevertheless, the 1322Ab immunoprecipitated a fully autophosphorylated receptor in the presence of 1151-NP, but not of 1151-P3, thus suggesting a conformational change induced by the non-phosphorylated peptide. In conclusion, kinase inhibition was still observed after the addition of phosphate groups to three 1151-peptide tyrosines, but the peptide effect on receptor autophosphorylation, phosphorylation of homologous 1151-NP--resin and conformational changes induced in the receptor was altered dramatically. These data may provide a basis for further understanding the role of tyrosine phosphorylation in insulin receptor kinase activation or regulation.

Insulin-stimulated serine/threonine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor: paucity of threonine 1348 phosphorylation in vitro indicates the involvement of more than one serine/threonine kinase in vivo

Immunoaffinity-purified insulin receptors were used to analyse and compare the serine/threonine sites phosphorylated on the insulin receptor in vitro (isolated receptor) with the insulin-stimulated phosphorylation in vivo (intact cells in culture). In vivo, insulin-stimulation resulted in the appearance of three phosphoserine-containing phosphopeptides and a distinct phosphothreonine peptide (threonine 1348). In vitro, similar phosphoserine peptides were observed but the phosphothreonine peptide was absent. These results indicate that multiple serine sites are phosphorylated in vivo and in vitro and that an additional protein kinase mediates insulin-stimulated insulin receptor threonine phosphorylation in vivo.

Site-specific dephosphorylation and deactivation of the human insulin receptor tyrosine kinase by particulate and soluble phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatases

Insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activation, induced by insulin-stimulated autophosphorylation, was measured using a synthetic peptide containing residues 1142-1153 of the insulin receptor and shown to be reversed by both particulate and soluble phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatases from rat liver. Deactivation of the tyrosine kinase was highly sensitive to phosphatase action and was correlated best with disappearance of insulin receptors triphosphorylated in the tyrosine-1150 domain. Dephosphorylation of the di- and mono-phosphorylated forms of the tyrosine-1150 domain generated during dephosphorylation or of phosphorylation sites in the C-terminal or putative juxta-membrane domains occurred 3- greater than 10-fold more slowly than deactivation of the tyrosine kinase, and these phosphorylated species did not appear to appreciably (less than 20%) contribute to tyrosine kinase activation. These results indicate that the transition from the triply to the doubly phosphorylated form of the tyrosine-1150 domain acts as an important switch for deactivation of the insulin receptor tyrosine kinase during dephosphorylation. The exquisite sensitivity of this dephosphorylation/deactivation event to phosphotyrosyl protein phosphatase action, combined with the high affinities of this phosphatases for substrates and the high activities of the phosphatases in cells, suggests that the tyrosine kinase activity expressed by insulin-stimulated insulin receptors is likely to be stringently regulated.

Changes in insulin-receptor tyrosine, serine and threonine phosphorylation as a result of substitution of tyrosine-1162 with phenylalanine

Previous studies, by ourselves and others, have shown that tyrosine residues 1158, 1162 and 1163 are very rapidly autophosphorylated on the human insulin receptor after insulin binding and that this is followed by the autophosphorylation of tyrosine residues 1328 and 1334. The autophosphorylation of these tyrosine residues, and their role in transmembrane signalling, were examined by using Chinese-hamster ovary cells transfected with either normal intact insulin receptors or receptors in which tyrosine residues 1162 or 1162/1163 were substituted with phenylalanine. These studies show the following. (1) Tyrosine-1158 could still be autophosphorylated when tyrosine-1162 and -1163 were substituted with phenylalanine. (2) Insulin-stimulated insulin-receptor tyrosine phosphorylation in intact cells was complete within 30 s and was accompanied, after a lag of 2-5 min, by a rise in serine and threonine phosphorylation the beta-subunit. (3) Replacement of tyrosine-1162 with phenylalanine blocked insulin-stimulated threonine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor in intact cells. (4) Insulin-stimulated serine phosphorylation of the beta-subunit was found in both intact cells and partially purified receptor preparations incubated with [gamma-32P]ATP and was still apparent after the replacement of tyrosine-1162 with phenylalanine. (5) Our data strongly suggest that insulin-stimulated insulin-receptor serine and threonine phosphorylations are initiated through two distinct pathways, with only the latter showing a strict dependence on autophosphorylation of tyrosine-1162.

Basic polycations activate the insulin receptor kinase and a tightly associated serine kinase

The effects of cationic polyamino acids on phosphorylation of the insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor kinases were studied and the following observations were made. (a) Polylysine stimulated both tyrosine and serine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor and of additional proteins present in lectin-purified membrane preparations from rat liver. (b) Polylysine synergized with insulin to enhance phosphorylation of the insulin receptor and of additional proteins (pp40 and pp110). (c) Polylysine effects were more pronounced upon increasing the polylysine chain length. (d) The effect of polylysine was biphasic with an optimum at 100 micrograms/ml. (e) Polylysine was found ineffective in stimulating the phosphorylation of immobilized insulin receptors. Taken together, these findings support the notion that the action of polylysine involves conformational changes and presumably aggregation of soluble receptors. The same effects of polylysine were obtained with highly purified insulin receptor preparations. Under these conditions polylysine enhanced both serine and tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor, suggesting that polylysine stimulates the activity of the insulin receptor kinase, and of a serine kinase that is tightly associated with the insulin receptor.

Properties of CAR-kinase: the enzyme that phosphorylates the cAMP chemotactic receptor of D. discoideum

The cell surface cAMP chemotactic receptor of D. discoideum can be phosphorylated in partially purified plasma membrane preparations in a ligand-dependent manner. CAR-kinase, the enzyme responsible for receptor phosphorylation, was shown to be an integral membrane protein. It could utilize either ATP or GTP to phosphorylate the receptor, although ATP was much more efficient. The apparent affinity constant for ATP was approximately 20-25 microM. Maximum CAR-kinase activity was observed between pH 6.5 and pH7, and required the presence of Mg2+. Neither Mn2+ nor Ca2+ could substitute for that divalent cation. The enzyme was found to be sensitive to the ionic strength and temperature of the incubation reaction. Dephosphorylation of the receptor was not observed in the membrane preparations, indicating that the enhanced level of receptor phosphorylation that occurred upon ligand binding was not an indirect reflection of receptor dephosphorylation and subsequent incorporation of radiolabeled phosphate.

Dephosphorylation of insulin-receptor autophosphorylation sites by particulate and soluble phosphotyrosyl-protein phosphatases

Insulin stimulates autophosphorylation of the insulin receptor on multiple tyrosines in three domains: tyrosines 1316 and 1322 in the C-terminal tail, 1146, 1150 and 1151 in the tyrosine-1150 domain, and possibly 953, 960 or 972 in the juxtamembrane domain. In the present work the sequence of dephosphorylation of the various autophosphorylation sites by particulate and cytosolic preparations of phosphotyrosyl-protein phosphatase from rat liver was studied with autophosphorylated human placental insulin receptor as substrate. Both phosphatase preparations elicited a broadly similar pattern of dephosphorylation. The tyrosine-1150 domain in triphosphorylated form was found to be exquisitely sensitive to dephosphorylation, and was dephosphorylated 3-10-fold faster than the di- and monophosphorylated forms of the tyrosine-1150 domain or phosphorylation sites in other domains. The major route for dephosphorylation of the triphosphorylated tyrosine-1150 domain involved dephosphorylation of one of the phosphotyrosyl pair, 1150/1151, followed by phosphotyrosyl 1146 to generate a species monophosphorylated mainly (greater than 80%) at tyrosine 1150 or 1151. Insulin receptors monophosphorylated in the tyrosine-1150 domain disappeared slowly, and overall the other domains were completely dephosphorylated faster than the tyrosine-1150 domain. Dephosphorylation of the diphosphorylated C-terminal domain yielded insulin receptor in which the domain was singly phosphorylated at tyrosine 1322. Triphosphorylation of the insulin receptor in the tyrosine-1150 domain appears important in activating the receptor tyrosine kinase to phosphorylate other proteins. The extreme sensitivity of the triphosphorylated form of the tyrosine-1150 domain to dephosphorylation may thus be important in terminating or regulating insulin-receptor tyrosine kinase action and insulin signalling.

Activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase by insulin

Insulin action appears to require the protein-tyrosine kinase domain of the beta subunit of the insulin receptor. Despite this, the identities and biochemical functions of the cellular targets of this tyrosine kinase are unknown. A phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) that phosphorylates the D-3 position of the inositol ring associates with several protein-tyrosine kinases. Here we report that PI 3-kinase activity is immunoprecipitated from insulin-stimulated CHO cells by antiphosphotyrosine and anti-insulin receptor antibodies. Insulin as low as 0.3 nM increased immunoprecipitable PI 3-kinase activity within 1 min. Increases in activity were much greater in CHO cells expressing the human insulin receptor (100,000 receptors per cell) than in control CHO cells (2000 receptors per cell). During insulin stimulation, various lipid products of the PI 3-kinase either appeared or increased in quantity in intact cells, suggesting that the appearance of immunoprecipitable PI 3-kinase reflects an increase in its activity in vivo. These results indicate that insulin at physiological concentrations regulates the PI 3-kinase and suggest that this regulation involves a physical association between the insulin receptor and the PI 3-kinase and tyrosyl phosphorylation.

Intrinsic kinase activity of the insulin receptor

Since the identification of the insulin receptor by insulin-binding activity almost two decades ago, our understanding of the structure and function of the insulin receptor has progressed tremendously. The importance of the intrinsic tyrosine protein kinase activity of the insulin receptor is implied by the fact that the insulin receptor belongs to a family of receptor tyrosine kinases which play a role in growth control, by experiments demonstrating the intimate association of normal kinase activity and insulin action, and by evidence that the intrinsic kinase activity can be regulated under certain conditions. There are still some major gaps in our knowledge concerning the structure/function of the insulin receptor such as how activation of the intrinsic kinase activity of the receptor leads to altered cellular physiology. The kinase may phosphorylate endogenous substrates or autophosphorylation may simply alter beta subunit conformation so it can then interact with an effector system (i.e. a serine kinase) directly, or indirectly through a G-protein. The truth may lie somewhere between these two pathways.

Characterization of sites of serine phosphorylation in human placental insulin receptor copurified with insulin-stimulated serine kinase activity by two-dimensional thin-layer peptide mapping

Insulin receptor was copurified from human placenta together with insulin-stimulated kinase activity that phosphorylates the insulin receptor on serine residues. Analysis of phosphorylated insulin receptor by two-dimensional tryptic peptide mapping showed that sites of insulin stimulated serine phosphorylation in the insulin receptor were recovered in the same peptides as those known to be phosphorylated on serine in vivo in response to insulin. This indicates that the serine kinase copurified with the insulin receptor represents a physiologically important enzyme involved in the insulin triggered serine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor in vivo.