ALTERED PATTERN OF INSULIN-RECEPTOR ISOTYPES IN SKELETAL-MUSCLE MEMBRANES OF TYPE-2 (NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT) DIABETIC SUBJECTS

The human insulin receptor exists in two isoforms (HIR-A alpha-subunit 719 amino acids and HIR-B alpha-subunit 731 amino acids) which are generated by alternative splicing of a small exon and display distinct patterns of tissue-specific expression. Using the polymerase chain reaction we have recently shown that skeletal muscle of non-diabetic individuals contains predominantly mRNA encoding HIR-A while in skeletal muscle derived from subjects with Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus similar amounts of each mRNA are expressed. We used a polyclonal antibody which discriminates between HIR-A and HIR-B to assess the isoform expression at the protein level. The antibody showed clearly distinct displacement of insulin binding in skeletal muscle membranes of non-diabetic subjects compared to Type 2 diabetic subjects (displacement of specific I-125-insulin binding: 13 non-diabetic subjects 70.0 % +/- 14.34, 12 Type 2 diabetic subjects 32.6 % +/- 17.45). A control antibody which does not discriminate between both isoforms showed similar displacement of I-125-insulin in membranes of non-diabetic and Type 2 diabetic subjects. These data suggest that the altered expression of receptor isotype mRNA in the skeletal muscle of Type 2 diabetic subjects leads to an altered receptor isoform pattern in the plasma membrane. While skeletal muscle membranes of non-diabetic subjects contain predominantly HIR-A, membranes of Type 2 diabetic subjects show an increased level of HIR-B in addition to HIR-A

Insulin activates GTP binding to a 40 kDa protein in fat cells

The first steps in insulin action are binding of insulin to its receptor and activation of the insulin receptor kinase. As there is indirect evidence that further signal transduction might involve a guanine-nucleotide-binding protein (G-protein), we studied whether insulin modulates GTP binding to plasma membrane proteins of fat cells and skeletal muscle. We found that insulin rapidly increased (30 s) binding of guanosine 5'-[gamma-thio]triphosphate (GTP[S]) in a dose dependent manner (0.03-2.0 nM). This effect was not altered by pertussis toxin, but it was abolished by cholera toxin treatment of fat cells. Scatchard analysis of the binding data showed that the increased GTP[S] binding is due to a decrease in the Kd for GTP from 100 nM to 50 nM. Furthermore, binding of GTP to these plasma membranes inhibited both the binding of 125I-insulin to the insulin receptor and the stimulation of the insulin receptor kinase, suggesting a feedback interaction between the insulin-stimulated GTP-binding site and the insulin receptor. In order to identify this insulin-stimulated GTP-binding site, plasma membranes were labelled with the photoreactive GTP analogue [alpha-32P]GTP gamma-azidoanilide. We found that insulin selectively stimulated GTP binding to a 40 kDa protein. In conclusion, in plasma membranes of fat cells and skeletal muscle, the insulin receptor interacts with a 40 kDa GTP-binding site. We speculate that this 40 kDa GTP-binding site might be a G-protein which is involved in insulin signal transmission