An Extracellular Domain of the Insulin Receptor β-Subunit with Regulatory Function on Protein-Tyrosine Kinase

Abstract Anti-insulin receptor monoclonal antibody MA-10 inhibits insulin receptor autophosphorylation of purified rat liver insulin receptors without affecting insulin binding (Cordera, R., Andraghetti, G., Gherzi, R., Adezati, L., Montemurro, A., Lauro, R., Goldfine, I. D., and De Pirro, R. (1987) Endocrinology 121, 2007-2010). The effect of MA-10 on insulin receptor autophosphorylation and on two insulin actions (thymidine incorporation into DNA and receptor down-regulation) was investigated in rat hepatoma Fao cells. MA-10 inhibits insulin-stimulated receptor autophosphorylation, thymidine incorporation into DNA, and insulin-induced receptor down-regulation without affecting insulin receptor binding. We show that MA-10 binds to a site of rat insulin receptors different from the insulin binding site in intact Fao cells. Insulin does not inhibit MA-10 binding, and MA-10 does not inhibit insulin binding to rat Fao cells. Moreover, MA-10 binding to down-regulated cells is reduced to the same extent as insulin binding. In rat insulin receptors the MA-10 binding site has been tentatively localized in the extracellular part of the insulin receptor beta-subunit based on the following evidence: (i) MA-10 binds to insulin receptor in intact rat cells; (ii) MA-10 immunoprecipitates isolated insulin receptor beta-subunits labeled with both [35S]methionine and 32P; (iii) MA-10 reacts with rat insulin receptor beta-subunits by the method of immunoblotting, similar to an antipeptide antibody directed against the carboxyl terminus of the insulin receptor beta-subunit. Moreover, MA-10 inhibits autophosphorylation and protein-tyrosine kinase activity of reduced and purified insulin receptor beta-subunits. The finding that MA-10 inhibits insulin-stimulated receptor autophosphorylation and reduces insulin-stimulated thymidine incorporation into DNA and receptor down-regulation suggests that the extracellular part of the insulin receptor beta-subunit plays a role in the regulation of insulin receptor protein-tyrosine kinase activity

Water distribution in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in various states of metabolic control.

Alterations in water compartments have been described in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Both insulin and lack of natriuretic counteracting response lead to water expansion, while hyperglycemica-induced osmotic diuresis leads to water depletion. Both total body water and water distribution in the extra-intracellular space, as well as their relationships to metabolic control, were investigated in 15 controls (30.1 +/- 1.4 years) and in 26 IDDM patients (31.3 +/- 1.6, diabetes duration 11.3 +/- 1.4 years) who were neither hypertensive nor proteinuric. The amounts of total body water (TBW) and extracellular water (ECW) were predicted by impedance measurements at 100 KHz and at 1 KHz. The amount of intracellular water (ICW) was computed as the difference between the two. Water distribution was estimated by measuring the ratio between low- and high-frequency impedance and by computing the ratio between ECW and ICW. The IDDM patients were divided into four groups on the basis of reference HbA(lc) mean and SD: A < or = mean + 2 SD < B < or = mean + 4 SD < C < or = mean +6SD < D. The groups were comparable with sodium intake, insulin dosage, fasting glycemia and laboratory hydration markers. As compared to controls, impedance values at 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100KHz were significantly lower in diabetic patients and the difference within group D increased as the frequency increased: -3.9% at 1 KHz, -10.1% at 100 KHz. As compared to controls, groups A, B and C showed higher TBW, ECW and ICW while water distribution was normal, and group D showed higher TBW and ICW but normal ECW and a different water distribution. In all IDDM patients, HbA(lc) correlated with ECW (r = -0.49) and distribution ratios (r = 0.42, impedance; r = 0.40, ECW/ICW ratio). These observations suggest that good or moderate long-term control IDDM patients have proportionately normal distributions of ECW and ICW excess. However, water excess in poor control IDDM patients was only found in the ICW space